Preorders for Apple’s colorful MacBook Neo come with a $25 gift card

Last time I checked, the color indigo looked a little different. | Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge

The forthcoming MacBook Neo is certainly compelling — at least for the right person. One could argue that buying a last-gen MacBook Air is a better bet in most instances; however, if you’re still sold on picking Apple’s colorful budget laptop ahead of its launch on March 11th, Best Buy is throwing in a $25 e-gift card when you preorder either the 256GB model for $599 or the step-up 512GB variant for $699.

MacBook Neo (with $25 e-gift card)

Where to Buy:

At its core, Apple’s cheapest laptop is all about tradeoffs. For $599, you get a 13-inch aluminum machine with a fairly large bezel around the display, a color-matched Magic Keyboard, a physical (!) trackpad, and a 1080p camera that lacks some of Apple’s newer tricks (ahem, Center Stage). On the side, you’ll find a 3.5mm headphone jack, side-firing speakers with support for spatial audio, and a pair of USB-C ports (one USB 3 and one USB 2), both of which can be used for charging. There are no MagSafe or Thunderbolt ports, though the higher-end 512GB model does include a TouchID sensor for added convenience.

Inside, the MacBook Neo packs 8GB of RAM — its biggest shortcoming, by far — and Apple’s A18 Pro chip, which is the same mobile processor first introduced with the iPhone 16. Still, the A18 Pro is relatively quick despite being a couple of years old, and should be able to handle any task that doesn’t require a ton of processing power. That makes it well-suited for streaming, browsing, checking emails — you know, the kind of stuff you don’t need a blazing-fast M5 series chip for.

Read our MacBook Neo hands-on impressions.

More ways to save today

If you’re someone who likes to keep tabs on their surroundings while listening to music or podcasts, the last-gen Shokz OpenRun Pro are on sale at Amazon and Best Buy for $124.99 ($35 off), matching their second-best price to date. The lightweight, wraparound headphones are very much an exercise in form over function; the sound quality isn’t going to rival a traditional pair of in-ear cans, but the built-in bone conduction tech ensures you’re not blocking outside noise. Plus, they’re both sweat and water-resistant, making them a solid choice if you’re a runner.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, the latest installment in Nintendo’s long-running sci-fi series, is down to an all-time low of $54.99 ($15 off) at Woot through April 4th. The moody Switch 2 title is a little uneven compared to prior entries — don’t get me started on your chatty companions or Samus’ new set of wheels — but the gorgeous environments and titular Metroidvania-style exploration manage to make it another solid outing (at a discount). And who doesn’t love the occasional, white-knuckle boss fight? Read our review.
If you think screens are bad for adults, they’re even worse for kids. Thankfully, the Yoto Mini is on sale at Target right now for $63.99 ($16 off), its best price to date. The adorable, kid-friendly cube is relatively compact, and because it relies on one of 1,000-plus preloaded, proprietary cards from Yoto to play stories and music, there’s no concern about your child staring at a massive display for hours on end (no, the built-in pixel screen doesn’t count).