MacBook Neo review: Apple puts every $600 Windows PC to shame

Source: Engadget

First Impressions

I really don’t know how Apple did it. The MacBook Neo is a $600 laptop that doesn’t feel like an afterthought—a curse that has befallen so many cheap Windows notebooks. Sure, it has a slower A‑series processor and it’s limited to 8 GB of RAM, but the MacBook Neo still feels as deeply considered as Apple’s most premium hardware. Its screen, trackpad, and overall usability are so far ahead of the competition that every Windows PC maker, including Microsoft, should be ashamed.

I’ve argued that a cheap MacBook could be the best way for Apple to peel away Windows users, and after spending almost a week with the Neo, I’m convinced it will do just that. It’s fast enough to handle basic productivity work, sturdy enough to survive classroom abuse, and you really can’t beat its $599 starting price. Once Windows users learn it isn’t that hard to switch to macOS, Apple will likely have another hit on its hands.

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What’s so Neo about this MacBook?

I’ll admit, I laughed at the MacBook Neo’s name at first. It really does feel like a desperately hip name ASUS or Acer would slap onto their machines (in fact, Acer is doing so right now), rather than something Apple would even consider. But the Neo name is more than just a dated reference to The Matrix—it’s also a clear signal that this is a new type of MacBook.

• It’s the first MacBook Apple has ever been able to sell so cheaply.
• It’s the first MacBook powered by a mobile A‑series chip.
• For many people, it will likely end up being their first Mac.

The MacBook Neo also marks the first time Apple has built a value‑focused notebook under $1,000.

While the M1 MacBook Air was a great value over the last few years, its last‑gen Apple design aged quickly. The Neo looks far more modern, with an all‑aluminum case that resembles the current Air (it’s a bit smaller, but weighs the same 2.7 lb).

Color Options

The Neo’s biggest draw is its color palette:

• Greenish citrus
• Pink blush
• Apple’s classic dark and light finishes

The citrus hue is the most unique—Apple has shown us rose‑gold Macs before, but never a bright citrus. It would have been nice to see other strong colors, like a brighter blue or something with a hint of purple. People want personality, Apple!

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Under the Hood: Compromise Over Cost

The MacBook Neo is a story of compromise, more so than any MacBook before it. Apple had to deliver its premium user experience while cutting costs significantly to hit the $599 price point.

• Processor: A18 Pro (the same chip that powered last year’s iPhone 16 Pro). Using an A‑series chip is likely far more cost‑effective than an older M‑series chip that’s no longer in production.
• Ports: Only two USB‑C connections (one USB 3.0, one USB 2.0). No MagSafe charging—unfortunate, given the Neo will likely end up in the hands of trip‑prone kids.
• Memory & Storage: Starts with 8 GB RAM and a 256 GB SSD. You can pay an extra $100 for 512 GB storage and a Touch ID button, but RAM is not upgradable.

Note: My usual advice to any prospective computer buyer is to get at least 16 GB of memory. More RAM is the easiest way to see faster performance when juggling many tabs, apps, and large files—especially on Macs, where unified memory is baked into the A‑ and M‑series chips.

Target Audience

The 8 GB limitation reveals the precise audiences Apple is targeting:

• Casual users who need a secondary machine for light workloads.
• Schools that currently rely on Chromebooks.

If the idea of less RAM in your main computer makes your skin crawl, the Neo isn’t for you. The MacBook Air is still available and can be equipped with substantially more RAM and storage.

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Notable Features

1080p Webcam

Apple deserves credit for squeezing in an impressive 1080p webcam—something rarely seen in $600 Windows notebooks. The resolution is impressive, and Apple’s image processing delivers sharp, vibrant video quality. In group calls, the Neo will make people think you’re calling in from a pricier MacBook Air or Pro.

Keyboard

When I first demoed the Neo at Apple’s launch event, its keyboard felt a bit flimsier than those on the Air and Pro. However, that impression may have been influenced by the crowd and noise. My review unit’s keyboard feels just as accurate as the Air’s, allowing me to type at full speed (near 100 wpm) without any issues. There are no weird input problems like those I noticed on Dell’s far more expensive XPS 14.

Trackpad

The Neo’s trackpad is similarly responsive and accurate for swiping and gestures. This is particularly surprising because Apple isn’t using a haptic Force Touch trackpad—the standard on its laptops for the past decade. The Neo’s pad clicks down mechanically, yet it doesn’t feel as muddy as the budget PC trackpads we see elsewhere. It’s also notable that Apple managed to make the Neo’s trackpad completely clickable, whereas many PC mechanical options only click along the edges.

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Bottom Line

The MacBook Neo proves that Apple can deliver a premium experience at a budget price by making strategic compromises. It won’t replace the MacBook Air for power users, but for students, casual creators, and anyone looking to dip a toe into macOS without breaking the bank, the Neo is a compelling—and surprisingly polished—option.

Enough Mac for most

I didn’t expect much from the Neo’s A18 Pro processor and limited specs, and yet it still managed to surprise me. It easily handled having dozens of tabs open across multiple browsers, a show playing on the TV app, photo editing in Pixelmator Pro and running the new Apple Arcade title Oceanhorn 3 without any significant slowdown. There’s clearly some swift memory management going on, delivering just enough RAM for the task right in front of you.

The Neo’s RAM usage typically hovered between 80 % and 85 % when I was trying to stress it, but it never went beyond that range. And if you’re curious, the Neo typically used around 50 % of its memory just to run macOS, even with no other apps running.

I’d bet most people wouldn’t see a major performance difference between the MacBook Neo and the Air for basic tasks. Even their screens look similar: the Neo’s LCD panel has only a slightly lower resolution than the Air’s, but its smaller 13‑inch screen size gives it a similarly rich pixel density. The screen looks bold and colorful indoors, and it’s also bright enough to use in direct sunlight outside—something you don’t usually see on $600 laptops.

During a demo at the Neo’s launch event, I saw its screen compared side‑by‑side to a $600 HP laptop. The difference was literally night and day — the HP’s display struggled to show the vibrancy of daylight photos, while the Neo’s made photos pop off the screen. Similarly, the Neo’s side‑firing speakers sound significantly better than the tinny garbage HP stuffs into its discount machines. The Neo’s speakers are ideal for watching videos and streaming content, but they definitely lack the clarity and low‑end bump from the Air and MacBook Pro’s upward‑firing speakers.

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Benchmarks

I was definitely trying to push the MacBook Neo harder than a typical user, but it simply kept delivering. In Geekbench 6’s CPU benchmark, the Neo sits between the M2 and M3 MacBook Air for single‑core tests, and below the M2 for multi‑threaded work. Apple’s hardware still manages to put Intel and AMD to shame, with single‑threaded Geekbench 6 scores that are higher than the latest hardware from both companies. But of course, that’s just one benchmark — beefy CPUs with active cooling will still be more performant overall.

What’s most impressive about the MacBook Neo is that it manages to be a functional and well‑rounded notebook at just $599. Microsoft’s “low‑budget” $800 Surface Pro 12‑inch was cute, but we found its performance incredibly underwhelming (and you still had to pay more for the keyboard). The 2.2‑lb ZenBook A14 was impressively light, but again it was just too slow to be useful. Apple probably could have worked harder to make the Neo a tad lighter, but it’s still easy to hold and travel with. I’d much rather Apple kept it at the MacBook Air’s 2.7‑lb weight, instead of making the Neo less powerful or more expensive.

The only time the MacBook Neo completely failed was when I tried to run complex games meant for Apple’s M‑series chips. Lies of P installed fine, but upon launch it just stopped as it tried to load shaders. Honestly, I’m surprised I was even able to install it in the first place. The most gaming you’ll do on the Neo are things built specifically for Apple Arcade and the company’s mobile chips, or cloud‑streaming options like GeForce Now or Xbox.

During our battery test, which involves looping a 4K video, the MacBook Neo lasted 12 hours 15 minutes. That’s far below the 18 hours 15 minutes I saw on the M4 MacBook Air, but it’s still enough to last you through a typical work or school day. Again, Apple also had to sacrifice a bigger battery to keep the Neo’s costs down.

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Should you buy the MacBook Neo?

It’s rare for Apple to genuinely surprise me these days, but the MacBook Neo did just that. It’s a $599 computer that can handle basic workloads just fine, all the while looking like one of the company’s more expensive notebooks. Most importantly, it delivers more speed, a brighter screen and an overall better user experience than any competing $600 Windows PC. It’s so good, I think it’ll make many people wonder why they’ve stuck with sub‑par PCs for so long.

*This article originally appeared on Engadget at *