MacBook Neo Review – MacRumors
The first reviews of the MacBook Neo were published today by selected publications and YouTube channels, ahead of the launch of the laptop on Wednesday.
Available in Blush, Citrus, Indigo, and Silver, the MacBook Neo is powered by a version of the A18 Pro chip from the iPhone 16 Pro. The laptop is equipped with a 13-inch display, up to 512GB of storage, and 8GB of non-configurable RAM.
The MacBook Neo is Apple’s most affordable MacBook, and most reviews so far call it a great value. In the US, pricing starts at just $599, or as low as $499 for eligible college students and academic staff.
The big question: is 8GB of RAM enough? Most reviewers say yes.
Updates
The VergeAntonio G. Di Benedetto said the MacBook Neo’s 8GB of RAM is “absolutely sufficient” for the “daily productivity tasks the Neo is meant to handle”:
The MacBook Neo lends itself to the light weight it’s designed for. The A18 Pro’s chip actually outperforms Apple’s M1 MacBook Air (and most Windows laptops) in single-processor benchmarks, which is very important for the everyday productivity things the Neo is meant to handle. That’s why this $600 laptop excels at simple tasks like browsing the web and working on Google Docs. The Neo’s 8GB of RAM and 256GB of slow storage are more than enough for life, but the machine feels a little sluggish around the edges when you know where to look – like clicking the Applications folder on the dock sometimes takes a second for the icons to load.
The limited RAM and storage keep the Neo from running on heavy creative apps like the MacBook Airs and Pros, but that’s okay.
CNETMatt Elliott’s Matt Elliott ran Geekbench 6 on a MacBook Neo, and the A18 Pro chip achieved a score of 3,541 for single CPU performance and 8,958 for multi-core. This means that the high performance of the MacBook Neo exceeds the Macs with the M1 chip, while the number of single cores approaches the M4 chip, so the MacBook Neo should feel “exploding”.
| Mac model | Multi-Core CPU Score |
|---|---|
| MacBook Pro (M5 Max) | 29,233 |
| Mac Studio (M3 Ultra) | 27,726 |
| MacBook Pro (M4 Max) | 25,702 |
| MacBook Pro (M4 Pro) | 22,490 |
| Mac Studio (M2 Ultra) | 21,410 |
| MacBook Pro (M3 Max) | 20,960 |
| Mac Studio (M1 Ultra) | 18,434 |
| MacBook Air (M5) | 17,073 |
| MacBook Pro (M3 Pro) | 15,260 |
| MacBook Pro (M2 Max) | 14,740 |
| MacBook Air (M4) | 14,731 |
| MacBook Pro (M2 Pro) | 14,451 |
| MacBook Pro (M1 Max) | 12,345 |
| MacBook Pro (M1 Pro) | 12,345 |
| MacBook Air (M3) | 12,020 |
| MacBook Air (M2) | 9,709 |
| MacBook Neo (A18 Pro) | 8,958 |
| MacBook Air (M1) | 8,342 |
BloombergChris Welch praised the MacBook Neo’s aluminum design, the quality of the display, and the dual speakers on the left and right edges of the laptop:
Even for consumers who stick to traditional computers, the Neo’s aluminum construction, clean screen and well-balanced speakers will make this a no-brainer purchase for millions. In your hands, the device looks, feels and feels just like a Mac.
Tom’s guide performed its standard battery test, which includes continuous web use at 150 nits of display brightness, and the MacBook Neo lasted 13 hours and 28 minutes. The publication said this is “an amazing endurance for a laptop in this price range,” beating the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 at 8 hours and 39 minutes. However, it falls short of the latest MacBook Air, which lasted 15 hours and 28 minutes in the test.
Although the MacBook Neo only has 8GB of RAM, no Touch ID button on the base configuration, no MagSafe, slow USB-C ports instead of Thunderbolt ports, and no illuminated keys, many reviews conclude that the laptop is still a great value.
Fast companyHarry McCracken:
Overall, however, the MacBook Neo is one of Apple’s best recent products, even if its innovation is more about thoughtful cost control, not new features. As well as being a compelling choice for anyone shopping for a laptop in its price range, it’s the perfect Mac for kids and other loved ones who might be inheriting a hand-me-down. I wouldn’t be surprised to see it fly off the shelves.
More reviews are published by Ars Technica, DETAILSagain 9 on 5 Macamong others.
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