The MacBook Neo review shares our opinion that this is an amazing buy

Our editor-in-chief Chance Miller has been testing the MacBook Neo for less than a week, and his review described it as “a really good Mac at an incredible price.” Other reviewers clearly share his opinion. Although there are compromises, everyone agrees that this machine leaves all the Windows competition in the dust…

Engadget says the Neo puts all $600 Windows PCs to shame.

I really don’t know how Apple did it. The MacBook Neo is a $600 laptop that doesn’t sound like an afterthought, a curse that has befallen many cheap Windows notebooks. Sure, it has a slow A-series processor and is limited to 8GB of RAM.

But the MacBook Neo still feels seriously considered Apple’s flagship hardware. Its screen, trackpad and overall usability are so far ahead of the competition, every Windows PC maker, including Microsoft, should be ashamed.

Things echoing that comparison, he added that this is the Mac most people need.

The look and feel is probably the biggest win – it has the same aluminum finish you’d expect from a MacBook Air and many will be hard pressed to tell the difference between the silver Neo and the Silver Air. There really isn’t a PC that looks as good as that […]

The positives far outweigh the negatives. Just as the entry-level iPad is the iPad most people need, so this is the Mac most people need. Most of us want to answer emails, write documents, budget. And if that’s you, you’re about to buy money.

CNN he said it was the most exciting piece of technology tested in years.

The MacBook Neo is the most exciting piece of technology I’ve tested in years, with the potential to be the best MacBook for everyone. […] A dozen tabs in Chrome or Safari remain responsive as I jump around Drafts, Slack, Todoist, Photos and Messages while Music blasts Charli XCX’s “365” in the background. […]

The most impressive thing about the MacBook Neo is how good it is for audio and video, something I never expected to say for a $599 laptop. […] For everyone looking for a great 13-inch laptop that doesn’t make you think too hard about your budget or financial options, the MacBook Neo is for you.

The Verge it’s hard to believe it’s powered by the iPhone chip.

The Neo’s hardware simultaneously puts to shame an entire class of affordable (and expensive) Windows laptops, as well as any Chromebook. And the thing runs on the iPhone chip […]

I’ve tested more expensive Windows laptops that make major compromises in their screen, speaker, keyboard, trackpad or webcam quality — or more than one, so the fact that the Neo doesn’t have major flaws is a big deal. […] Neo is the new default recommendation for students and laptop newcomers who want something easy to use with minimal fuss.

CNET it says it’s the perfect first laptop for students, although it recommends upgrading to a model with Touch ID if the budget allows.

It’s a more affordable MacBook, yet still offers the same premium design and durability as Apple’s more affordable MacBooks. It’s also lightweight and compact, making it easy to take to school, and it comes in three fun colors (plus the classic silver). The Neo costs about the same as the cheapest iPhone and allows parents to organize their children with a phone and laptop combination that works well together, costing only $100 more than the cheapest MacBook Air. And unless your child is an aspiring filmmaker or building their first LLM, they don’t need the power of an Air or a MacBook Pro.

As cute and colorful as it is, the $599 MacBook Neo is more than just a kid’s laptop. It’s also equipped to get college students through four years of school, and it makes a great laptop for anyone who wants an extra laptop to kick back on the couch at night to browse the web, watch a show or movie, make simple edits to photos you took earlier in the day on your iPhone and text using all 10 fingers on the keyboard instead of two thumbs on your iPhone.

Macworld admits it’s the perfect first Mac, but it’s also the best second Mac for many users out there.

The MacBook Neo is an excellent Mac for a first timer. It’s a great way for a newcomer to see what the Mac is all about. Dedicated Mac users stay familiar with macOS because we find its UI and functionality more satisfying than other platforms. And so far, we’ve been willing to pay less. Now, it is very easy for people to find out what Mac is all about. To all of you newbies, welcome to Macintosh […]

I see a lot of Mac users getting the MacBook Neo as their second one. For example, it could be a laptop that you take with you on vacation instead of your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, laptops are more expensive to replace.

Finally, ArsTechnica posted the most skeptical review I’ve seen, suggesting that the refurbished M1 MacBook Air might be a better buy, but concluding that it will work for many.

All that said, I really like the MacBook Neo for its intended audience. It would be a great first Mac for people who only have an iPhone and/or an iPad; it could be the first laptop for any cash-strapped kid or college student, especially with a $100 education rebate; and it would be a nice logical upgrade from all the battered, bellied, out-of-support 2010-to-2019-vintage non-Retina Intel MacBook Airs that I still routinely see in coffee shops and trains.

The hardware is stripped down, right up to the edge of what we would consider acceptable in some cases. But Apple has stayed on the right side of the line most of the time, cutting features without wasting anything important.