Apple begins a new era of laptops
Apple’s MacBook Neo is unprecedented territory for the tech giant, which has previously sacrificed specs to produce thin-and-light premium laptops, but never explicitly catered to a low-cost model. At $900, the Neo is the cheapest computer Apple currently sells (even compared to the Mac Mini), and at launch it’s the cheapest MacBook model in history at a suggested price. So, is it worth the compromise?
The real question for potential buyers isn’t how the Neo compares to the $1800 MacBook Air, the second-cheapest model in the lineup, but how it compares to other $900 laptops, new or otherwise. From that perspective, I’d say Apple offers a compelling option for anyone who just wants a daily driver and doesn’t need premium performance. With great looks, a smooth MacOS experience, and the power to satisfy the majority of users, it’s a striking alternative to Windows laptops and older MacBooks in its price range.
Physically, Neo looks like a small, colorful MacBook. My review unit is yellow, but it’s also available in pink, navy, and silver, with a sleek aluminum body that looks and feels premium. The keyboard keys appear white at first glance, but their colors are very subtle. Even though it’s the smallest MacBook in a long time, the trackpad and screen don’t feel cramped at all.
While there are no ports on the right side of the laptop, there are two USB-C ports and a headphone jack on the left side. Although there is no indication on the body, the two USBs are actually different specifications. The bottom port is USB 2, which is really only good for essential accessories, while the top port is USB 3, which you’ll want to use for high-speed storage or connecting to a monitor. You can use both to charge.
A colorful change
As someone who generally uses a MacBook Pro, I expected some drawbacks to be immediately noticeable when I started using the Neo. But while there is of course a difference, I honestly think most people’s first impression will be surprisingly good. And compared to other $900 devices it is.
The screen is as bright and sharp as the current MacBook Air, and looks great out of the box. This is partly due to how bright and graphical the current MacOS is, and to bring it all together Apple has given Neo a cleverly colour-coordinated wallpaper and accent scheme by default. There’s no way to peg this as a budget model based on looks alone.
The keyboard and trackpad are a slightly different story because if you’re used to an existing Air or Pro, you’ll notice they’re not that good. The keys are not backlit, they have more travel and have a hollow feel. Similarly, the camera, microphone and speakers are good but not great, and the stated maximum battery life of 16 hours can’t touch the Pro.
But if you’re buying a $900 laptop, you’re probably not coming from an existing Air or Pro, and it compares very well to most Windows laptops. And this is actually where Neo’s greatest strength lies. Compare this to any $900 Windows laptop from Dell, HP or ASUS that will look boring. It probably has a few extra features – HDMI port, 360-degree hinge, higher than 60Hz refresh rate – but it doesn’t have the basic level of design fit and finish that Apple provides. Even compared to Microsoft’s Surface devices, the Neo’s keyboard feels great.
If you’re comparing it to a refurbished older MacBook, you’re probably getting little change at $900 for the 2020 MacBook Air with M1. Again, this may have some advantages over the Neo: backlit keyboard, powerful trackpad and USB 4 ports. But the six-year-old device looks old and worn out. Its memory is slower and its battery, chips, and keyboard have several miles. Additionally, the Neo will outperform the MacBook Air with M1, even though it doesn’t have the latest and greatest hardware inside.
under the hood
The A18 Pro, which powers the Neo, was first seen on the iPhone 16 Pro, but it would be a bit misleading to say that the machine runs on a mobile chip. Although for marketing purposes Apple generally refers to computer models as M and smartphone models as A, the “Apple Silicon” architecture is consistent across all the various chips. But just like iPads deliver a consistent experience whether they run on an A or M chip, MacOS can run on either chip.
In fact, the iPhone 16 Pro is a pretty capable device, so it’s no surprise to see the MacBook Neo handle general computing tasks without any problems. I ran Safari and Chrome with lots of tabs, dabbled a bit with Photoshop, Pages, Canva, and Pixelmator, watched lots of videos, and performed all my usual work-related tasks, and the Neo performed great.
Looking at the benchmarks, it seems that the A18 Pro offers similar performance in basic tasks to the M4 powering Apple laptops from 2024. Of course, for more intensive tasks, the M4 will often be equipped with extra cores and memory.
There’s a lot of talk online about the Neo’s 8GB system memory being too low in 2026, but I’m not convinced that’s a big problem for anyone other than power users. Compare the Neo to the new MacBook Pro running any process or application; I’m sure Neo will do it slower. You can even see this in the operating system; When you open a folder with a lot of files, the thumbnails won’t load as quickly as you can scroll them. But the smaller memory didn’t interfere with anything I asked the computer to do.
I dropped a massive 14GB 4K video file into iMovie, and within seconds it was ready to clean up and start cutting. It exported a 6-minute cut in about five minutes at the highest quality. Every game I played from Apple Arcade worked great and even Resident Evil 4 The remake from the App Store achieved good frame rates in Full HD. There were no problems with neural filters applied to large projects in Photoshop. Switching between desktops filled with open application windows went smoothly. Apple Intelligence is performing as expected.
The biggest limitation regarding specs for me is the 256GB storage. My downloads folder uses more space than that. However, we would like to point out that this laptop is not aimed at power users.
It’s worth noting that most sub-$1,000 Windows laptops on the market, as well as the M1 MacBook I mentioned earlier, are machines with 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage. If you stretch up to $1,100, you can get a Neo with 512GB of storage; This also adds the Touch ID sensor, which is missing on the 256GB model.
Disclosure: Apple provided a MacBook Neo on loan for review.
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Tim Biggs is a writer covering consumer technology, gadgets, and video games.Connect with: X or email.
