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I can't find fault in the MacBook Neo. It's incredibly well-priced, beautifully made and has more than enough power to do the things 99% of people will need from it. Possibly Apple's greatest ever product?
The Good
- Such amazing value for money
- Superb build-quality
- A18 Pro chip handles day-to-day work and more
- Great display for the money
The Not So Good
- It's only 8GB, I guess?
Need-to-knows
- 8GB unified memory is definitely enough!
- Build quality is identical to pricier MacBooks
- No backlit keyboard is rarely an issue
- Best suited to everyday tasks and light creative work
I’ve been using the MacBook Neo every single day for just over a month now. Day in, day out – it has been my main laptop.
It has also become one of the most popular products on my YouTube channel. Collectively, the videos I’ve published about Apple’s surprise addition to the MacBook lineup have racked up nearly half a million views and over 2,000 comments.
Within that swell of engagement, the same three questions keep coming up:
- How long will the Neo last if I buy it today?
- Can it handle professional workflows?
- Should I choose the MacBook Neo over the M4 MacBook Air (or vice-versa)?
I’m going to answer all of those questions today. And, yes, I’ll revisit the lack of a backlit keyboard thing, too. Because I clearly need to.
I’ll also finally reveal whether or not I think the MacBook Neo is the best thing Apple has ever done.
Let’s get into it.
Shop the MacBook Neo below!
How I reviewed the MacBook Neo
I’ve been using this thing for a month now to run my business. I’ve been performing day-to-day tasks on the Neo like emailing, writing and even some video editing when on the move. It’s basically been my main work companion!
At a glance
| Feature | MacBook Neo |
|---|---|
| Starting Price | From $599/£599 |
| Processor | Apple A18 Pro |
| CPU | 6-core CPU |
| GPU | 5-core GPU |
| Neural Engine | 16-core |
| Display | 13-inch Liquid Retina, 2408 × 1506, up to 500 nits |
| Memory | 8GB unified memory |
| Storage | 256GB or 512GB SSD |
| Battery Life | Up to 16 hours |
| Charging | USB-C (20W adapter included) |
| Ports | 2 × USB-C, 3.5mm headphone jack |
| External Display Support | 1 external display up to 4K 60Hz |
| Camera | 1080p FaceTime HD |
| Speakers | Dual speakers with Spatial Audio |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 6 |
| Keyboard | Magic Keyboard |
| Cooling | Fanless |
| Weight | ~1.23 kg (2.7 lb) |
| Colours | Silver, Indigo, Blush, Citrus |
| Operating System | macOS Tahoe |
MacBook Neo real-world performance
The MacBook Neo doesn’t break a sweat with regular tasks. Ever.
Web browsing with countless tabs open, email, Slack, note-taking, a bit of photo editing, taking calls on Zoom – it eats that kinda stuff for breakfast. That’s where the Neo shines brightest, and it’s the reason so many people are clearly attracted to it.
I’ve also been pleasantly surprised by how well it manages lighter creative tasks, too. Editing photos in Lightroom, light 4K video editing – it’s more capable than you think.
As for heavier professional workflows (sustained multi-cam 4K video editing with effects, large-scale design work, software development), you should be buying either the MacBook Air or the MacBook Pro. That’s why they exist above the MacBook Neo. Apple’s entry-level MacBook isn’t trying to be those machines, because it’s the entry-level MacBook.
The 8GB question
I know. You’ve seen the chatter. You’ve caught the Reddit threads. You’ve got lost in the arguments in threads-within-threads in YouTube comments sections. “8GB isn’t enough in 2026.”, “It’ll be obsolete in a year.” They go on and on.
But they are in the minority.
That’s for a very good reason, and it’s the best piece of news I can deliver for you today: the MacBook Neo is not a Windows laptop.
Apple has tuned the MacBook Neo to work with 8GB of unified memory perfectly for the use cases for which it is intended. The way macOS manages memory is fundamentally different to how Windows does it, and it shows in daily use. Unified memory means the CPU and GPU share the same pool, which is far more efficient than the split approach you’ll find on most Windows machines.
Equally, Apple has tuned the MacBook Neo to work with 8GB of unified memory and what is essentially an iPhone chip. And the results are stellar. There is nothing to worry about.
Related: MacBook Neo review
I have received the macOS “out of memory” message once on my Neo. I was running screen sharing and had virtually every other app I use open at the same time. Even then, it wasn’t sluggish – it felt like more of a blip than an indication I was trying to do too much with it. I haven’t seen it since.
If your use case matches what the MacBook Neo is made for, you have nothing to worry about.
MacBook Neo long-term durability
This is another area where people need to stop comparing it to Windows laptops.
The MacBook Neo will not feel like it needs to be replaced in three years. Think about how many old MacBooks you see out in the wild – in coffee shops, lecture theatres, offices; these things last for a very long time, and the Neo is built on exactly the same foundation.
The build quality is identical to what you’d find on Apple’s more expensive machines. The aluminium chassis feels solid, the hinge is reassuringly firm, and there’s nothing about the construction that screams “budget.”
I’m also tired of hearing about “memory swap” issues. To my knowledge, there have been no widespread reports about memory swap problems relating to M1 Macs with 8GB of unified memory – and a lot of them are still in use, still running beautifully.
The Neo has a newer, more efficient chip. It’ll be just fine for many years – if you buy it for the right reasons.
[IMAGE: MacBook Neo aluminium chassis close-up]
MacBook Neo vs MacBook Air – the big decision
It’s not actually as big a decision as you might think.
The MacBook Air is the pro MacBook for people who don’t need a MacBook Pro. I invented that little quip myself – feel free to use it as much as you want, as long as you quote ‘Mark Ellis, Tech Genius, 2026’.
The MacBook Air is for those who go beyond light creative work – regular video editing, larger design projects, and heavier multitasking with demanding applications. It’s for people who don’t need the colossal power of the MacBook Pro, but for whom the MacBook Neo is underpowered.
The MacBook Neo is perfect for everyday tasks and light creative work. If your day revolves around browsing, writing, email, streaming, and the occasional bit of photo editing, the Neo will make you very happy indeed.
The Air has a bigger display option (15 inches, to be exact), slightly better speakers, and can drive two external monitors. If any of those things matter to you, it’s the one to go for.
The big comparison: MacBook Neo vs MacBook Air
And if you just can’t deal with the lack of a backlit keyboard on the Neo, the MacBook Air is the obvious choice.
Which brings me to that keyboard.
The MacBook Neo (no) backlit keyboard situation
I’ve found it tricky in two instances: sitting on the stairs in the dark waiting for my son to fall asleep (he’s three, we sometimes have to do that – fellow parents will understand), and in a darkened aeroplane cabin.
But here’s the thing – the only trouble I’ve had in those situations is locating the function keys. I can touch-type the rest of the keyboard without any issues whatsoever. And let’s be honest – how often are any of us reaching for the function row in the dark?
If the lack of a backlit keyboard genuinely bothers you, get the MacBook Air. Simple as that.
Which is best for you? MacBook Neo vs iPad Air
What has been very interesting is the number of people who have commented on my previous MacBook Neo videos defending Apple’s decision. The consensus seems to be that people should be able to touch type in 2026, and that lecture theatres aren’t exactly shrouded in darkness. Fair enough.
Is the MacBook Neo the best thing Apple has ever done?
Yes.
It’s a close-run thing with the M4 Mac mini, but the MacBook Neo includes a display, a keyboard, and a trackpad. More importantly, it enters a market Apple has historically steered well away from – genuinely affordable laptops – and reveals just how bad a lot of Windows laptops in this price range really are.
The MacBook Neo hasn’t just given Apple a new product category – it’s exposed the compromises people have been putting up with for years on the Windows side. Cheap Windows laptops feel cheap. The Neo doesn’t.
I love this thing.
Do you? Get involved in the comments.
27 Comments
Citrus color standing out In a coffee shop? Wow! If that doesn’t just scream productivity, I don’t know what does.
lol wat
Sad that Apple is designing RAM and storage updates. This limits longevity unless there’s a new shrinking software movement.
The game’s progression system keeps players motivated by rewarding skill rather than luck. Every drift generates in-game money that drift hunters can be invested in unlocking better vehicles or purchasing performance upgrades.
I bought an Indigo Neo and am very happy with it apart from the low contrast keyboard. However, I bought a AU$6 keyboard skin with black keys and white letters, and it’s 100% usable in dim light despite not being backlit.
I did the same; works fine!
I just bought a NEO yesterday. Considering I took a typing class when I was young and I don’t have to look at my fingers to type, I find this thing to be perfect at what it was meant to be. A cheap, simple, comfortable, well performing small laptop. Finally someone did it. And yes, the windows laptops in this stratum suck.
Thank you for your review. But I’ll admit to being somewhat bamboozled by reviewers anywhere other than in the US, who talk about the wondrous pricing of these devices.
A price of $599 maps fairly well onto £450, not £599; or matches €520 if you prefer to shop in Europe.
Of course there has always been that kind of differential – we’ve become well used to it over the decades. And you’ll maybe pay some state taxes too, in much of the US.
But let’s be straightforward about this – these machines (like everyone else’s) are largely manufactured in the far east for shipping and sale across Europe and the Americas, and there is simply no logical reason why there needs to be as much as a 30% price differential in different markets, except that Apple wants to play it that way.
Now, if they sold in the UK for £450, I’d be right on it….
This has nothing to do with the sale being done outside the US. And there’s nothing to be bamboozled about.
1. (most!) Americans don’t pay $599 because US sticker prices do not include sales tax. (displaying prices including sales tax is forbidden by law because it would display a competitive advantage for states with lower tax rates). European sticker prices, on the other hand do include tax such as VAT/BTW. (Displaying them without it to consumers is forbidden by law in some countries – people have the right to clearly see how much they will pay).
2. Apple is a US company that sells their products in local currencies that are volatile to their own, so in order to not change their prices every day, they must de-risk themselves against the swings to secure the revenue they’d get for a domestic sales. The Euro has an annualized volatility of 6%. Depending on how long apple intends to lock in a price, the percentage with which to adjust to derisk their revenue increases.
So, let’s take an example: Macbook Neo costs $599 in the US, €699 in the Netherlands.
1. There’s a 21% BTW included in the €699, so excl. BTW, the price would be €578.
2. The average EUR rate over the last 5 years was $1.10, leading the USD equivalent to $635. That’s 5.8% above the US sticker price, not the 30% that you claim. And given that the annualized volatility of the EUR was 7.6%, I think this is completely reasonable.
I was actually hoping everyone nowadays (especially when it concerns Apple products) is aware of the salestax-not-included prices in the US compared to pricing with tax included in Europe and other areas. But apparantly there’s still few out there that just don’t get it.
Your review made up my mind about purchasing a Neo. I do astrophotography and process the images – I’ll likely be using Lightscape and Photoshop. This machine should be just perfect for running the instruments for imaging and finishing them up. Thanks.
Gregory Jones
Perfect fir my cajon
For a 67-year-old without 20/20 vision who has used a MacBook Pro 15-inch screen for 10 years, will the 13-inch Neo screen seem significantly smaller … or be a culture shock? Thanks.
You have a new fan Mr Ellis. great review, totally agree with your assessment. I love it.
I have two really small concerns which feed my over thinking.
I monitor the heat of the chip but it hasn’t throttled yet and I’m using it for intended purpose, mine like my Pro and Air lives on a marble board. the other stress is the two ports which seem to have some play in them. both seem loose a bit, whether its the aperture size or the way they are mounted. I plumped to use a 20W brick but do have a 30W which is its ceiling.
This is definitely the iPhone of this decade and a genius addition by Apple.
thanks for your Review
My family and I are coming back to the Mac. We used to have a 2012 mini. I loved that machine. Then with iPhones and iPads we really didn’t need a computer but I missed the desktop experience and more importantly macOS. I couldn’t justify spending $1,000.00 on a Mac laptop even a used one and I wanted a laptop not another desktop.
After reading reviews and YT videos I talked myself and family to get the Neo in June as a birthday gift to me (and others :-)). Looking forward to it. The price is great and the machine can handle the simple everyday tasks we need it to do.
Thanks for this review Mark; my MacBook Pro is 9 years old and just beginning to show its age, particularly the loss of Apple auto updates (but proves your comments about Apple longevity).
As I’m scaling down ops and use I was aiming for a 13″ Air, but now there’s no need and a £300 saving to boot (sic).
Thanks very much indeed!
After months of my 16 year old MacBook Pro limping along, I purchased the Neo two days ago. I recently retired from the film industry and no longer require a workhorse for a computer. So far I am loving the Neo. I have had two issues – I can’t cast to my Roku like I hoped I could. It sees it and tries but it just won’t. And I can’t get it to play through both of my UE Boom speakers in Stereo pairing – it will only play through one speaker at a time. I spent hours troubleshooting both issues with no resolve. Other than that, I am extremely happy with it. I bought the Blush 512g and am hoping it will last a long time.
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This was very helpful to me. I need something for everyday tasks. Currently on a Macbook Air 2013 from high school and college days.
After using the MacBook Neo as my everyday laptop for over a month, it’s easily become one of my favorite devices, and seeing my videos on it reach nearly half a million views with thousands of comments has made the experience even more rewarding—if you’re also looking for a free streaming app for your computer, you can try downloading TVGarden PC from its official website.
When u start talking about the rubber pads on the bottom, u know u have not that many real Uno Online negatives with the Neo.
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I can’t find fault in the MacBook Neo. It’s incredibly well-priced, beautifully made and has more than enough power to do the things 99% of people will need from it.
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I need something for everyday tasks. Currently on a Macbook Air 2013 from high school and college days.
The 8 GB unified memory really surprised me – it feels more than enough for daily tasks and light video editing. The A18 Pro handles everything smoothly, though I do miss a backlit keyboard for late‑night work. Great value!
A month of real-world use really shows where the MacBook Neo shines—simple, reliable, and easy to live with every day. It’s kind of like finding a good sportzfy for pc setup: you just want something that works smoothly without unnecessary hassle.