MacBook Neo review: Apple’s budget laptop finally feels premium
When we sat down to record the latest TechRadar podcast, we were buzzing after Apple’s splashy new product wave—think iPhone 17e, the iPad Air M4, and a streamlined budget MacBook. The chatter centered on a supposed budget MacBook powered by an iPhone-era chip—the A18 Pro, previously seen in the iPhone 16 Pro—paired with just 8GB of unified memory. I admitted I didn’t expect much from that combination. Then we got hands-on with the MacBook Neo, and it changed the narrative.
Design first, always. The Neo stands out with a refined look and a thoughtful color story—silver, black, pink, and lime green—carried across its chassis, keyboard, accents, and even the macOS interface. Add a silent, fanless build and a crisp 13-inch display at 2408 x 1506, and the Neo feels premium despite its price. It’s the kind of design win you don’t often associate with budget laptops.
The Neo’s design isn’t the only thing that impresses. It’s not merely a pretty shell: performance is surprisingly capable too, especially for a device in this segment. Without an M-series chip, I still found the macOS experience to be full and unrestricted. You can run a broad set of apps without compatibility worries, and multitasking remains feasible for everyday tasks. Of course, this isn’t a machine built for heavy workloads—think 3D rendering or high-end 4K video editing—but for typical productivity, it feels notably capable.
What about the big trade-offs? The Neo relies on an iPhone-derived chip—the A18 Pro—and ships with 8GB of unified memory. On lighter tasks, it breezes along, even offering better Geekbench 6 scores than Apple’s own MacBook Air M1 and competitive single-core performance versus the MacBook Air M2. Yet the limited RAM and multicore performance do reveal themselves in more demanding workflows. If you’re doing intense scientific simulations or serious video editing, the Neo will slow down, and the 8GB ceiling may feel restrictive sooner than you’d expect.
Even with those constraints, the Neo still lands as a standout in its category. Budget laptops and Chromebooks alike often compromise on build quality or user experience, but Apple has nudged the bar higher here. For students, educators, or anyone prioritizing affordability without sacrificing a premium feel, the Neo delivers a compelling package.
In short: Apple has, at last, delivered a budget machine that looks and feels like a real Apple product, while keeping price sensitivity in mind. It may not be for everyone, but for those prioritizing cost-conscious productivity with a dash of Apple polish, the Neo is hard to beat.
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About the author: Hamish is TechRadar’s Senior Staff Writer, contributing across topics from smart home deals to gadget reviews and everything in between. He covers virtual reality and augmented reality as a specialty, helping readers decide what’s worth buying.
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