I hopped on the bandwagon and bought Apple’s latest computing sensation: the MacBook Neo.
Since the dawn of the Macintosh, many have argued that Macs are overpriced and out of reach for the ordinary consumer. In the decades since, Apple has made several attempts to overcome that reputation. First, in 1990, they released the Macintosh Classic — the first Mac to cost less than $1,000 new. Two years later, they introduced the ill-fated Performa line with low-end 68k Macs (including a rebadged version of the Macintosh Classic II). The most successful attempt, however, came in 2005 when the company unveiled the inaugural Mac mini built around the PowerPC G4 processor.
The Mac mini remains a key product in the Macintosh line. I still primarily use a 2020 M1 Mac mini, which continues to serve me well five years after unboxing it. However, a lot of people want something truly portable that doesn’t sacrifice the functionality of a full-fledged desktop operating system like macOS.
For years, the MacBook Air served that purpose. My first truly decent laptop (or “notebook”) was an early 2014 MacBook Air, which offered full functionality of Mac OS X in a portable package featuring decent hardware. (By contrast, my previous laptop — an Acer AspireOne netbook — ran Windows 7 Starter that was quite limited both in terms of software and hardware.)
Earlier this year, the MacBook Air moved up to the mid-tier spot previously occupied by the short-lived MacBook. Replacing it in the low-tier laptop spot was a completely new product: the MacBook Neo.
The MacBook Neo starts at $699, which is far lower than the $1,099 starting price on the MacBook Air. Despite the low cost, the Neo is a true Mac running macOS without any strange limitations in functionality.
Unlike all other Macs, however, the MacBook Neo doesn’t use the M-series Apple Silicon ARM system on a chip (SOC). Instead, the Neo is powered by the A18 Pro chip — which you’ll also find powering the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. It is an upscaled version of the A18 that powers my iPhone 16. The A18 Pro, and therefore all products using it including the MacBook Neo, is only available with 8 GB of integrated (or “unified”) memory.
The $699 MacBook Neo model has a 256 GB internal SSD. The $799 model has a 512 GB internal SSD and the added bonus of “Touch ID” on the keyboard in place of the ordinary lock button found on the $599 model.
A 36.5-watt-hour lithium ion battery powers the MacBook Neo, offering up to 16 hours of video streaming or 11 hours of web browsing. The laptop has two USB-C ports, including one that is USB-3 for faster speeds. An included 20-watt USB-C power adapter is used for charging the battery. Oh, and the 3.5mm headphone jack is still present alongside the Neo’s internal speakers.
Initial thoughts
I initially purchased the MacBook Neo for my father, who was still using my old early 2014 MacBook Air. The MacBook Air hasn’t been supported by newer versions of macOS for several years now (the last official macOS version to support it was macOS 11 Big Sur from 2020) and it still runs 10.13 High Sierra from 2017. Furthermore, the 2014 MacBook Air only has 4 GB of memory, 128 GB internal flash storage and is powered by a 1.4 GHz Intel Core i5 processor.
Despite being obsolete for years, the MacBook Air was regularly used by my father for very basic tasks (web browsing and listening to Spotify) until right around a year ago. I even installed a new battery in it a couple years ago, as battery life had seriously diminished and the operating system even warned that the battery needed replacement. However, one by one, websites and apps that continually grow more resource hungry quit functioning on the MacBook Air. The final nail in the coffin was when it would no longer play Spotify, even in a web browser.
Because of my dad’s very light computer demands, the MacBook Neo is practically built for people like him. He doesn’t save anything, so he doesn’t need a large amount of internal storage. He doesn’t do processor- and memory-intensive tasks like graphic design or video editing, so the A18 Pro chip with its 8 GB of unified memory would be more than enough. And the MacBook Neo has more than enough battery life to suffice his needs around the house.
However, I decided to try out the MacBook Neo myself first.
Due to my current living situation, I’ve been using the ThinkPad W541 (running Debian with the KDE Plasma desktop environment) as my secondary daily driver. However, I recently started using my 2019 13″ MacBook Pro instead of the W541 for continuity with my primary daily driver, the Mac mini. I wanted to see how the MacBook Neo would compare to the MacBook Pro.
The seven-year-old MacBook Pro is obviously much different. It was made before the transition to Apple’s own ARM-based system on chips (SOC), so it is powered by an Intel Core i5 processor with 16 GB of memory. The memory is separate from the processor, which was the case before the transition to the SOCs. The MacBook Pro has the ill-fated and troublesome “butterfly” keyboard. Above the keyboard is an OLED touchscreen strip called the “Touch Bar” that replaced the function keys, which could be custom tailored to each application’s demands. (Instead of F1, for instance, one could actually label the button.) My MacBook Pro was ordered with a 256 GB internal SSD and two Thunderbolt (USB-C) ports, although Apple offered models with additional internal storage and four Thunderbolt (USB-C) ports for a whole lot more money.
But, surprisingly, the new MacBook Neo already seems to be the better of the two in many ways.
Honestly, for the user experience I’m going to side with the Neo. The “Magic Keyboard” on the Neo is far nicer to type on than the “butterfly” keyboard on the MacBook Pro. In addition to having better key travel and a tactile feel, the Magic Keyboard doesn’t have the same reliability issues that plagued the butterfly keyboards. For someone who does a lot typing, that’s a big deal. Instead of the “Touch Bar,” the Neo has the standard row of function keys. The “Touch Bar” was a big flop (especially since most developers didn’t do anything with it) that got quickly phased out, and I think a lot of people would be much happier having the standard row of physical function keys. The trackpad on both computers are equal, which brings me to my next point.
Despite the MacBook Neo’s low price point and being targeted at budget-minded, entry-level consumers (e.g. home users, students, etc.), it doesn’t sacrifice the hardware quality Apple is known for. It feels just as well built and well designed as my 2019 MacBook Pro, if not better considering the aforementioned keyboard concerns. Unlike a lot of the low-spec, low-end Windows and Chromebook machines that retail for around the same price, the MacBook Neo is something that will likely serve you well for years to come without any problems.
What about performance? My original uses for the 2019 MacBook Pro were far more intensive than they are now. While then I was editing videos using Adobe Premiere Pro (and later DaVinci Resolve) and doing graphic design with Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator/InDesign regularly for my college classes, about the most intensive stuff I do anymore is the occasional video in DaVinci Resolve or just editing photos for personal use such as here on my website. While the MacBook Neo wouldn’t be a good fit for my college coursework and other processor- and memory-intensive tasks, it is enough for my current requirements.
In fact, this entire post — from writing it to all the graphics — was made using the MacBook Neo.
The MacBook Neo is also better aesthetically than my MacBook Pro. I’m a fan of the bezeled edges and the slight “lip” on the lid, which gives the Neo a more polished look. The MacBook Neo and MacBook Air is sold in various colors for a bit of flair like both the modern iMac and the iMac G3 models. Specifically, the Neo is offered in silver, blush (pink), citrus (yellow) and indigo. The MacBook Pro still is only offered in two colors: Silver or “Space Grey.” My dad wanted the silver finish since it looks a lot like the MacBook Air it will replace.
I’ve also heard that the MacBook Neo returns repairability to the Mac line, as previous MacBook models — including my MacBook Pro — were all made to be as difficult to repair as possible. While you can’t upgrade the MacBook Neo’s memory or internal storage, it allows one to change out the battery along with other common repairs that are needed after years of use.
The biggest downside to the MacBook Neo, at least for me, is the lack of memory options. The A18 Pro chip that powers the Neo only comes with 8 GB. For a lot of people, like my dad; most home users who just browse the web, read emails and other simple tasks; and general students, that is suitable. However, it can be limiting for others and could limit the longevity of the machine as apps, websites and other things become increasingly resource intensive. But, as I write this, memory is a very expensive commodity so less memory allows them to keep the price low.
So far, the MacBook Neo has been a great laptop for the money. I’d much rather have it than a cheap, low-spec Chromebook or Windows 11 machine that has the bare minimum specs, cheapest components possible all assembled without an air of quality.
Edit (June 25, 2026): The prices for the MacBook Neo, along with other Macs, were increased by $100 to account for increasing memory costs. The post has been modified to account for the change — the original costs were $599 for the base model and $699 for the model with Touch ID and a 512 GB internal SSD. Those models are now $699 and $799, respectively.