Apple · Reviewed by Marques Brownlee · Published 2026-03-10
Based on a review by Marques Brownlee (accessed 2026-03-10).
Based on this review alone: buy it if you care about extremely good value for money at $599 ($499 for students) — just accept 8gb ram fills up quickly, relying on swap memory (potential slowdowns with full ssd).
The reviewer concludes that the MacBook Neo is surprisingly capable and compelling for its $599 price point, considering it 'potentially Apple's most disruptive product in the last 10 plus years'. He states it's '90 something percent of the same machine' as the MacBook Air but for 'hundreds of dollars less', making it easy to recommend.
This review provides an in-depth look at the new MacBook Neo, Apple's entry-level laptop featuring an A18 Pro iPhone chip. The reviewer covers its performance through benchmarks and real-world usage, discusses its design and build quality, and evaluates its suitability for various user profiles like students, writers, and creative professionals.
The Apple MacBook Neo is an unexpectedly disruptive budget laptop, offering strong performance for its low price point. Its A18 Pro chip delivers performance comparable to an M1 Mac in multi-core benchmarks and M3 in single-core, making lightweight tasks incredibly smooth. While the 8GB RAM relies heavily on fast SSD swap memory, this keeps general usage fluid, though potential slowdowns may occur as the SSD fills over time. If you are a student, writer, or someone needing a reliable Mac for everyday productivity without a high budget, this laptop is an excellent choice. However, if you require extensive multi-core performance for professional video editing or demanding software, a higher-tier MacBook Air or Pro would be more suitable.
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The MacBook Neo achieved over 8,500 multi-core score on Geekbench, which is comparable to the M1 chip found in older MacBook Air models.
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OpenCL and Metal benchmarks for the GPU show performance numbers that are also around the M1 chip's levels.
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The single-core performance of the MacBook Neo is its strongest dimension, being even stronger and closer to the M3 chip.
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In Cinebench, the MacBook Neo performs at levels right around the M1 chip.
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The laptop handles lightweight tasks and Apple's native apps 'super well'. Web browsing with many tabs, spreadsheets, music, emails, and word processing pose 'literally no problem' and can be done simultaneously.
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The SSD drives on the MacBook Neo read and write around 1,500 MB per second, which is 'plenty good enough' for swap memory, though not as fast as higher-end machines.
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While 8GB of RAM is 'not a lot', the use of swap memory makes it 'generally okay for regular use', similar to how it functioned on the M1 MacBook Air.
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The MacBook Neo features a 13-inch LCD display at roughly 1440p, 60 hertz, and 500 nits brightness, which is described as 'plenty bright for indoors'.
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The laptop has an 'excellent real clicking trackpad'.
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It includes two USB-C ports on the side (one USB 3, one USB 2) and a headphone jack in a 'sort of weird new place'.
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The stereo speakers are described as 'barely average' and 'not very good'.
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The laptop has a 1080p webcam that is 'good enough for video calls'.
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The aluminum chassis gives the laptop the 'best feeling, best built laptop in its price class', with 'none of that keyboard deck flex you might get from a plastic laptop'.
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The 'perfectly balanced hinge' allows the lid to be opened with one finger.
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The keyboard is 'basically exactly the same that's in a $3,000 MacBook Pro', sharing the same switches, but lacks a backlight.
The reviewer gives the MacBook Neo an 'A+' for students, stating it was 'literally made for you' and recommends it over a Chromebook. It's especially good for general school tasks like word processing and web browsing.
For college students, the reviewer gives it an 'A'. It should handle most needs, though a bit of nuance is required depending on the specific major and required software. If a Mac is desired, this should suffice.
The reviewer gives it an 'A+' for writers, noting it's 'basically made for you'. He completed all his video writing on it, finding it 'pretty easy'. It excels at word processing, emailing, and web browsing, and features the same high-quality keyboard as a $3,000 MacBook Pro (minus the backlight).
The reviewer rates it a 'B-'. Performance-wise, it can handle Pixelmator and Lightroom, and Photoshop is 'okay'. However, the display is not ideal for serious work as it doesn't cover the full P3 color space, meaning photographers will need to connect to a better external display via USB-C.
The reviewer gives it a 'B' for coders, stating it's 'surprisingly good option for basic stuff' thanks to its performance. However, it's not recommended for running heavy local LLMs or memory-intensive tasks due to limited RAM.
The reviewer gives it a 'C-'. While it can legitimately open Final Cut Pro and perform basic 4K edits (chopping, LUTs, smooth movement, export) and is good for mobile video edits like CapCut, it 'chugs and hit the wall' with plugins or more complex editing tasks. Higher-end MacBook Air models are recommended for serious editing.
The reviewer gives it a 'B+'. For basic podcasts with one or two microphones, it's solid. However, its two USB-C ports mean 'dongle land' for more peripherals, and the 'barely average' speakers necessitate using headphones for editing.
75/100 source quality
Marques Brownlee reviews the new MacBook Neo, a $599 (or $499 for students) entry-level laptop powered by an A18 Pro iPhone chip. Despite its budget positioning, the Neo delivers performance comparable to an M1 MacBook Air in benchmarks and handles everyday productivity tasks with ease, leveraging its SSD for swap memory. The laptop features a premium aluminum chassis, a high-quality keyboard, and a decent 13-inch LCD display, though its speakers are average and ports are limited. It offers good battery life for light use and is highly recommended for students and writers, while being suitable for basic photo and video editing with some caveats.
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Brand relationship disclosed as: gifted