The MacBook Neo offers something unique for Apple. It's a budget-friendly laptop, designed for those looking to get on to a Mac for the first time, or for those looking for just a simple laptop.
Students, families and casual users who would normally opt for a Chromebook or a basic PC laptop can now buy a fully-fledged MacBook instead. While £599 / $599 might not be considered cheap, it's a lot less than the existing line of Apple machines. Plus, if you're a student or a teacher, the educational discount takes the price down to £499 / $499.
So, what's the downside? The Neo runs on an A18 Pro chip, similar to that used in the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max. So, not quite the M5 in the new MacBook Air, but still impressive. While you can upgrade the storage from 256GB to 512GB and add Touch ID, the memory is limited to 8GB. There's also no keyboard backlight and the screen is sRGB rather than True Tone.
So is this Neo deserving of its MacBook name, and consequently of your hard-earned cash? Absolutely, and here's why.
1. Premium finish
This might be a low-cost Mac, but it still feels premium, thanks to the aluminium shell. Picking it up, there’s no doubt this is a Mac; from the squared-off sides and rounded corners to the lip on the lid, allowing you to easily open it with just one hand.
It comes in four colour options, so you can keep it traditional with the silver model, stump for the stylish indigo or pick either the cute blush or the standout citrus.
The Neo weighs the same as the MacBook Air and, though slightly thicker, actually has a smaller footprint, making it perfect for keeping in your bag.
2. More than enough power
As impressive as the latest M-series chips are in the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, few people really need that level of power. Unless you are a professional videographer, musician or 3D animator, the chances are your processor isn’t breaking a sweat.
The A18 Pro chip inside the Neo proved its worth in the iPhone 16 Pro models and provides ample power for just about any task. We’ve run multiple Chrome tabs while videos played in the background, and even churned through images in Adobe Lightroom without a problem. It might not be as quick to do so as the M4 or M5, but it can do it.
Benchmarking tests show that for multi-core performance, the A18 Pro is slightly faster than the M1, while for single-core performance, it’s close to the M3.
Even gaming is well catered for here, with the on-device ray tracing providing exceptional detail in even AAA games. While it won't run Steam, like the M5, it can certainly handle anything on Apple Arcade.
3. Perfect pricing
With the £599 / $599 price tag, the Neo is competing with a vast array of Chromebooks and budget PCs. It’s almost half the price of the MacBook Air, and sits below models like the Microsoft Surface Laptop and Galaxy Book.
Many users have used iPads as a more affordable option in place of a budget laptop. While the new iPad Air M4 is the same price as the Neo, you would still need to add a Magic Keyboard for a similar experience. Even the base level iPad 10.2 with Magic Keyboard is around the same price as the Neo, and that has a smaller 11-inch display and a lesser A16 processor.
Apple’s new iPhone 17e also shares the same £599 / $599 pricing as the MacBook Neo and iPad Air M4. Being the cheapest current phone in the range, that means that you can buy a MacBook for the same price as an iPhone.
Going back to that educational discount, students and teachers are able to buy the MacBook Neo for £499 / $499. That 100 saving makes this already competitive price an excellent deal. For students looking for a new laptop this summer, it’s a no-brainer.
