So, the rumours were true – sort of. After months of speculation, Apple did indeed launch a budget MacBook this month. It does indeed feature an iPhone chip, the A18. And it does indeed come in a series of fun colours.
But when it comes to the the MacBook Neo, there's one thing that's surprised me; the build quality. Rumours of a plastic Y2K throwback were greatly exaggerated. Instead, we have something that, aside from a few very specific details, looks and feels as good as its (much) more expensive siblings. And after just ten minutes with the device, I can't believe students can get this thing for half a grand. Sure, it might not be the very best laptop for graphic design, but it might still be the best laptop for a lot of people.
It was clear from the moment I unboxed the Neo that it punches above its weight from a product design perspective. There's no plastic body here – this is the same quality aluminium as the Air and Pro. The only obvious difference is, this being the Citrus model, it comes in a strikingly warm and friendly colour. That alone is giving nougthies Apple, and I'm here for it.
And on opening the lid, it seems Apple has somehow managed to make a keyboard fun too. With subtle colour-matching to the device, the off-yellow keys are a delight. But also impressive is the typing experience. This is essentially the same Magic Keyboard as the one found in the M5 MacBook Pro, which will set you back a minimum of £1.7k.
Indeed, placing the MacBook Neo side-by-side with my trusty MacBook AIR M2, it's initially tricky to tell which is the budget and which is the premium device. Both are pretty much identical in size and weight. But there are a couple of tell-tale signs. The Neo is lacking a backlit keyboard, which is a shame – but it's understandable that the tech couldn't be included at this price point.
There's also no notch on the Neo. Whether that's a plus or minus is up to you – while the notch houses tech such as the FaceTime camera and allows for smaller bezels, it's also seen by many as a blight on the symmetry of the display.
Meanwhile, the trackpad isn't haptic, but instead features a mechanical click. But it does offer a reassuring tactility which might feel (whisper it) better than the supposedly superior haptic version?
I'll share my thoughts on the performance of the MacBook Neo once I've spend more time with it, but after just a few minutes, the UI is snappy and responsive. And it also features an extra fun design touch, with the menu accents colour-matched to the device itself.
My overall impression of the MacBook Neo is that very little of the supposedly spared expense has affected the build quality. This is a remarkably polished device, and one that isn't going to scream "budget" when brought out at a café. The internals will, of course, offer a slightly different story – but when it comes to product design, this is a shockingly high quality device for the price.
