![\"Gizmodo](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/editors-choice-2026.png\")
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Apple\u2019s $600 MacBook Neo<\/a> isn\u2019t the pinnacle of design. It can\u2019t be at this price point. And still, it\u2019s perfect for all the people who don\u2019t give a damn about what PC or Mac nerds have to say about memory constraints.<\/p>\n The MacBook Neo is a laptop built for Apple users who just can\u2019t spend the money on anything more expensive. There is a large number of consumers who are likely considering six-year-old M1 MacBook Air laptops for around the MacBook Neo\u2019s price point rather than any new $1,100 M5 MacBook Air<\/a>. In this tightening economy<\/a>, even a few hundred dollars matters.<\/p>\n Cheapness comes with other considerations. The MacBook Neo starts at $600 with only 256GB of internal SSD storage and 8GB of unified memory. There is no option to upgrade either after purchase. If you\u2019re a student, you can get that base model for $500 (easily the best deal in laptops, period). A $700 model comes with 512GB of storage and Touch ID. Either way, the MacBook Neo is built on an iPhone chip\u2014the A18 Pro. It\u2019s far less capable of running intensive tasks than any of Apple\u2019s M-series chips or any moderately powered Intel or AMD processor. It\u2019s merely the right kind of performance for anybody who wants to browse the internet or stream video.<\/p>\n MacBook Neo<\/p>\n There are few budget laptops that can hope to look, sound, and feel this good. There are several compromises you have to consider before buying.<\/p>\n Sturdy MacBook feel<\/p>\n Bright, pretty LCD display<\/p>\n Solid sound<\/p>\n Cute colors<\/p>\n A price that can’t be beat<\/p>\n Tiny storage options<\/p>\n Non-upgradable 8GB of memory<\/p>\n Performance isn’t exceptional<\/p>\n Slow charging speed<\/p>\n That\u2019s not to say the MacBook Neo is not yet another attempt to entice consumers into Apple\u2019s welcoming and ever-restrictive walled garden. The MacBook Neo is best used in tandem with a relatively recent iPhone. Its limited memory will naturally endear users to an iCloud account. And we don\u2019t know how well the A18 Pro chip may perform in another few years\u2019 time, necessitating upgrades. But as a laptop to buy now, I can think of few better deals. The MacBook Neo is set to ship on March 11.<\/a> Judging solely on consumers\u2019 reactions online, we can already tell it will be one of Apple\u2019s most significant releases of the past few years.<\/p>\n A small, sturdy, and extremely pink MacBook Apple sent Gizmodo the $600 MacBook Neo with 256GB of storage and no Touch ID button. The $700 model is certainly an upgrade, but I would bet good money most customers will buy the cheapest version. Yes, the lack of Touch ID is annoying once macOS starts asking you to put in a password to change every little setting. At the same time, I have serious qualms<\/a> with offering biometric data to any major tech firm<\/a>, especially in today\u2019s political landscape.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\u00a9 Raymond Wong \/ Gizmodo<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\u00a9 Raymond Wong \/ Gizmodo<\/p>\n And no matter which version you buy, you\u2019ll probably want the more colorful models. Of the four colors\u2014silver, \u201cCitrus\u201d yellow, \u201cIndigo\u201d blue, and \u201cBlush\u201d pink\u2014my favorite is the subtle banana tone, followed by the goth-flavored Indigo. Just know that any of the lighter shades, including my Blush review unit, will appear more silver in person, especially under bright lights. Each laptop\u2019s keyboard is tinted slightly to match their respective colorway. I found that with enough typing, my oily fingers started staining each key even more pink. As if that weren\u2019t pink enough, macOS 26 Tahoe defaults the UI to match the color of your MacBook Neo. I was pleasantly surprised when highlighted text in Safari also bore a pink hue.<\/p>\n I have been on a rotating carousel of Macs for the past several years. I just finished reviewing Apple\u2019s top-of-the-line M5 Max MacBook Pro<\/a>. It felt seamless moving between the most and least expensive Macs. The MacBook Neo has the same aluminum finish and an extremely familiar Magic Keyboard. The laptop, even without fans, stayed cool under my wrists. It\u2019s light, compact, and fit into any pack I tossed it in. The only accessibility consideration to keep in mind is the lack of keyboard backlight.<\/p>\n See MacBook Neo at Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n Apple did make other small accommodations for the sake of maintaining the price. The MacBook Neo\u2019s domed feet are a translucent plastic material, different from the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. You can see through each cap to the screw holding it together. Apple claims this laptop is more \u201crepairable\u201d than its other MacBooks with eight screws holding on the backplate. What that really means is that it\u2019s easier for Apple \u201cGenius\u201d technicians to repair the MacBook Neo. It\u2019s not as if you\u2019ll be swapping in your own SSD or RAM sticks to give the laptop a new lease on life in a few years.<\/p>\n Yup, only two USB-C ports Just because it\u2019s cheaper doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s necessarily smaller or lighter. The MacBook Air is actually slightly thinner and weighs the same 2.7 pounds. That tells you much of what you need to know\u2014the MacBook Neo is less compromised than its price tag suggests. Putting the A18 Pro chip aside, the MacBook Neo differs from every other Apple laptop in three major ways: the trackpad, the port selection and the screen.<\/p>\n Apple\u2019s \u201cMulti-Touch\u201d trackpad isn\u2019t the same haptic one found on other MacBooks. Multi-Touch is a more traditional mechanical trackpad. That means instead of sensing inputs and then using force feedback to simulate a click, the trackpad physically depresses when you push it down to register a click. Thankfully, unlike many other cheap laptops, the trackpad doesn\u2019t register differently if you press toward the top or bottom. It lacks the deep click capabilities of other MacBooks, but that\u2019s fine. If you\u2019re like me, you only ever used a deep click on accident.<\/p>\n What will prove far more limiting is the port selection. The MacBook Neo comes with only two USB-C ports on the device\u2019s left side along with a 3.5mm headphone jack. One is USB 3 speed and the other is USB 2. Both ports can charge the MacBook Neo. However, the USB 2 slot\u2019s slower speed is more for accessories like a keyboard or mouse. That also means the only port that can connect to a monitor is the rearmost USB 3 one.<\/p>\n The MacBookNeo only supports one other display at 4K resolution and a 60Hz refresh rate. That means the 13-inch laptop is somewhat wasted on a new $3,300 Studio Display XDR,<\/a> which maxes out at 5K resolution with a 120Hz refresh rate. At least you\u2019ll still get power passthrough with a USB-C cable with enough throughput. If you have a monitor at home that accepts USB-C or you have a port adapter handy, don\u2019t bother shelling out for anything extra. For reference, an M5 MacBook Air can connect to two external displays running at 6K resolution and 60Hz, or 4K at 144Hz.<\/p>\n Apple\u2019s pretty screens, for less Even the screen is familiar if you\u2019ve used a Mac product these past 15 years. The MacBook Neo\u2019s 13-inch Liquid Retina display is a typical IPS LCD screen with 2,408 x 1,506 resolution.<\/p>\n For comparison, a similar display on a 13.6-inch MacBook Air hits a slightly higher resolution.\u00a0The MacBook Air also has Apple\u2019s True Tone technology, which automatically adjusts the screen\u2019s color temperature and brightness based on ambient settings. It\u2019s supposed to reduce eye strain. That feature isn\u2019t available on MacBook Neo.<\/p>\n Apple likes to proclaim its screens have higher pixel density than most similarly sized devices, but what matters more is how it looks. The MacBook Neo\u2019s screen supports HDR content, though it uses the sRGB color gamut and not the typical P3 of the MacBook Air models. Apple still claims the MacBook Neo\u2019s screen can support 1 billion colors. I couldn\u2019t tell the difference between the displays on a MacBook Neo and a MacBook Air\u00a0unless I paid extra close attention to small color differences when watching the same content side by side.<\/p>\n The MacBook Neo\u2019s display supports 500 nits of brightness, which I found more than enough for work indoors and was fair enough for typing outdoors. Direct sunlight hampered screen clarity, but it\u2019s still usable if you plan to type up your emails in the park rather than be stuck indoors.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not to say you\u2019re not accepting some tradeoffs for the price. The screen is flanked by extra-thick bezels that squeeze the picture and make multitasking harder than it can be on other, more-expensive devices. Instead of a notch around the camera cutout, this Mac hides its 1080p webcam within the bezel, like most other laptops. And unlike the webcam on Apple\u2019s other MacBooks, there\u2019s no \u201cCenter Stage,\u201d which means it can\u2019t automatically focus on your face during video calls. There\u2019s also another webcam downside: no \u201cDesk View\u201d feature that gives a top-down angle. Neither are dealbreakers, in my opinion.<\/p>\n Sounds just about right If there was any one thing that convinced me Apple made the right calls when crafting the MacBookNeo, it\u2019s in the sound department. Apple went with two 2W speakers on either side of the laptop shell. Each side-firing speaker also has its own subwoofer. That means that while the laptop doesn\u2019t get exceptionally loud, the audio from the MacBook Neo is balanced and clear. There\u2019s just enough bass to give your music or movies some presence.<\/p>\n Many other laptops at this price point make use of down-firing speakers, which naturally hit whatever table or surface you\u2019re working on and create that \u201ctinny\u201d sound you\u2019ve heard audiophiles wax on about. That being said, I have heard quality down-firing sound stages, like in the recent Dell XPS 14<\/a>. Still, the MacBook Neo sports some of the best audio I\u2019ve heard at this low price point. Other similarly priced laptops, like the HP Laptop 14 with an Intel Core 5 chip and 8GB of RAM, sound like they\u2019re getting their audio through a paper cup on a string.<\/p>\n I went directly from listening to tunes through Apple Music on the M5 Max MacBook Pro and its six-speaker system to the MacBook Neo and I could certainly hear a difference. The MacBook Pro\u2019s soundstage is far more full and louder. But for the price you\u2019re paying, there\u2019s not much wrong with the audio and visuals from the MacBook Neo.<\/p>\n Performance won\u2019t blow you away The MacBook Neo\u2019s A18 chip first appeared on the iPhone 16 Pro<\/a>. Why Apple didn\u2019t opt for the latest A19 Pro on the iPhone 17 Pro<\/a> is a mystery\u2014though it\u2019s likely to keep you waiting to upgrade to whatever MacBook Neo successor arrives in a year or two. The A18 Pro chip is a 6-core CPU and 5-core GPU setup. An M5 in the base M5 MacBook Air comes with a 10-core CPU and 8-core GPU configuration.<\/p>\n What\u2019s more limiting is the 8GB of unified memory inside the MacBook Neo. All other modern MacBooks start with at least 16GB of RAM. Essentially, we\u2019re running an iPhone chip at a higher TDP (thermal design power) thanks to a larger battery.<\/p>\n Apple\u2019s mobile chips use a similar ARM-based microarchitecture to the M-series in its other Macs. Even with an iPhone chip, Apple promises users won\u2019t have any app compatibility issues. In all my regular Apple and third-party apps, I never experienced any instance of incompatibility. The larger issue would be running some apps that demand more processing power than what the A18 Pro can provide.<\/p>\n The limited chip also means its benchmarks will leave few impressed. In Geekbench 6<\/a>, which tests a CPU\u2019s overall capabilities on a per-core basis and in multi-core settings, the MacBook Neo scored 3,361 in single-core and 8,334 in multi-core. While its per-core performance is only beaten by Apple\u2019s own M-series chips, the laptop\u2019s full capabilities are behind Qualcomm\u2019s own ARM-based Snapdragon X chip<\/a> from last year. However, Apple\u2019s mobile chip actually beats an M1 MacBook Air<\/a> in these same benchmarks. It also beats the Intel Core 5 120U CPU found in that HP Laptop 14 mentioned earlier.<\/p>\n In 3DMark tests, which measure the laptop\u2019s capabilities with real-time graphics rendering, the MacBook Neo is still considerably behind some of its more expensive peers. However, the A18 Pro actually comes closest to an AMD Ryzen AI 7\u00a0350 CPU and its Radeon 860M graphics in a Framework Laptop 13<\/a> in our graphics tests. That being said, you\u2019re not going to be using the MacBook Neo for any sort of 3D modeling software, like Blender for 3D modeling.<\/p>\n Limited memory hinders what apps you can use Your colorful new MacBook may be good enough for light photo editing. In Apple\u2019s Creator Studio suite<\/a>, Pixelmator Pro ran perfectly fine on the 8GB laptop. Exporting high-quality photos takes longer than on more-powerful computers. If you\u2019re not exporting dozens of photos through Adobe Lightroom, you\u2019ll probably be fine. As for other creator apps, Final Cut Pro will be usable if you\u2019re merely uploading your photos and videos from your phone via AirDrop and then exporting to your Instagram and TikTok channels. It may simply take longer to export these videos than if you were using a more expensive laptop.<\/p>\n The MacBook Neo is not a laptop that\u2019s great for gaming. Even if you push past any issues with performance, you\u2019re going to be inherently limited with just 256GB of storage on the $600 model. The $700 version with twice the storage will still run up against a wall when so many games with even modest graphics capabilities demand 40GB or more.<\/p>\n While Apple\u2019s gaming ecosystem has expanded in recent years to include big-name titles like Cyberpunk 2077<\/a>, Resident Evil 4<\/a>, and Control, the A18 Pro chip isn\u2019t best for any of these demanding games. The MacBook Neo\u2019s specs are good enough for a more limited mobile title, like Oceanhorn 3, on medium graphics settings. You\u2019re otherwise better off sticking with Apple Arcade games.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll feel the limitations of 8GB of unified memory once you start trying to multitask beyond a few apps at once. With my MacBook Neo connected to a Studio Display XDR, running two Chrome browsers with several tabs on screen, the laptop started to lag as I maximized the unified memory.<\/p>\n What helps in multitasking is if you can push some of that processing power onto your phone. macOS\u2019 iPhone Mirroring feature lets you control your iPhone screen using a mouse cursor and keyboard. I found this was my preferred way to get around any RAM usage limitations when my browsers seemed full up. If you have an app installed on your phone and not on your Mac, you can load those apps directly from the app drawer or Spotlight on macOS.<\/p>\n Okay battery life with slow-as-hell charging The MacBook Neo, as should be expected, will not hit the full promised 24 hours of battery life as Apple claims the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro can. Instead, Apple promises you\u2019ll get 16 hours of video streaming (testing is always done at low brightness settings) and 11 hours when web browsing. The old \u201call-day battery\u201d claim has been a misnomer on every mobile device I\u2019ve ever used.<\/p>\n Apple\u2019s low-end laptop is no slouch in the battery department, but it\u2019s simply not going to last you through a full 8-hour workday if you treat it as your main device. I\u2019ve managed to get around six hours from the MacBook Neo before it ran completely dry just doing basic browsing and typing activities.<\/p>\n The bigger issue for the MacBook Neo is the slow charging you get through either USB-C port. Included in the box is a single 20W power adapter and a 1.5-meter USB-C cable. In my experience, it takes the laptop several hours to come up to a full charge. If you plan to use the MacBook Neo as your workhorse computer, you may want to start thinking about investing in a quality external battery. A 300W Anker Prime<\/a> external battery will cost you just south of $200 on sale. If you just need an emergency power bank to offer enough juice in a pinch, you can find a 20,000mAh battery<\/a>\u00a0from Anker for around $70.<\/p>\n \u2018Budget\u2019 laptops have a new king to beat The non-consumer tech members of my office often came up to me during my process of testing this laptop. They heard of the MacBook Neo, where news of a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro refresh would have them normally tune out. They\u2019re far less interested in specifics about RAM or resolution. They just want to know how it feels. And does it do the simple stuff right? Is it good for browsing? How pink is it, actually?<\/p>\n The Mac and PC nerds who will actually care about the lack of 16GB of RAM and minimal storage are not the target audience for the MacBook Neo. It\u2019s built for folk who need a computer and don\u2019t want to feel like they\u2019re buying a compromised system. Apple hasn\u2019t pulled off a miracle with the Neo. It\u2019s simply made all the right calls to keep a laptop like this cheap.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s look at what\u2019s available by comparison. A Chromebook like last year\u2019s Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14<\/a> or Acer\u2019s Chromebook Plus Spin 514 can be found for between $550 and $750 if on sale. While they feature 16GB of RAM, they offer performance just below Apple\u2019s MacBook Neo. They are further restricted by ChromeOS<\/a>\u2014which limits the number of apps that run on-device. These laptops feel good with solid shells, but they can\u2019t match up with the full macOS suite that the MacBook Neo provides.<\/p>\n In the PC space, you may be able to find an HP Laptop 14 with 16GB of RAM or a Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Edge PC with a Snapdragon X chip for around $700<\/a>. Samsung\u2019s competing laptop will also come with 512GB of storage and 16GB of RAM. It\u2019s not as if there aren\u2019t other options for cheap computers. There are simply few options that feel as good as the MacBook Neo.<\/p>\n I enjoy this side of Apple. The company that brought us the iPhone, the iPad, and the Mac has never been considered the affordable brand. Powerful? Yes, on average. Restrictive? Absolutely. But as time goes on and other gadgets get more costly due to tariffs<\/a>, the RAM crisis<\/a>, or the expanding cost of ever-more powerful processors, Apple is now more of a brand of expectation. It does what it says on the tin. The MacBook Neo is simply a solid laptop that only demands $600. It doesn\u2019t need to be anything else.<\/p>\n
\n![\"Macbook](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MacBook-Neo-review-08.jpg\")
That looks pink, though it will look a lot more silver in certain lights. \u00a9 Raymond Wong \/ Gizmodo<\/p>\n![\"Macbook](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MacBook-Neo-review-23.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Macbook](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MacBook-Neo-review-24.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Macbook](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MacBook-Neo-review-11.jpg\")
The MacBook Neo is slightly thicker than a MacBook Air, though less wide. \u00a9 Raymond Wong \/ Gizmodo<\/p>\n
\n![\"Macbook](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MacBook-Neo-review-20.jpg\")
The typing experience is the same as any other Mac. \u00a9 Raymond Wong \/ Gizmodo<\/p>\n![\"Macbook](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MacBook-Neo-review-09.jpg\")
\u00a9 Raymond Wong \/ Gizmodo<\/p>\n![\"Macbook](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MacBook-Neo-review-25.jpg\")
Doesn\u2019t this look like the fun Mac? \u00a9 Raymond Wong \/ Gizmodo<\/p>\n
\n![\"Macbook](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MacBook-Neo-review-17.jpg\")
You can use apps like Pixelmator Pro just fine on the MacBook Neo. \u00a9 Raymond Wong \/ Gizmodo<\/p>\n![\"Macbook](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MacBook-Neo-review-15.jpg\")
The 1080p webcam is good enough for the odd FaceTime call. \u00a9 Raymond Wong \/ Gizmodo<\/p>\n
\n![\"Macbook](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MacBook-Neo-review-18.jpg\")
You can use the MacBook Neo for lightweight video editing, so long as you don\u2019t try to transcode 4K footage. \u00a9 Raymond Wong \/ Gizmodo<\/p>\n
\n![\"Macbook](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MacBook-Neo-review-14.jpg\")
Multitasking may eventually be limited by 8GB of unified memory (RAM). \u00a9 Raymond Wong \/ Gizmodo<\/p>\n![\"Macbook](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MacBook-Neo-review-12.jpg\")
Only one of those two USB-C ports (the one on the far left) allow you to connect an external monitor. \u00a9 Raymond Wong \/ Gizmodo<\/p>\n
\n![\"Macbook](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MacBook-Neo-review-19.jpg\")
The iPhone mirroring app will help you pass on some of the processing power to your mobile device. \u00a9 Raymond Wong \/ Gizmodo<\/p>\n![\"Macbook](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MacBook-Neo-review-10.jpg\")
The MacBook Neo weighs less than three pounds. \u00a9 Raymond Wong \/ Gizmodo<\/p>\n
\n![\"Macbook](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MacBook-Neo-review-22.jpg\")
The MacBook Neo won\u2019t last a full day if it\u2019s your main workhorse laptop. \u00a9 Raymond Wong \/ Gizmodo<\/p>\n
\n![\"Macbook](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/MacBook-Neo-review-21.jpg\")
Few budget laptops sport this high level of build quality. \u00a9 Raymond Wong \/ Gizmodo<\/p>\n