Apple’s MacBook Neo is unprecedented territory for the tech giant, which has previously compromised on tech specs to craft thin and light premium laptops, but never in service of an explicitly low-cost model. At $900 the Neo is the cheapest computer Apple currently sells (even compared to the Mac Mini), and it’s the cheapest MacBook model in history for recommended price at launch. So, has the compromise been worth it?
For prospective buyers the main question isn’t how the Neo compares to the $1800 MacBook Air, which is the next-least expensive in the line-up, but how it compares to other $900 laptops, new or otherwise. On that front, I’d say Apple has delivered a compelling option for anyone who just wants a daily driver and doesn’t need ultimate performance. With great looks, a smooth MacOS experience, and power that’s likely to satisfy a majority of users, it’s a stunning alternative to the Windows laptops and older MacBooks of the price bracket.
Physically, the Neo looks just like a small, colourful MacBook. My review unit is yellow, but it also comes in pink, navy, and silver, with a sleek aluminum body that looks and feels premium. The keyboard keys appear white at first glance, but they’re subtly coloured, while the trackpad and display don’t feel at all cramped despite this being the smallest MacBook in a long time.
There are no ports on the laptop’s right side, while on the left there are two USB-C ports and a headphone jack. Though there’s no indication on the body, the two USBs are actually different specs. The bottom port is USB 2, which is really only good for basic accessories, while the top port is USB 3, which is the one you’ll want to use for high-speed storage or connecting to a monitor. You can use either for charging.
A change for the colourful
As someone who generally uses a MacBook Pro, I was expecting to immediately notice some drawbacks when I started using the Neo. But while there is, of course, a difference, I honestly think most people’s first impressions will be that it’s shockingly good. And compared to other $900 devices, it is.
The display is just as bright and sharp as the current MacBook Air, and it looks beautiful straight out of the box. This is due in part to how bright and graphic the current MacOS is, and Apple has smartly given the Neo a colour-matched wallpaper and accent scheme by default, to bring it all together. There’s just no way you would peg this as a budget model by looks alone.
The keyboard and trackpad are a slightly different story because if you’re used to a current Air or Pro, then you’ll notice they’re not as good. The keys are not backlit, they have more travel to them, and give a hollow feel. Similarly, the camera, microphone and speakers are good but not great, and the stated maximum battery life of 16 hours can’t touch the Pro.
But then, if you’re buying a $900 laptop, you’re probably not coming from a current Air or Pro, and this all compares very well to the majority of Windows laptops. And that’s actually where the Neo’s biggest strength lies. Stack this up against any $900 Windows laptop, and that Dell or HP or ASUS is going to look dull. It probably has a few extra features – an HDMI port, a 360-degree hinge, a refresh rate higher than 60Hz – but it doesn’t have the base level of design fit and finish that Apple provides. Even compared to Microsoft’s Surface devices, the keyboard on the Neo feels great.
If you’re comparing with a refurbished older MacBook, you’d probably get some change from your $900 for a 2020 MacBook Air with M1. Again, this may have some advantages over the Neo, namely a backlit keyboard, force trackpad and USB 4 ports. But the six-year-old device looks dated, and is dated. It has slower memory, and its battery, chips and keyboard have some miles on them. Plus, even though the Neo doesn’t have the latest and greatest hardware inside, it’s going to perform better than that MacBook Air with M1.
Under the hood
The A18 Pro that powers the Neo was first seen in the iPhone 16 Pro, but to say the machine runs on a mobile chip is a little misleading. The “Apple Silicon” architecture is consistent across all the various chips, even though for marketing purposes Apple generally names the models for computers M, and the models for smartphones A. But just like iPads offer a consistent experience whether they run on an A or an M chip, MacOS can run on either as well.
In fact, the iPhone 16 Pro is a very capable device, so it’s no surprise to see the MacBook Neo handling general computing tasks smoothly. I ran Safari and Chrome with heaps of tabs, dabbled in Photoshop, Pages, Canva and Pixelmator, watched plenty of videos and did all my usual work-related tasks, and the Neo held up great.
Looking at benchmarks, the A18 Pro appears to offer similar performance in basic tasks to the M4, which powered Apple laptops beginning in 2024. Of course, for more intensive tasks, that M4 would usually be equipped with extra cores and memory.
There’s been a lot of talk online about the Neo’s 8GB of system memory being too low in 2026, but I’m not convinced it’s a huge issue for anyone other than power users. Compare the Neo and a new MacBook Pro running any given operation or application and I’m sure the Neo does it slower. You can even see it in the OS; open a folder with heaps of files and the thumbnail images can’t quite load up as fast as you can scroll through them. But the smaller memory didn’t get in the way of anything I asked the computer to do.
I dropped a massive 14GB 4K video file into iMovie and it was ready to scrub through and start cutting in a few seconds. It exported a 6-minute cut at the highest quality in around five minutes. Every game I played from Apple Arcade ran great, and even the Resident Evil 4 remake from the App Store hit good frame rates at Full HD. Neural filters applied to massive projects in Photoshop had no trouble. Switching between desktops packed with open app windows went smoothly. Apple Intelligence performs as expected.
For me, the one major spec-related limitation is the 256GB storage. My downloads folder is using more space than that. But again, this laptop isn’t aimed at power users.
It’s worth noting that most of the sub-$1000 Windows laptops on the market, as well as that M1 MacBook I referenced earlier, are also machines with 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage. If you stretch to $1100, you can get a Neo with 512GB of storage, which also adds the Touch ID sensor missing from the 256GB model.
Disclosure: Apple provided a MacBook Neo for review on a loan basis.
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Tim Biggs is a writer covering consumer technology, gadgets and video games.Connect via X or email.
