If someone had told me a few years ago that Apple would one day launch a MacBook running on an iPhone chip that costs less than $1,000 in Canada, I’m not sure I would have believed you. But last week, Apple officially unveiled the MacBook Neo, and after using it for a few days, I think it’s going to be a hit.
It’s not that the MacBook Neo is the best MacBook out there — honestly, it isn’t. It’s got a few compromises, generally small things, but things you’ll likely notice when you use it. They’re small rough patches on an otherwise smooth Apple experience. For the most part, the Neo offers the quintessential MacBook experience at a price much lower than the next step up in the line, the MacBook Air. (The Neo starts at $799 in Canada, compared to $1,499 for the Air.)
While the price is definitely a major draw for the Neo, it’s not the only thing it has going for it, especially in this price category. Ultimately, I think the biggest question most prospective buyers will need to answer is whether the Neo’s few compromises outweigh the benefits of having a Mac.
Specs
- Display: 13-inch Liquid Retina 2,408×1,506 pixel sRGB, 500nits brightness
- Processor: A18 Pro
- Memory: 8GB/li>
- Storage: 256 or 512GB
- Dimensions: 1.27×29.75×20.64cm (0.5×11.7×8.12 inches)
- Weight: 1.23kg (2.7lbs)
- Camera: 1080p FaceTime HD
- Operating System: macOS Tahoe
- Battery: 36.5Wh
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 6
- Sensors: Touch ID (512GB model only)
- Ports: 1x USB 3 Type-C, 1x USB 2 Type-C, 1x 3.5mm audio
- Graphics: 5-core GPU
Feels like a MacBook
MacBook Neo (left) and Air (right).
From the moment you open the box, the MacBook Neo looks and feels like a MacBook, which is quite impressive given how much cheaper it is. Apple didn’t cut many corners when it came to the packaging or the hardware, and where it did make changes to bring down the cost, it’s small things that most people won’t notice. The size is also really nice — it’s slightly smaller than the MacBook Air, making it feel very compact. It won’t be great for everyone, but if you like smaller computers, the Neo definitely fits the bill. I do wish it were a tad lighter — at the same weight as the Air, it does feel a bit heavy, especially compared to some of the much lighter Windows laptops out there.
Apple, as usual, nailed the build quality on the Neo. The aluminum chassis looks and feels great, the hinge is effortlessly smooth, the dual speakers make all the classic macOS chimes and chirps sound great, as well as movies, shows, and whatever else you want to watch. In some places, the Neo even beats out Apple’s higher-end MacBooks. I’m a huge fan of the colour-matched Magic Keyboard, for example — it really elevates the style of the Neo.
Once you look a little closer, though, some of the compromises reveal themselves. The colour-matched keyboard looks great, but I was disappointed to discover there’s no backlight, making it harder to use in dim and dark rooms. And while the build quality is generally very good, it’s not quite at the level of the Air or Pro. For example, I noticed on my Neo review unit that the bottom panel had very slight warping around the screws, indicating the soft aluminum was bending under the pressure. It’s a barely noticeable imperfection, but Apple hardware rarely has noticeable imperfections at all.
Closer look at the colour-matched keyboard on the MacBook Neo (left) versus the Air (right).
Moreover, unless you opt for the more expensive 512GB model, you don’t get Touch ID. Again, it’s a small compromise, but one you will absolutely feel every time you use the MacBook Neo. The review unit Apple sent me was the 256GB, and right from the moment I set it up, I missed the Touch ID sensor. No seamless login when you open up the Neo — you gotta type in your password. Downloading something from the App Store? Password. Want to pay for something with Apple Pay? Access your logins stored in Passwords? You guessed it — type in that password.
Can you live without Touch ID? Absolutely. But enough of Apple’s software ecosystem revolves around Touch ID that you will notice its absence. Even in my short time with the Neo, I found it to be a consistent source of friction — a rarity on an Apple device. For this alone, I’d recommend people spring for the pricier $999 512GB Neo.
Fast, until it isn’t
If you’re worried about the MacBook Neo’s performance because it sports an iPhone chip instead of one of Apple’s M-series chips, don’t be. The A18 Pro in the Neo handled nearly everything I threw at it with ease. Honestly, I’m pretty impressed by what this iPhone chip can do, and it’s not even the latest one! The A18 Pro launched in last year’s iPhone 16 Pro.
In my time with the Neo, the A18 Pro was excellent. From heavy web browsing with tens of tabs spread across multiple windows, to editing batches of photos in Photoshop, the A18 Pro was great. The Neo typically felt very snappy, and it was rare that I had to wait more than a couple seconds for things to load.
Unfortunately, not everything with the performance was perfect. The 8GB of RAM is a notable limitation and, depending on what you do on your MacBook, there’s a good chance you’ll experience that limit for yourself.
For most of my time using the MacBook Neo, the RAM wasn’t a big issue. Common tasks like browsing the web and writing documents were fast and fluid, and as I mentioned above, I could even edit images in Photoshop with minimal issues. But if you put all that together, you’ll start to feel it.
At one point in my testing, I had a handful of apps open, including Safari with a bunch of tabs, Photoshop, two Microsoft Word documents, and Notion — pretty typical for my usual workflow. Even with just those four apps open, I could feel the sluggishness in Safari while jumping between tabs and editing a story. Granted, Photoshop is a bit of a memory hog, and when I closed it down, performance got noticeably better across the board.
I bring this up to illustrate the limitations of the MacBook Neo so that prospective buyers can make a more informed choice about what they buy. Neo’s performance was fantastic in lighter use scenarios, while struggling with heavy multitasking and professional tasks. That difference is core to answering the question of whether to buy the Neo. For someone like me, the MacBook Air would be a better choice, offering more memory and a faster M5 chip to handle more intense work tasks and multitasking.
Great battery life and more
On the performance topic, it’s worth mentioning gaming. Gaming on Apple devices, especially Macs, is kind of a mixed bag. With the Neo, don’t expect to play the latest AAA titles at super high fidelity. But, it does have some gaming chops. Given it sports the A18 Pro, it can handle many of the titles that are already available on the App Store for iPhone and iPad. If you’ve already got one of those and have built up a decent library of games, the Neo will be a great new way to enjoy them.
Of course, performance doesn’t end with the chip — there’s also battery life to consider. On paper, it’s a bit of a concern — Apple lists a 36.5Wh battery compared to the 53.8Wh you’d get in the MacBook Air. However, the A18 Pro is also quite efficient, making for excellent battery life overall.
Apple quotes up to 11 hours of battery while wireless web browsing and up to 16 hours while video streaming, and I’d say that’s pretty spot on based on my testing. The Neo’s battery was able to carry me through a full eight-hour day of work without much issue. Plus, the standby time is excellent — I used the Neo sporadically throughout the weekend but didn’t charge it, and was still able to work on it for over half a day on Monday before needing to plug in.
I am, however, a bit disappointed in the two USB-C ports. I don’t mind so much that they’re lower spec instead of being Thunderbolt ports like on the Air, but I do wish Apple had made both ports equal. Having one USB-3 and one USB-2, and not including some kind of indicator or label for which is which, makes for a suboptimal experience.
Gateway Mac
Despite the compromises I outlined, the MacBook Neo remains an excellent option for many people out there. I can see it being very popular among students and casual users, but less so for professionals with intensive workflows. That said, I am impressed the Neo handled my workflow as well as it did, given it’s got an iPhone chip inside it. If it had a bit more memory, the MacBook Neo could easily be my primary work device.
The Neo has one main strength that will give it an advantage over many other devices in the same price point: it’s a Mac. Prior to the Neo, if you wanted the Apple experience, you either needed to get a much pricier MacBook Air, or opt for a lower-end iPad. There’s also the Mac mini at the same $799 starting price, but that’s no good if you need something you can use on the go. Beyond that, there’s Apple’s refurbished options, which have MacBook Air models as low as $1,039 at the time of writing, but that’s still more than a base Neo.
And the Apple experience gives you a lot to work with. The build quality is fantastic, well ahead of most Windows laptops at a similar price, and even beating some at the premium end. While the MacBook Neo might not outperform similarly-priced Windows laptops (especially since most of those have 16GB of RAM), it will still offer capable performance and, in many cases, better battery life.
There’s the Windows vs macOS factor as well, and while I’d say that mostly comes down to personal preference, the general experience on macOS is a bit nicer out of the box. Plus, Apple has its suite of software goodies that make everything better, especially if you’ve already got an iPhone or iPad.
Finally, there’s the longevity element. On one hand, I worry the limits of 8GB of RAM will become more problematic over time, but on the other, Apple has a decent track record for software support. Even with the RAM, I think the Neo will outlast most other laptops at this price point, making it a really good value option.
Ultimately, the MacBook Neo is going to be great for anyone who wants a Mac experience without putting a major dent in their wallet. Whether you’re a student looking to get something that will hold you through post-secondary, someone looking to get their first Mac, or even a professional with a lighter workflow, the MacBook Neo would be a great fit.
The biggest thing to consider when it comes to the MacBook Neo is how you’ll use it. Anyone who relies on heavier apps like Photoshop, or who does a lot of multitasking across many apps, will want to look at Apple’s other options.
The MacBook Neo is up for pre-order now and will be available starting March 11. It starts at $799 for the 256GB model with no Touch ID, and jumps up to $999 for the 512GB with Touch ID. MacBook Neo comes in silver, blush, citrus and indigo. (Prices drop to $679 and $849, respectively, with education pricing.)
It’s also worth noting that if you’re looking at the $999 Neo, it might also be worth looking at Apple’s refurbished store, since you can get an M4 MacBook Air for $1,039 at the time of writing.
