Apple’s latest addition to its MacBook lineup, the MacBook Neo, is positioned as the most affordable option in the brand’s portfolio, starting at $599. The device is intended to attract students and first-time buyers, offering a compelling blend of performance and affordability. The MacBook Neo is essentially a reimagined version of the M1 MacBook Air, which was a game-changer in 2020 and remained a popular choice until last month.

Hardware and Design

The MacBook Neo features a 13-inch screen that is vivid, bright, and pleasant to look at. It can be used comfortably outdoors, even in conditions with minimal direct glare. The speakers, while not as loud or bassy as those in more expensive MacBooks, are significantly better than those found in many Windows laptops. However, users should be mindful that the speakers can be muffled when holding the sides of the laptop.

The typing experience on the MacBook Neo is comparable to other current MacBooks. The key travel is not as deep as on some Lenovo and Asus keyboards, but it’s not too shallow, unlike the butterfly switch-era MacBooks. The lack of backlight illumination is a drawback, but three of the four color combinations offer bright, near-white keycaps, which helps slightly.

The Neo’s 1080p webcam is sharp and clear, even in low light, but it lacks the higher resolution and Center Stage auto-framing found in current MacBook Airs and Pros. The most notable hardware compromise is the absence of Apple’s Force Touch on the trackpad. However, the mechanical trackpad offers a satisfying click anywhere on the surface, setting a new standard for mechanical trackpads.

Performance and Features

The MacBook Neo is powered by the A18 Pro chip, which outperforms Apple’s M1 MacBook Air and most Windows laptops in single-core processing benchmarks. This makes it ideal for light tasks such as web browsing and working on Google Docs. The 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage are adequate for basic tasks, but the machine can feel a bit sluggish at the fringes, especially when opening the Applications folder on the dock.

The Neo’s performance struggles with heavier creative applications, such as Lightroom Classic. While it can handle browsing through image previews, actual processing is slow and may require waiting for the spinning beach ball of death. However, the Neo is not intended for such tasks, and it excels in basic productivity scenarios.

Apple offers an upgrade option for the base model, increasing the storage to 512GB and adding a Touch ID sensor for $699. This upgrade is highly recommended, especially with the potential for a student that could make it effectively free. The Touch ID sensor is more convenient than typing in a password every time the laptop is used.

Battery Life and Charging

The MacBook Neo offers more than a full workday on a single charge, with battery life lasting just under nine hours at 75% screen brightness. This includes a 40-minute Google Meet call and nearly two hours of Apple Music streaming at low-to-medium volume. Unlike the Airs and Pros, the MacBook Neo does not include a MagSafe connector and instead has two USB-C ports.

The included 20W USB-C charger can be used with a 140W charger to achieve up to 30W charging speed. However, this is not particularly impressive compared to the 40W charging capability of the iPhone 17. The charging cable provided is also notably short at five feet, which is half a meter shorter than the MagSafe cable included with other MacBooks.

The MacBook Neo is not the cheapest option available, but it is difficult to find a cheaper laptop that offers the same level of performance and features. For users who need more RAM, a better screen, a faster processor, and faster ports, the MacBook Air and Pro are the better choices. However, for the majority of users, the MacBook Neo is the new default recommendation.