MacBook Neo Review: No Other Budget Laptop Can Compete

lemonish97

Stopped reading after I read "Bright, pretty LCD display" and "Cute colors" under the pros.

frankacter

I’m a bit confused about who this article is really for. The MacBook Neo starts at $600 so when I read: “MacBook Neo is built on an iPhone chip—the A18 Pro. It’s far less capable of running intensive tasks than any of Apple’s M‑series chips or any moderately powered Intel or AMD processor.” and that: “It’s merely the right kind of performance for anybody who wants to browse the internet or stream video.” ...at this price point there are plenty of alternatives for laptops with better performance and specs. For example, you can get a 15.6" Ryzen 7 5700U laptop with 32GB RAM and a 1TB SSD for less than the “unbeatable” price of the Neo: https://www.amazon.com/NIAKUN-Computer-Processor-Graphics-Ke... Or a 15.6" Intel Core i7‑1255U/12650H laptop with 16GB RAM and a 1TB SSD in a similar price range: https://www.amazon.com/HP-Laptop-High-Performance-i7-1255U-4... Both of these offer: * A more traditional laptop CPU * 2–4× the memory * 2-4× the storage (1TB vs 256GB base on the Neo) Standard HDMI/USB‑C video out for external displays So I can definitely see the appeal of the Neo for people who just want an inexpensive way into macOS, but the claim that “no other budget laptop can compete.” doesn't track. Maybe it should have been "The least expensive Macbook yet, but that comes with significant downsides."

GeekyBear

PC Magazine agrees: > Apple pulled off what I thought wasn't possible. The MacBook Neo is poised to set the budget-laptop world on fire as a $599 system that's better-built and sharper than anything else at or below its price. https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/apple-macbook-neo