In my opinion, although it seems to be a good value product, the hype for it is overblown and exaggerated. But this is just my opinion, and I will try to justify it, taking into account both the good and the not-so-good.
Firstly, the iPhone chip. A binned iPhone chip, actually, since it has one less GPU core than the one in the iPhone it came from. It is kind of ridiculous that running a desktop OS on a binned smartphone chip is even possible (seriously, it’s crazy how good smartphone chips have become!), but there are many limitations of this. Most obviously, the performance. It has pretty competitive performance, appearing to sometimes match the original M1, and exceeding it in single-core tests, but it looks like it struggles with sustained performance and thermally throttles quite a bit. All in all, I don’t think this is the biggest downside of the Neo, but it may be a concern, especially with future software upgrades. It does make the over-specced iPad Pro (and to an extent the iPad Air) feel even more out of place.
Additionally, they didn’t put in an HDMI port on the side, likely due to a limitation of the chip. This means that a dongle is required, especially troubling given that HDMI displays are ubiquitous in education.
The iPhone chip does mean that it’s quite efficient, which looks to be good for battery life. If you look at similarly priced laptops, you have less power efficient chips and worse battery life from Intel and AMD but with better cooling and usually less thermal throttling, as well as much better port selection. Tradeoffs.
But then you have the 8GB of non-upgradeable RAM. It might be fine for light web browsing and the sort, but given that MacOS will already eat up at least 2-3 GB, it means that it will age poorly, especially with later software revisions that I am sure will cripple performance, intentionally or unintentionally, encouraging upgrades to Apple’s more expensive models sooner rather than later.
I believe that this is Apple’s business strategy. Take over the educational market by providing high-end-feeling products in the budget segment that have the bare minimum to meet the current needs of students, and once those needs grow, push an update that makes the 8GB ram hit hard, and suddenly you have a new generation of Apple users that buy into the ecosystem as they have become tied into Apple’s subscriptions and software. I think the reasoning of the lack of a backlit keyboard plays into this as well.
On the positive side, the build quality of the Neo is a highlight, and for good reason. A majority of laptops in its price segment use plastic construction, poor quality hinges, and have low resolution displays. I do think that many tech reviewers are overblowing it a bit, but it’s important for a device to be durable, and the Neo is durable. I also love that they introduced such fun colours!
But I think the main selling feature of the MacBook Neo is the fact that it doesn’t run Windows. Win11 has become so awful, introducing more and more advertisements, bloatware, and privacy-invasive CoPilot “features”. Nobody likes Windows, no one likes using it, so when something that ships with not-Windows out of the box is introduced into the affordable price segment the Neo sits in, everybody loves it, even with its limitations. MacOS is still not great, I hate that it’s such a closed system, but Windows has become the biggest downside of most laptops, and unfortunately, and I say this as someone running EndeavourOS and actively encouraging friends and family to switch to Fedora and Mint, the majority of people purchasing their first laptop will not have a clue about what a Linux distro is. I hope that more people switch to Linux, either on traditional hardware or on Apple Silicon with Asahi Linux, but most people won’t be looking at that.
TLDR: The performance of the Neo is currently enough for the workloads of the average student, but as needs change and adapt, non-upgradeable memory and the inherently weak performance of the (binned) iPhone chip pushes people to upgrade sooner rather than later. This is a hook for Apple to capture new users into their services and software experience. Build quality, display, and efficiency look very good though, and I like the fun colours. Not shipping with Windows is also a plus for many people.
But what do you think of the Macbook Neo?
Please don’t parrot “people who buy the Macbook Neo don’t care about performance”, we’ve seen enough of that the comments of every post, article, and video about it. It’s partially true, I think, but needs will change that the hardware will not be able to adapt, given that it’s non-upgradeable.
I will also say that “people who buy the Macbook Neo are idiots” or “the Neo suuuucks” is incredibly unhelpful. If you aren’t going to add anything to the discussion, just don’t. Thanks.
I will also add that, in many regions, you can get an older Macbook Air (M2 or M1) refurbished for the same price as the Neo, sometimes less! If you are able to score one of those, then the Neo should be out of the question for you.
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It’s what I’d get my kids if they needed a laptop right now. Easy choice, blows Chromebook garbage away.
Any kids coming from a school-issue Chromebook could get a great upgrade moving to these.
I know people who run Illustrator/Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, Logic, Microsoft Office, and Font Design software on their 8GB Macbooks. Obviously, not all at the same time, but at least 2 or 3 apps together without a problem.
This gives an on-ramp to those users looking for a new, shiny entry-level laptop.
It’s perfect for what my sister in law needs, but it’s not something I would generally recommend
She really just needs a real operating system for her phone for school
We will consider a used M1/M2 used, but I would expect Apple to stop supporting those sooner than the Neo
Let me know when it can run Linux
they put an iphone motherboard into a laptop shell.
But it runs a real operating system! which is a pretty big deal actually.
– Frost
I’m not going to disagree with most if what you said, but I’ll simply say this: look at what it costs for a new Windows laptop these days. Look at the chip set. Look at the build quality. If you can get me even ONE of those two things that matches the Neo for 500 dollars, let me know. This isn’t even mentioning how garbage Windows has become. You can get higher RAM easy…but Windows needs 16 GB minimum to do jack shit, 32 GB is more realistic to do anything interesting. My work M2 Macbook with 8 GB RAM feels about the same or better as my (newer) work Dell with an i7 32 GB RAM.
That’s why the Neo is such a big deal. Am I going to buy it? No. I’m a tech enthusiast with various needs, and prefer desktops & Linux when I’m at home. Would I recommend it to a large amount of people? Yes.
I will not disagree, the Neo does look to have much better build quality than most laptops in its price range, as well as many outside of it.
As for the chipset, there will be tradeoffs. You can definitely get an older Ryzen 7000 series or Intel 13th gen for cheap. These will be quite a bit less efficient and have worse battery life, and the performance won’t be as good. But they don’t suffer from the limitations of being an iPhone chip, some will be better cooled, some have upgradeable memory/16GB ram option, and most will have better port selection (like HDMI, USB-A ports). The Neo’s A18 Pro is much better in some ways, but also a bit worse in many others.
Yes, it is true that Windows is pretty garbage now. I wouldn’t say 16GB is not enough for it though, even with all its bloat. But it is terrible, really bad indeed, hence why I happily run Linux and encourage others to do the same :D
Apple Silicon really is crazy though, no doubt about that.
A little off-topic, note that “i7”, “i5”, etc. aren’t too helpful when comparing CPUs, only between the specific generation.
In most cases, for that you’re looking at refurbished. Which I am a proponent of, it is a tried and true method to get a deal. But it comes with its own risks and limited warranties.
The chipset has benchmarked really well, mostly just the thermal throttling that you alluded to, and that will limit what workflows you can accomplish to a certain extent, which can also be said about 8 GB RAM.
But again that’s not who is buying the machine. It’s the best value for a general use machine out there. It will excel at that, and have longevity due to how good the chipset is when not throttled, build quality, and because macOS is both lighter and more optimized.
Yep I also am a Linux truther. But some people are too scared to make the jump/to try to install an operating system themselves, or need specific programs that aren’t on Linux. And for those people, I’m not going to recommend them a Windows laptop in almost any situation because it just doesn’t make sense anymore at almost any price point. We’re even breaking into Chromebook price range here, and Chromebooks are going UP in price across the board.
I’m well aware lol, I just don’t have the specs memorized, I just remember it was a gen newer than the M2.
Sorry, OP, it’s past midnight where I am and I am not compelled to read your writing just yet. In the morning with coffee would be a better time.
Having said that, despite not really following the reviews, if I’m looking for
- A new device
- At that price point
- And the choice is either windows or Mac
I’m choosing the neo. It even gets a 10 out of 10 repairability rating by ifixit. As a 30s that have used windows all my life learning macOS is as much effort as learning Linux to shed that windows power user habits
Thankfully I’m only limited by budget and have no desire to let fine refurbished laptops languish. And I’m all onboard with Linux so I’ll be getting a refurb thinkpad instead. This also helps local repair shops stay afloat and stop from ewaste pile up
Just have to survive the shit circus Trump gave the world.
10 out of 10 repairability rating by ifixit.
Note that it wasn’t a 10/10, it was 6/10. Still much better than previous Macs, and overall quite good :D
iFixit state that the main complaints are pentalobe screws, soldered RAM and storage, and it’s difficult to repair the keyboard.
https://www.ifixit.com/News/116152/macbook-neo-is-the-most-repairable-macbook-in-14-years
- And the choice is either windows or Mac
I’m choosing the neo
Yeah, Windows is pretty bad these days.
Thankfully I’m only limited by budget and have no desire to let fine refurbished laptops languish. And I’m all onboard with Linux so I’ll be getting a refurb thinkpad instead.
Nice! Hope you have a good time with one of those :)
I have to agree with the other commenter who pointed out that if you care about the 8gb of RAM, the Neo isn’t for you. That said, I have a hackintosh that by all accounts runs slower than an equivalent MacBook Pro, and it only has 8gb of RAM and runs fine on macOS Tahoe (using PS, Premiere etc) so I’m not totally sure why people say 8gb isn’t enough on a Mac.
if you care about the 8gb of RAM, the Neo isn’t for you
Fair point. The average consumer probably doesn’t know what that means. But I do think that it should be a concern for the people who do purchase it (like students), since it really will be limiting, especially in the future as software becomes heavier, MacOS gets additional updates, and when needs change (e.g. more multi-tasking)
Not a deal-breaker, but something to note, especially as it’s non-upgradeable. Similarly priced laptops have 16GB/the option for it with upgradeable memory, but may have other downsides like worse display or plastic build. Tradeoffs.
Apparently I’ve been living under a rock
A proper Apple laptop, for just 600 bucks? And discount to 500 for educational purposes?? I’ve actually had a previous workplace where they would only issue Windows or Mac computers for work… which I think this would have been extremely handy. Because of this I’m honestly quite happy to hear the news, since it will probably make me requesting dedicated work computers easier. 8GB RAM is a bit of a bummer, but there are HPCs and virtual machines for heavy computation tasks so…
I refuse to pay Apple out of principle, so I don’t think my personal opinions about the Neo matter much… I guess one positive thing I could say is that I find the idea of using ARM chips for full computers quite cool
In many regions, you can get an older Macbook Air (M2 or M1) refurbished for the same price as the Neo, sometimes less! If you are able to score one of those, then the Neo should be out of the question for you.
If anyone has a head-to-head comparison I would love to see it because I am wondering about how the specs compare, especially:
- Expected battery life of a new Neo versus a used MacBook Air.
- Comparison of the older display to the newer display.
- Just how much slower is the Neo compared to the older MacBook Air?
- How long you could use it before you are not getting security updates anymore.
The display of the Neo seems very similar to the one in the Air M1 (no notch, similar resolution), but with worse colour accuracy according to reviews. The M2 Air onwards had better displays (but with the notch)
As for battery life, real-world performance (not benchmarks, not “I used it for a day and it seems smooth”), and security updates, I’m not sure. The older M series Macbooks are still getting the latest MacOS updates, but I wonder how many the Neo will get given that it’s an iPhone chip…
But what do you think of the Macbook Neo?
8Go ram is quite… limited (even more so running macOS), no matter how ‘light’ your workload.
If I could install Linux Mint on it, I might consider it to get a great battery life and a fanless laptop but the limited ram would still make me hesitate. Maybe teh next one will get more ram…
I’d seriously consider it if Asahi Linux wasn’t going through a bit of drama right now and won’t get to it for a while. I need a tiny laptop for writing though. If I could find an old 11" MacBook Air that would be great but I don’t think they’re worth what they’re selling for on eBay and finding one cheap locally hasn’t happened for me yet.
I’d seriously consider it if Asahi Linux wasn’t going through a bit of drama right now and won’t get to it for a while.
I tried Asahi a couple months ago, it worked nice but was not ready, at least not for me. Great project. No idea they were having issues.
I need a tiny laptop for writing though.
Like I do, which could have make thin small machine running Linux almost perfect ;)
Jesus Christ the comments predictably went straight back into the 8 GB debate. So burned out on this theme.
I have a 1st gen MacBook Air with 8 gb ram. I’ve never noticed the limitation.
That’s what I always say but it always devolves into “Apple shortchanges its users” talk.
I think people just can’t understand that just because windows is slow on 8gb doesn’t mean macOS is slow. Linux runs amazing on 8gb or less.
Yeah exactly. I’ve got a Windows Vista era laptop that runs Linux without issue.
Your strong counter point will surely quell any further mention of it.
Right, because jumping back into it will express my discontent 🙄
I think the 8GB RAM may be a decision made in light of the ram shortage. However, no matter how good OS X is with RAM, a simple workload is going to be bouncing off the limits constantly and i think that will be a frustration factor. Too many electron and webapps.
The local storage is pretty light too, but I think that’s manageable for a couple years. Apple is pretty bad about sucking up storage though; my phone has about 25% or 32GB used by iOS and system data.
I think it’s a perfectly serviceable device for technology averse (seniors) but probably not great for high school or university kids. Is it worth the extra money for 16GB RAM and a MacBook Air? Probably.
They will sell a boatload of them. It’s a great product for expanding their brand.
Normal people don’t care about anything techies care about. Techies who own Macs are all buying Pro models anyway.
It is overpriced like all apple products.
