Apple MacBook Neo Review

Apple products aren’t something we usually cover here at KitGuru, but when the MacBook Neo was announced as the cheapest MacBook ever, it certainly caught my eye. As a lifelong PC user and enthusiast, I was particularly curious to know exactly how a budget laptop running a mobile processor with just 8GB of RAM would perform – but if, like me, you’re expecting it to be underwhelming – I think you might be in for a bit of a surprise…

Timestamps

00:00 Intro
00:50 Pricing and key info
01:41 Design first impressions
02:30 Keyboard + trackpad
03:12 Webcam and speaker test
04:42 Screen analysis
06:03 Performance testing
07:23 8GB RAM discussion
08:15 Can it game?
08:58 WiFi + thermal camera
09:26 Battery life
10:10 Closing thoughts

Specification

• Processor: Apple A18 Pro (6-core CPU: 2 performance + 4 efficiency cores)
• Graphics: 5-core GPU with hardware-accelerated ray tracing
• Neural engine: 16-core Neural Engine
• Memory: 8GB unified memory
• Storage: 256GB or 512GB SSD
• Display: 13-inch Liquid Retina display (2408 x 1506), 500 nits brightness, 1 billion colours
• Pixel density: 219 PPI
• Media engine: Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW; AV1 decode
• Camera: 1080p FaceTime HD
• Audio: Dual speakers with Spatial Audio support; dual microphone array
• Wireless: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth
• Ports: 2x USB-C (USB 3 / USB 2 mix), 3.5mm headphone jack
• Battery life: Up to 16 hours
• Keyboard: Magic Keyboard with multi-touch trackpad
• Security: Touch ID (on select configurations)
• Operating system: macOS
• Colours: Silver, Indigo, Blush, Citrus
• Dimensions: approx. 297.5 x 206.4 x 12.7 mm
• Weight: approx. 1.23 kg

You can buy the MacBook Neo directly from Apple HERE. The 256GB model is £599, while the 512GB model (with Touch ID) is £699. Education discount is also available for £100 off HERE.

Pros

• Beautiful aluminium body.
• Bright and accurate screen.
• A18 Pro gets the job done with ease for light tasks.
• Solid battery life.
• MacOS is as good as ever.
• Keyboard and trackpad perform well.
• Speakers offer good clarity considering it's just a pair of side-firing drivers.
• Very good value, especially if you get the education discount.

Cons

• More memory would be welcome.
• Just two USB-C ports, one of which is USB 2.0, and neither have MagSafe.
• Webcam is passable but not super high quality.
• Keyboard isn't backlit.

KitGuru says: Apple's MacBook Neo is an impressively well-rounded laptop considering the asking price. It's not designed for the power user, but if you want something that just works for general use, this is a great option.

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