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Marques Brownlee - Macbook Neo Impressions: Reincarnated!

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Author: Marques Brownlee
Categories: Education
Tags: education
Views: 2 · Last viewed: 2026-10-16 08:09 UTC

Short Summary

Main recommendation: The MacBook Neo is a good-value, basic laptop for everyday users such as students and people doing browsing, email, shopping, spreadsheets, and light photo editing, but not for heavy video editing or anyone who needs more RAM, Thunderbolt ports, or a higher-end machine. At $599 it matches the Mac Mini's price and undercuts the $1,100 MacBook Air, which is closer to Chromebook pricing (though not quite as cheap) and positions Apple to compete in education.

Key Points

  • The MacBook Neo is a 13-inch, all-aluminum laptop powered by the A18 Pro chip (a five-core GPU bin of the iPhone 16 Pro chip), with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB starting storage.
  • At $599 it is Apple's cheapest Mac laptop, and with the student discount it drops to $499.
  • Apple is targeting education, where Chromebooks have dominated, and the reviewer argues it beats the cost of iPad-plus-keyboard setups (about $600 before a pencil).
  • The build feels premium, though it lacks Touch ID on the base model and uses a traditional clicking trackpad rather than a haptic one.
  • The reviewer compares it to the original 12-inch MacBook from about a decade ago, now made viable by Apple silicon's efficiency.

Details Worth Noting

  • Concrete instructions: Do not buy this if you need more than 8 GB RAM, Thunderbolt ports, or heavy video editing; the reviewer says it is not the right machine for those workloads. If you are a student, check Apple's education pricing, since it reduces the $599 price to $499. If you want Touch ID, the 512 GB model costs $100 more and includes it. Choose the base 256 GB model for basic web, email, shopping, and spreadsheet use, and the 512 GB model if you want Touch ID.
  • Ports: two USB-C ports on the left, no Thunderbolt, plus a headphone jack and side-firing stereo speakers.
  • Display: 13-inch, maximum 500 nits, slightly above 1440p resolution at 60 Hz; the reviewer found it okay but not amazing in dim rooms.
  • Webcam: 1080p, placed in the top bezel with no notch.
  • Weight: about 2.7 pounds, the same as a slightly larger MacBook Air.
  • Battery: Apple quotes about 16 hours, close to the MacBook Air's quoted 18 hours.
  • Colors: indigo, blush, citrus, and silver, with keyboards tinted to match.

Bottom Line

The MacBook Neo fills a real gap at $599 for light users and students, but its limits in RAM, ports, and performance make it a poor fit for anyone with demanding needs.