The MacBook Neo is Apple's 13-inch budget laptop, built around the A18 Pro chip with 8GB of memory and a 256GB SSD. PCMag rated it 4.5 out of 5 and wrote that it "rewrites the budget laptop playbook" with a higher-end build, a more advanced screen and longer battery life than many laptops in its price range. Tom's Guide, also 4.5 out of 5, measured 13 hours 28 minutes of web surfing, and PCWorld, 4 out of 5, measured 13 hours 15 minutes of looped video. The compromises are in the details: one of the two USB-C ports is USB 2, the keyboard is not backlit, and Touch ID costs extra. PCWorld lists the price as $699, up from $599 at launch.
Full review
An aluminum MacBook at a budget price
PCMag's bottom line is that the MacBook Neo "rewrites the budget laptop playbook, with a higher-end build, a more advanced screen, longer battery life, and faster speeds than many laptops in its price range." The outlet measured it at exactly half an inch thick and 2.7 pounds, the same weight as the 13.6-inch MacBook Air.
CNET described a sturdy, all-aluminum body that "feels just as rigid as a MacBook Air or Pro," and PCWorld listed "Nothing feels cheap" among its pros. PCWorld's verdict: "it's not a letdown; it's a delight."
A sharp, bright display limited to sRGB
The 13-inch panel runs at 2408 x 1506. Tom's Guide measured 480 nits of brightness with 110% of the sRGB and 78.6% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, and noted that most Windows laptops in the Neo's price range have dim displays of about 250 to 300 nits.
PCMag called the screen "the best in its class" and sharper than any budget 13-inch laptop's. PCWorld listed "No P3 color gamut support" as a con.
Fast single-core speed, weaker multi-core
Tom's Guide recorded Geekbench 6 scores of 3,535 single-core and 8,920 multi-core, slightly ahead of the MacBook Air M1 on both. PCWorld listed "Excellent single-core CPU performance" among its pros and "Multi-core performance lags" as a con.
In daily use PCWorld's reviewer "never noticed any lag or slowdowns" while browsing, watching video, making minor photo and video edits and writing. PCMag's pros include "Excellent speeds for basic computing" and "Impressive graphics performance."
About 13 hours of battery life
Tom's Guide's battery test, continuous web surfing at 150 nits, ran 13 hours 28 minutes, exactly two hours short of the MacBook Air M5 in the same test. PCWorld looped a video at 150 nits and got 13 hours 15 minutes.
PCMag wrote that its result came "within spitting distance of Apple's own claim of 16 hours of video playback" but that this "isn't one of those 25-hour-plus MacBook battery marvels." The Neo ships with a 20W charger, and CNET lists "No MagSafe or fast charging" among its cons.
Two USB-C ports and the features Apple left out
PCMag called the connectivity "its biggest disappointment." There are two USB-C ports and a 3.5mm audio jack, and PCWorld's spec list shows one port is USB 3 and the other USB 2.
The keyboard has no backlight, per PCMag and Tom's Guide, and CNET notes Touch ID costs $100 extra. The webcam is a 1080p FaceTime camera that PCWorld called "not that great a camera." PCWorld gives the price as $699, up from the $599 launch price the reviews quote.
Strengths
- +Aluminum build that PCMag calls premium and rigid
- +13-inch 2408 x 1506 display; Tom's Guide measured 480 nits and 110% of sRGB
- +13 hours 28 minutes in Tom's Guide's web-surfing battery test and 13 hours 15 minutes in PCWorld's video loop
- +Geekbench 6 single-core score of 3,535 in Tom's Guide's testing
- +Weighs 2.7 pounds, per PCMag and PCWorld
Watch-outs
- −One of the two USB-C ports is limited to USB 2 (PCMag, PCWorld)
- −No keyboard backlighting (PCMag, Tom's Guide)
- −Touch ID costs $100 extra, per CNET
- −CNET warns the baseline 256GB SSD will fill up fast
- −No MagSafe or fast charging (CNET)
- −PCWorld found multi-core performance lags and the trackpad lacks pressure sensitivity
How it compares
It is the only macOS laptop on this page. Its roughly 13-hour battery results from PCWorld and Tom's Guide sit below the 17 hours PCMag and PCWorld recorded for the Acer Aspire 14 AI and the 25-plus hours PCWorld measured on the HP OmniBook 5 14. It has two USB-C ports where the Aspire 14 AI adds USB-A and HDMI, and 8GB of memory against the 16GB in the Aspire 14 AI and the OmniBook 5 14.
Rating sources
Counts as 4.66/5 in our score — this publisher's 181 scores on the site average 4.00, so its scores are adjusted up to compare fairly with other publishers.
Counts as 4.14/5 in our score — this publisher's 60 scores on the site average 4.02, so its scores are adjusted up to compare fairly with other publishers.
Counts as 4.52/5 in our score — this publisher's 156 scores on the site average 4.15, so its scores are adjusted up to compare fairly with other publishers.
Counts as 4.11/5 in our score — this publisher's 34 scores on the site average 4.21, so its scores are adjusted down to compare fairly with other publishers.
Our 4.4 score is the average of these published ratings, each adjusted for how strictly its publisher scores. More about methodology.
