Macbook Neo Impressions: Reincarnated!

Summary

MKBHD gives his first impressions of the MacBook Neo, Apple’s newest and cheapest entry to the MacBook lineup at $599. Powered by a binned A18 Pro chip (the same one from the iPhone 16 Pro but with a five-core GPU instead of six), 8 gigs of RAM, and 256 gigs of starting storage, it is a 13-inch all-aluminum laptop available in four colors: indigo, blush, citrus, and silver. It has two USB-C ports (not Thunderbolt), a headphone jack, a 1080p webcam with no notch, and side-firing stereo speakers. Marques describes it as “a Chromebook, but the Apple one” — a super basic computer for web browsing, email, and everyday tasks.

The video highlights several cost-saving compromises: the base model lacks Touch ID (just a lock button), the trackpad is a mechanical click rather than haptic, the display maxes out at 500 nits and 60Hz, and the laptop weighs the same 2.7 pounds as the slightly larger MacBook Air. Despite these cuts, Marques notes it does not feel cheap, with premium build quality that would likely be the best-built laptop at this price point.

Most intriguingly, MKBHD draws a direct line from the MacBook Neo to the original 12-inch MacBook from about ten years ago — a machine Apple tried to make but failed because Intel chips were not efficient enough. He argues the MacBook Neo is that same vision “reincarnated,” finally made possible by Apple silicon. He also teases that the same logic applies to the Mac Pro being replaced by the Mac Studio, and runs through Apple’s other announcements of the week including the Studio Display XDR, iPhone 17e, M5 Pro/Max MacBook Pro updates, and M4 iPad Air.

Highlights

”The Cheapest Entry-Level Mac Laptop”

“The starting price, $599. And this is really interesting. They actually hit the price. This is now the cheapest entry-level Mac laptop. It’s the same price as a Mac Mini, which has actually been one of the best deals in tech for a little bit now.” — Marques Brownlee, 1:10

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”Think of It Like a Chromebook, But the Apple One”

“Think of it like a Chromebook, but the Apple one. It’s like the Safari book, basically. This is like it’s a super basic computer.” — Marques Brownlee, 2:18

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”It Doesn’t Feel Cheap”

“In my limited hands-on time, it doesn’t feel cheap, right? Matter of fact, one of the advantages here is it’s going to probably be the best built laptop at this price with this all metal body, this nice hinge weight.” — Marques Brownlee, 3:23

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”The Old 12-Inch MacBook Reincarnated”

“Do you remember the original 12-inch MacBook? Apple tried to make before Apple silicon a 12-inch MacBook… It was running a 1.1 GHz dual-core Intel processor that throttled if you looked at it for too long. And it cost $1,300 still.” — Marques Brownlee, 5:47

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”This Will Really Kill for Students”

“You know who this will really kill for — students, education. And not just college students. I think high school and even younger, especially where Chromebooks have been killing it for years.” — Marques Brownlee, 4:30

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Key Points

• MacBook Neo name (0:14) - Apple’s new naming surprised Marques; he expected it to just be called “MacBook” but it is officially “MacBook Neo”
• A18 Pro chip (1:30) - Same chip from iPhone 16 Pro but binned to a five-core GPU instead of six-core; adequate for basic tasks
• $599 starting price (1:10) - Matches the Mac Mini price, making it the cheapest entry-level Mac laptop ever
• Limited port selection (0:37) - Two USB-C ports (not Thunderbolt) and a headphone jack; no other ports
• Four color options (0:47) - Indigo, blush, citrus, and silver with tinted keyboards matching each color
• No Touch ID on base model (3:42) - The 256GB version has only a lock button; spend $100 more for 512GB and Touch ID
• Mechanical trackpad (3:54) - Not a haptic trackpad like other MacBooks; a real moving, clicking old-school design
• Display limitations (4:04) - 13-inch, slightly above 1440p resolution, 60Hz, maxes out at 500 nits brightness
• Same weight as MacBook Air (4:25) - Despite being smaller, still weighs 2.7 pounds due to all-metal construction
• Battery life estimated at 16 hours (2:49) - Apple quotes 16 hours versus 18 for MacBook Air; same ballpark
• Chromebook competitor (4:30) - Targets education market where Chromebooks have dominated; $499 with student discount
• iPad value comparison (5:22) - Base iPad ($329) plus keyboard ($250) already costs about $600, making MacBook Neo a better value
• 12-inch MacBook spiritual successor (5:47) - Nearly identical specs to the failed 2015 12-inch MacBook but now actually works thanks to Apple silicon
• Mac Pro death prediction (6:57) - Marques predicts Mac Studio will fully replace the Mac Pro for the same efficiency reasons
• Other Apple announcements (7:13) - Studio Display XDR, iPhone 17e, M5 Pro/Max MacBook Pro, and M4 iPad Air also announced

Mentions

Companies

• Apple (0:02) - Maker of the MacBook Neo and week of new product launches
• Intel (5:59) - Referenced for the failed 12-inch MacBook’s underpowered dual-core processor
• Acer (5:07) - Mentioned as a thin-and-light laptop competitor in the education space
• Ridge (7:43) - Video sponsor; anniversary sale with up to 40% off

Products & Technologies

• MacBook Neo (0:13) - The main product reviewed; $599 entry-level Mac laptop
• A18 Pro chip (0:30) - iPhone 16 Pro’s chip repurposed for laptop use with binned GPU
• MacBook Air (3:15) - Previously cheapest Mac laptop at $1,100 after M5 price bump
• Mac Mini (1:21) - Also priced at $599; described as one of the best deals in tech
• 12-inch MacBook (5:47) - Apple’s failed 2015 attempt at an ultra-portable netbook
• Chromebook (2:18) - Direct competitor in education market
• Studio Display XDR (7:16) - New Apple display announced the same week
• iPhone 17e (7:24) - New iPhone announced with MagSafe and double starting storage
• Mac Studio (7:04) - Predicted to replace the Mac Pro
• Mac Pro (7:00) - The “trash can” version compared to the failed 12-inch MacBook; predicted to be killed

People

• Paul and Daniel Kaine (7:48) - Founders of Ridge, the video sponsor

Surprising Quotes

“Think of it like a Chromebook, but the Apple one. It’s like the Safari book, basically.” — Marques Brownlee, 2:18

“If you’re thinking, I wonder if this has enough RAM for what I’m trying to do, this probably already isn’t for you. You’re watching an MKBHD video on the day that it was uploaded cuz you’re subscribed to a tech channel on YouTube. This probably isn’t the computer for you.” — Marques Brownlee, 2:26

“It was running a 1.1 GHz dual-core Intel processor that throttled if you looked at it for too long.” — Marques Brownlee, 6:11

“My theory is that once they spun up Apple silicon and their chips got much more efficient, they finally had the ability to make that machine but actually good.” — Marques Brownlee, 6:37

“I also happen to think that the old Intel powered trash can Mac Pro had the same problem and that the new Mac Studio is everything that they wanted that machine to be, which is why they’re going to kill the Mac Pro.” — Marques Brownlee, 6:57

Transcript

0:02 All right, so Apple is doing a week of new release stuff and it’s all headlined by what I saw today, which is the newest, cheapest entry to the MacBook lineup, the MacBook Neo. First of all, interesting name. We’ve never heard that word from Apple before. I thought when it was leaked, it was maybe just a code name. I would have bet it’s just called the MacBook, but no, it’s actually MacBook Neo.

0:24 And the basics are this. It is a 13-inch laptop powered by the A18 Pro chip, 8 gigs of RAM, 256 gigs of starting storage, and it is a super thin and decently light all aluminum laptop. Two USB type-C ports on the left hand side, not Thunderbolt. There’s a headphone jack on the left as well, and then there’s some side-firing stereo speakers.

0:44 And it comes in four colors, indigo, blush, citrus, and silver. They all have this sort of a whitish keyboard that is kind of tinted to match the color of the laptop. In person, maybe the lighting is terrible in here, but it was kind of hard to tell when looking at a single laptop. But you can, when there’s some next to each other, see that the keyboards are tinted. And there’s a 1080p webcam up at the top hidden in that bezel. No notch.

1:10 And most importantly, the starting price, $599. And this is really interesting. They actually hit the price. This is now the cheapest entry-level Mac laptop. It’s the same price as a Mac Mini, which has actually been one of the best deals in tech for a little bit now. And I think this one’s also shaping up to be pretty good value.

1:30 Now, the X factor is how will the A18 Pro chip perform inside a computer? Now, in case you don’t remember, the A18 Pro is the same chip that was in the iPhone 16 Pros last year, but actually this is a bin version. This is a five core GPU version instead of six core. But I think in general there’s a lot of tasks that regular people do on regular computers that clearly don’t require a ton of power. Web browsing, emailing, shopping, spreadsheet type of stuff, right?

1:59 And before I’ve done any testing, just messing around on this thing for a few minutes, it seems like it would be totally fine for that. I would not expect to edit videos or do anything really intensive on this thing. That would be kind of crazy. But I also wouldn’t be surprised if it could handle some light photo editing, some multitasking, and just, you know, generally be a solid computer.

2:18 Think of it like a Chromebook, but the Apple one. It’s like the Safari book, basically. This is like it’s a super basic computer. If you’re looking at this and thinking, I wonder if this has enough RAM for what I’m trying to do. This probably already isn’t for you. This isn’t the computer you should be looking at. If you’re thinking, I wonder why they’re, you know, USB type-C ports and not Thunderbolt, it’s probably not for you. You’re watching an MKBHD video on the day that it was uploaded cuz you’re subscribed to a tech channel on YouTube. This probably isn’t the computer for you.

2:49 Now, I’m thinking the battery life could be interesting. Obviously, it’s the same chip as an iPhone, but with a chassis and the battery size of a laptop. So, it seems like a good combo. And I think they’re quoting 16 hours right now, which doesn’t mean much to me except that they also quote MacBook Air at 18 hours, so it should be in the same ballpark.

3:07 So why do they do this? Why do they make this thing? Well, I think the obvious answer is just to have something much more attainable available. Up until now, the cheapest laptop available was the MacBook Air, and that just got a price bump up with the M5. That’s an $1,100 laptop. So, this is the cheaper one, but in my limited hands-on time, it doesn’t feel cheap, right?

3:28 Matter of fact, one of the advantages here is it’s going to probably be the best built laptop at this price with this all metal body, this nice hinge weight. Everything still feels very much like the other more premium MacBooks. There’s also a couple smaller things I noticed, too. Like the base version with 256 gigs doesn’t have Touch ID. It’s just a lock button on the keyboard. So, you spend another hundred bucks and you get the 512 gigs of storage and Touch ID.

3:54 The trackpad also is actually not a haptic trackpad like the rest of the MacBooks. It’s a real moving, clicking old school trackpad, I guess, but it also feels totally fine. And then the display, it’s okay. It’s not amazing. It’s 13 inches corner to corner. Pretty normal looking bezels. The rooms we’re in are not very bright, but this maxes out at 500 nits, and it’s a little higher than 1440p resolution at 60 Hz.

4:19 And I also actually found myself thinking maybe it would be a little bit lighter since it’s on the small side, but it’s still all metal. And spec for spec, it looks like it’s the same weight as a slightly bigger MacBook Air. 2.7 pounds.

4:30 You know who this will really kill for — students, education, and not just college students. I think high school and even younger, especially where Chromebooks have been killing it for years. Chromebooks have been cheaper and have been just dominating in education. And I think Apple wanted a piece of that pie. Now, this isn’t Chromebook cheap, but it is a lot closer than the $1,100 MacBook Air is.

4:54 And with the student discount, if you look on their site, this is also now a $499 laptop. So, it’s a little more appealing, and it just plays into the classic Apple thing, like, oh, we offer something in the same category. Would you rather get the thin and light laptop from Acer or the one from Apple? Well, the one from Apple works well with the iPhone you have.

5:13 And you know, up until now, a lot of students I’ve seen were trying to undercut a MacBook Air with either going cheaper, refurbished, or with an iPad. Thing about the iPad is it’s actually not that much cheaper. Now, if you go with the cheapest base iPad, that’s $329. But then the keyboard accessory that they make for it costs $250 more. So, before you even get a pencil, you’re already at just about 600 bucks. And that’s only 128 gigs and an A16. So, now this looks like a much better value to actually get a Mac.

5:47 Now, I have to bring this up. Do you remember the original 12-inch MacBook? Some of you are younger. You might actually not remember this from about 10 years ago, but Apple tried to make before Apple silicon a 12-inch MacBook. And that was supposed to be an even thinner and lighter and smaller laptop than the MacBook Air. And it was, but it also wasn’t a very good laptop at all.

6:11 It was running a 1.1 GHz dual-core Intel processor that throttled if you looked at it for too long. And it cost $1,300 still, but it was a smaller, thinner machine, ultra portable, a 12-inch display, 8 gigs of RAM, 256 gigs of storage, and it was their first laptop with only USB type-C ports. Sound familiar? This was basically their first attempt at making a netbook.

6:33 So that has obviously since been retired, but my theory is that once they spun up Apple silicon and their chips got much more efficient and much better integrated, they finally had the ability to make that machine but actually good. There was no way they were going to do that well with Intel chips. And so now here we are in 2026 and this is basically that old 12-inch MacBook reincarnated.

6:57 Now, I also happen to think that the old Intel powered trash can Mac Pro had the same problem and that the new Mac Studio is everything that they wanted that machine to be, which is why they’re going to kill the Mac Pro. But that’s a story for another video.

7:13 Now, there’s a couple other announcements this week, of course, too, from Apple. There’s a new Studio Display and Studio Display XDR to replace the Pro Display. There’s also an iPhone 17e with MagSafe and double the starting storage and a new pink color and a Spec Bump M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro with slightly less text on the keyboard and a spec bumped M4 iPad Air.

7:36 So, let me know in the comments which of that stuff you’re most interested in seeing a review of. And make sure you get subscribed to be among the first to see those reviews when they do come out.

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