Who would buy a $600 MacBook?

The MacBook Neo targets specific customer segments, accepting several trade-offs to achieve a price of $600.

The MacBook Neo is seen as a breath of fresh air in the laptop market. Starting at $600 , it features a processor borrowed from the iPhone and retains the premium design of the MacBook Air or Pro.

When the first MacBook Neo units reached consumers, international news outlets shared product reviews. Most authors agreed that this model was suitable for most mainstream users. Apple's "sacrifice" of several features to achieve a lower price was also a topic of much discussion.

The design is not cheap.

Many budget laptops today use plastic or a combination of aluminum and plastic. If they are made entirely of aluminum, they tend to be quite fragile.

That's not the case with the MacBook Neo. Despite its lower price, it still uses aluminum and has a sturdy body, giving it a robust feel similar to the MacBook Air or Pro.

"Neo does not diminish the value of the MacBook brand," emphasizes Matt Elliott, author from CNET .

The device weighs 1.2 kg, similar to the MacBook Air M5. Color is also a highlight of the MacBook Neo, with four options including silver, lime green, dark blue, and light pink.

Besides its compact size and striking colors, the other distinguishing design features of the MacBook Neo include more rounded edges and a keyboard that matches the color of the casing.

The design of the MacBook Neo. Photo: Stuff .

Writing on Wired , author Luke Larsen praised Apple's attention to color by changing the key colors, creating a unique look for the MacBook Neo.

"Similar to the iMac, Apple has also incorporated this color scheme into the MacBook Neo's software... The wallpaper, dialog box buttons, folders, and selection text all have the same color. Only Apple can do this because they own both the hardware and the software," Larsen shared.

The MacBook Neo's keyboard uses a scissor mechanism with sufficiently deep key travel, providing a smooth and comfortable typing experience. However, this system lacks backlighting.

The trackpad on the MacBook Neo is also very different. Instead of using Force Touch, Apple switched to a traditional physical system that supports multi-touch.

Although the tactile feel is slightly different from the MacBook Air or Pro, the trackpad on the MacBook Neo is still highly regarded for its quality, especially its ability to be pressed anywhere on the surface.

"The MacBook Neo's trackpad is my favorite trackpad on any laptop I've reviewed in years," commented Henry T. Casey of CNN .

How powerful are iPhone chips?

The MacBook Neo features a 13-inch Liquid Retina display. Apple has removed the notch containing the webcam, and the top bezel is thicker compared to the MacBook Pro or Air. This is also a detail that Luke Larsen from Wired highly praised.

CNET 's testing showed that the MacBook Neo's screen brightness reached a maximum of 518 nits, significantly higher than many other budget laptops (around 300-400 nits).

The MacBook Neo's wide color gamut is quite limited, only covering about 73% of the AdobeRGB and 74% of the P3 color range. However, Elliott emphasizes that those who demand accurate screen colors are not the target audience for this product.

The MacBook Neo doesn't use an M-series chip; instead, it uses the A18 Pro from the iPhone 16 Pro. Because it lacks a cooling fan, the device is completely silent during operation.

The MacBook Neo is equipped with a chip borrowed from the iPhone. Photo: CNN .

Reviews indicate that the A18 Pro is capable of handling most basic tasks. Application opening and window switching are fast. Users can perform light text editing or photo editing.

"The A18 Pro is at least on par with, or even surpasses, the M1 in many respects," Wired emphasized.

In CNET 's Geekbench 6 test, the A18 Pro achieved a single-core performance score of 3,541 points and a multi-core score of 8,958 points.

In terms of single-core performance, the MacBook Neo surpasses several Windows laptops such as the Acer Aspire 14 AI or HP OmniBook 5 14, and even outperforms the MacBook Air M2 and M3. However, the story is different in multi-core tests.

When using Cinebench 2024 software, Ars Technica noticed that the clock speed of the A18 Pro dropped sharply after a few minutes. The initial speed reached 4 GHz but quickly fell below 3 GHz. Other models, such as the MacBook Air M1 or MacBook Air M5, maintained stable clock speeds for 10 minutes.

Some performance benchmark tests for the MacBook Neo. Image: Ars Technica .

The decrease stems from the chip's power limitations. When rendering video , the A18 Pro uses an average of only 4 W of power. For comparison, the MacBook Air M1 consumes around 11.5 W, while the MacBook Air M5 consumes 16.1 W.

This also limits the MacBook Neo's gaming capabilities. The device can smoothly run light games from the Mac App Store. Meanwhile, games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider (installed from Steam) only achieve around 13 fps, making them unplayable.

"The A18 Pro still suffers from slowdowns as if it were in a smartphone with limited space, even though the MacBook Neo theoretically has enough room for a larger passive cooling system," shared Andrew Cunningham, a reporter from Ars Technica .

Despite its limited overall power, the A18 Pro performs well on budget laptops, which are geared towards users who rarely push CPU or GPU performance to its limits. Stuff writer Dan Grabham emphasizes that if you've already chosen the MacBook Neo, upgrading to the M4 won't make much of a difference for most users.

Other trade-offs

A notable limitation on the MacBook Neo comes from its 8GB of RAM, which is not upgradeable. According to Wired , the Spotlight automatic search feature consumes 170MB of RAM in the background. The device also uses approximately 4GB of RAM even when no other applications are running.

The weaknesses of 8GB of RAM quickly become apparent when running multiple apps simultaneously. The Safari browser constantly reloads when around 20 mixed tabs are open. The device also experiences slight lag when switching between graphics-intensive apps. Controlling and closing background applications becomes a skill that requires practice.

"While sufficient for most situations, 8 GB will definitely be limiting when running more complex apps... This amount may not be enough to meet future needs, even though this isn't a laptop for the typical multitasker," commented Dan Grabham from Stuff .

USB-C ports on the MacBook Neo. Photo: Bloomberg .

The SSD in this machine isn't particularly fast either. According to Wired , the average write speed is 1,350 Mbps, about half the speed of the MacBook Air M1. Users will notice significantly longer loading times when copying large files or installing heavy software.

The 256GB storage capacity can also fill up quickly after a short time. For an additional $100 , users not only get 512GB of storage, but also a Touch ID fingerprint sensor on the keyboard.

According to Matt Elliott from CNET , equipping devices with Touch ID offers convenience in daily use, especially when logging in and making online payments.

"Most users will benefit from the extra storage, and in my opinion, everyone should have Touch ID," Elliott stated.

The ports on the MacBook Neo are also confusing. Besides removing MagSafe and retaining the 3.5mm jack, the two USB-C ports on the machine have different specifications.

One USB-C port supports the higher-speed USB3 standard (up to 10 Gbps), capable of outputting to a 4K@60 Hz display. Meanwhile, the other port only supports USB2 with a speed of 480 Mbps.

The fingerprint sensor is only supported on the 512GB MacBook Neo. Photo: Ars Technica .

"This USB-C port speed is outdated, dating back to 2001. It really shouldn't be on a new laptop, even a budget one. For comparison, the 2020 MacBook Air has a Thunderbolt port that's 80 times faster," complained Luke Larsen from Wired .

The MacBook Neo's battery has a capacity of 36.5 Wh, lower than the MacBook Air (53.8 Wh). Reviews show that the product lasts approximately 13 hours and 57 minutes when playing 4K video continuously, or 8-10 hours with mixed use, sufficient for a day but not as long as the MacBook Air.

Apple includes a 20W charger with the MacBook Neo; the charging speed isn't very fast, taking 1 hour and 45 minutes to charge to 80%, and 2.5 hours to fully charge the battery.

The laptop's dual external speakers are highly rated for their high volume, clear bass, and detail. Ars Technica suggests that this is still a positive improvement compared to the "just make noise" standard found in laptops in the same price range.

Who is the MacBook Neo for?

The MacBook Neo targets entirely new segments, including those who don't want to spend more than $1,000 on a laptop. It also aims at parents, who often don't want to buy overly expensive computers for their children.

"The MacBook Neo is basically the best laptop for studying, especially if you or the student you want to buy it for already has an iPhone," said Matt Elliott from CNET .

This product is also an ideal choice for iPhone or iPad users. It's a suitable stepping stone to entering the world of Macs.

The left side of the MacBook Neo. Photo: Ars Technica .

"This could be the first Mac for people who previously only used iPhones or iPads, or it could be the first laptop for children or students on a tight budget, especially with the $100 education subsidy."

"This is also a pretty good upgrade for users of Intel-based MacBook Airs without Retina displays from 2010-2019. Those old, flimsy, outdated machines I used to see at cafes and on trains," Andrew Cunningham from Ars Technica commented.

Beyond students, the MacBook Neo also targets general users. Small business owners, personal assistants, or family members are also included in this customer base.

Their needs are typically limited to basic tasks, not running heavy graphics software or AI processing. The simplicity of the macOS operating system combined with its low price makes it very appealing.

"When I first saw the MacBook Neo up close, I quickly thought I'd found the next laptop for my dad," shared Henry T. Casey from CNN .

Source: https://znews.vn/macbook-neo-laptop-dung-chip-iphone-co-dang-mua-khong-post1634199.html