Opinion: Why the MacBook Neo is Better Than the Critics Say

The March 2026 announcement of Apple‘s newest entry-level MacBook, the MacBook Neo, shocked many. Its bright colors and competitive price tag starting at $600, or $500 if you qualify for a student discount, put this new MacBook head-to-head with other budget laptops, a category that Apple has not competed in for many years. This new MacBook, however, caused many disagreements internally within technology communities due to its one major difference from other MacBooks: the processor.

Since 2020, Apple has been manufacturing laptops with their own in-house M series of processors, thus dropping their Intel offerings that they had had since 2006. While many at first resisted this change, six years later, their M series of processors has proven to be a game changer in terms of performance and reliability. A MacBook Air with an M1 series processor performs significantly better when compared to its Intel counterpart from a year prior. The switch to M-series processors also fixes the overheating issues that plagued many of the Intel MacBooks from 2016 to 2020.

While still using a processor built by Apple in-house, the new MacBook Neo differs from the M series of processors, using an A18 chip. For those who are not familiar, the A series of processors is the one currently found in the iPhone. This change causes many to be skeptical of these new laptops. Many technology enthusiasts consider this new laptop to be incredibly underpowered and not useful; however, they are missing one major component. They are simply not the target market.

While having been available for purchase for less than a month, the MacBook Neo has become incredibly popular, with many speculating possible price increases or supply shortage issues in the near future. Apple has already begun limiting purchases of the MacBook Neo to one per customer on its website. This raises the question, however, if these laptops are truly incapable of any real performance like power users are stating, then why are so many people purchasing them? Although they definitely are not as powerful as Apple’s other offerings, they still perform exceedingly well compared to other budget computers in the category. Although the specs may be lower on paper when compared to rivaling Windows offerings, the MacBook Neo succeeds through software optimization and superior build quality. The MacBook Neo is a great offering for many, especially those who are still using an Intel series MacBook.

Beyond the hardware, the real value for the average consumer lies in the Apple ecosystem. For a student or a small business owner already using an iPhone or iPad, the MacBook Neo offers seamless integration through features like iCloud, iMessage, and AirDrop. In addition, the Neo is more than capable of word processing, web browsing, streaming videos, and responding to emails, which are the tasks that the majority of users will perform. 

In my opinion, it is not fair for the product to receive the judgment it is receiving from people who are outside of its targeted market. I would suggest that anyone who uses their computer for basic tasks, such as the ones mentioned above, and is looking to upgrade their laptop, consider the MacBook Neo as a very viable option.