Apple's "affordable" MacBook is official. The company revealed the "MacBook Neo" in a non-livestreamed event on Wednesday, following a series of product announcements throughout the week. Despite the hoopla, there aren't a ton of surprises here: The rumors pointed to a low-cost MacBook running an iPhone chip that came in a variety of fun colors to choose from. That's basically exactly what we got: The Neo runs the A18 Pro—the same chip as the iPhone 16 Pro—and comes in Blush (pink), Indigo, Citrus (yellow/green), and Silver.
If you're in the market for a new MacBook, the Neo might be particularly tempting. But it really isn't the only Mac you should consider. Despite Apple's pricey reputation, you can pick up powerful Macs for very reasonable prices these days—though not necessarily through Apple itself. The company will happily sell you a MacBook Air starting at $1,099 ($999 through the education store) which is quite a bit more than the Neo. Instead, you should consider older Macs through other stores that carry them. It might sound odd, but you really might be better off with something that didn't come out this year, or even something pre-owned.
The Neo's RAM is also holding it back. Apple is only shipping Neos with 8GB of memory, which will be fine for most simple tasks, but not more complex ones, or for multitasking. Power users who try to push the Neo will likely run into issues with trying to run too many programs (or too many browser tabs) at once. That said, Apple knows it has a lot of users relying on 8GB of RAM, since it was the entry-level standard up until M4. Plus, that lower RAM is a huge part of what's keeping the price down.
None of these things are necessarily a deal breaker, and other MacBooks have similar issues. But that doesn't mean the Neo is right for everyone in this price range. Before you hit "preorder" on Apple's website, here are a couple other options to consider.
The M1 MacBook Air is still worth considering
Apple doesn't make this Air any longer—in fact, it only makes the M5 option it announced this week. But you can still pick up the M1 from stores like Amazon and Walmart, often at wildly good prices. I'll point you to two options here, as possible Neo alternatives. One is the base model M1 Air, with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. That's half the storage of the Neo, which could be a problem, but that sacrifice saves you even more money. Right now, Walmart has a pre-owned model for just over $350. That's tough to beat.
In the $600 to $650 range, the M2 MacBook Air is a beast. You have Apple's second-gen M-series chip, of course, but also Apple's modern MacBook design. The company hasn't really changed the look of its MacBook Airs since the M2, which means this machine looks brand-new. It comes with a brighter and larger display over the M1 Air and MagSafe charging, too.
The MacBook Neo is probably a great buy
This isn't to say that you shouldn't consider the Neo. In fact, it might be the right Mac for you. For one, you're getting a brand new Mac—not pre-owned or refurbished—for $499, in color options the M-series Macs have never offered. There are also some perks you don't get with M1 or M2 MacBook Airs: The M1 has a 720p FaceTime camera while M2 and Neo have a 1080p lens. The MacBook Neo has support for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 6, standards both M1 and M2 don't support. If the Neo is your jam, I'm not trying to dissuade you.
Instead, I'd encourage you to wait until we know more about it. Apple opened up preorders today, but don't rush: Keep an eye out for benchmarks and real-world testing, and see how the A18 Pro compares to M1 and M2 when running macOS.
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