Apple MacBook Neo Long-Term Review: 27 Days On The Road

Name: Apple MacBook Neo
Brand: Apple

by Myriam Joire — Thursday, July 02, 2026, 01:15 PM EDT

As you’d expect, the MacBook Neo runs macOS 26.3.2 (Tahoe). Obviously, macOS isn’t for everyone, and that’s okay. But if, like me, you prefer an established and mature Unix-based desktop OS that isn’t fiddly, or if you already have an iPhone and enjoy Apple’s seamlessly-integrated ecosystem of hardware, software, and services, then macOS has got you covered.

MacBook Neo Software And User Experience

My main phone is a Pixel 10 Pro XL, and I barely use any of Apple’s apps and services, but I still prefer macOS. That being said, Tahoe isn’t my favorite version. I’m not a big fan of Tahoe’s Liquid Glass visual redesign, and while this won’t matter to most macOS users, the loss of Firewire support in Tahoe is unfortunate. Plus, Siri isn't the best right now, though that looks to be changing soon with Siri AI in macOS 27 (Golden Gate).

On the plus side, Apple doesn’t smear Siri all over macOS like Microsoft does with Copilot in Windows 11. And, unlike most PCs running Windows, Macs never ship with pre-installed bloatware. McAfee who? In addition, Apple typically releases a new version of macOS every year at no cost, and supports Macs for five to seven years with software upgrades plus an additional two to three years of security updates beyond that.

Speaking of which, macOS updates can be less time consuming than Windows updates, so there’s also that. Obviously, if you’re a die-hard Windows user, then macOS isn’t for you. But if you’re not gaming or using Windows-exclusive apps, macOS is worth checking out. It’s an easy-to-use, feature-rich, and secure desktop OS that delivers a polished user experience and comes bundled with Apple’s excellent suite of free apps.

MacBook Neo Review Summary

When it comes to thin and light, ultra-mobile laptops, Apple has a long history of disrupting the PC industry. Apple’s Titanium PowerBook G4 (2001) popularized thin, widescreen laptops made of premium materials. Intel responded to the original unibody-machined MacBook Air (2008) and its more affordable wedge-shaped 11- and 13-inch successors (2010) with the Ultrabook, spearheaded by products like the ASUS’ Zenbook UX21 (2011) and others.

Microsoft might have been the first out of the gate with its NVIDIA Tegra 3-powered Surface RT (2012), but the PC industry didn’t really take Arm seriously until Apple Silicon in the MacBook Air M1 (2020) proved that new levels of efficiency and performance were possible. And right now, the MacBook Neo ($699) sets a new bar for affordable laptops by delivering impressive build quality, solid performance, and great value.

The MacBook Neo achieves all of this without sacrificing keyboard, trackpad, webcam, or speaker quality, and without compromising battery life. And, despite packing only 8GB of RAM, lacking a backlit keyboard, including a limited port selection, and having display that doesn't cover the DCI-P3 wide color gamut, the MacBook Neo proves capable of handling tasks that go beyond general purpose computing, like editing and rendering 4K videos in DaVinci Resolve.

Fortunately, the PC industry saw this coming. At Computex 2026, Dell and Acer both launched affordable ($699) Intel Wildcat Lake-powered laptops with 8GB of RAM (or more), premium materials, and top-notch build quality. The new Dell XPS 13 and Acer Swift Air 14 will be hitting the shelves soon, not to mention the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i we just covered, so stay tuned for renewed competition. Until then, Apple’s MacBook Neo leads the affordable laptop category, and earns a coveted editor’s choice award.