For years, Chromebooks have dominated the low-budget notebook market. However, with the release of the MacBook Neo, Apple sets a new bar for computers under $599, as it offers a premium built-in quality, a high-end processor, and a few other bells and whistles like a proper webcam and a full operating system, unlike Chromebooks which only work with Google Chrome. While those on the market for a cheap $150 might not be impressed by the MacBook Neo, those willing to spend around $500 might find it hard time not to upgrade to a Mac, as even more expensive Chromebooks don’t look near as good as what Apple built.
For example, you might get an aluminum finish in a Samsung Galaxy Chromebook, or a 2-in-1 version with Lenovo and Acer to use your Chromebook also as a tablet. However, the price could surpass the $600 mark, it could offer poor performance, a not-so-great finish, or probably a terrible webcam. Besides that, we’re also talking about a more important difference between the MacBook and a Chromebook, which is macOS against ChromeOS.
Even if the MacBook Neo didn’t look as good, it would still be running macOS
Chromebooks are meant to be used connected to the internet. After all, they’re built around cloud services like Google Docs. So, in case you need to do your work offline, it won’t be as effective as on a full operating system like macOS. In addition, apps are more limited on ChromeOS. For example, Adobe Photoshop or advanced editors tools aren’t available in the same way as they’re in macOS. According to early reviews, the MacBook Neo behaves well in photo and video editing scenarios, which is more than most Chromebooks can take.
Apple also says for local AI workloads and web browsing, the MacBook Neo’s A18 Pro is a lot better than the latest shipping Intel Core Ultra 5, which is a far superior processor than the ones available in most Chromebooks. Since Apple controls the hardware and the software of its MacBook Neo, it also makes sense why this laptop achieves better performance when compared to Chromebooks and other Windows notebooks in this price range.
Of course, while customers can choose some Chromebook models with up to 16GB of RAM, a better OLED display, and other perks, they get to a price tag where buying a refurbished MacBook Air or an M2 or M3 version might make more sense than just getting these ChromeOS-based computers.
Here’s what makes the MacBook Neo so interesting
Apple is tackling the MacBook Neo especially for educational purposes, a market Chromebooks have dominated in the past few years. With a $499 price for education, students will get a device with an aluminum finish, proper keyboards and trackpad (even though it lacks the Force Touch on other Apple MacBooks), a powerful processor that’s even more capable than the M1, a good webcam, and full macOS support. For $100 more, users also get 512GB of storage, instead of 256GB, and support for Touch ID.
Early reviews say the speakers are also surprisingly good, even though they’re side-firing. Apple’s 13-inch LCD display has also been praised, even though it lacks P3 Gamut support, which would make colors pop up a bit more. Still, the consensus seems to be that if you want a laptop to accompany you for the upcoming years, whether because you just got into college or you just want a new daily driver, the MacBook Neo is the best option for non-tech users who don’t want to worry about a laptop performing poorly after just a couple of years.
