MacBook Neo (13-inch)

If you want a simple, light Mac for study, everyday productivity and better-than-laptop webcam calls, the MacBook Neo is built around that exact problem: an affordable, portable Mac that still feels like a Mac. It targets students, commuters and anyone who primarily uses web apps, document work, media playback and basic photo editing. ## What makes it worth it The Neo pairs a bright 13.0" Liquid Retina panel (2408×1506, up to 500 nits) with a 1080p FaceTime camera and Spatial Audio-capable speakers, which makes video calls and streaming noticeably better than many entry laptops. Apple’s A18 Pro chip (6-core CPU, 5-core GPU) brings efficient on-device AI features and snappy everyday performance while keeping battery life long — Apple cites up to 16 hours of use. The base configuration here includes a roomy 512GB SSD and Touch ID, giving you modern convenience and storage without paying for higher-tier MacBook hardware. ## Where it falls short The trade-off is raw power and future-proofing: the A18 Pro is closer to a high-end mobile chip than to Apple’s M-series laptop silicon, and the standard 8GB of unified memory is entry-level for macOS users who plan to run heavy multitasking or creative apps; reviewers note the Air M5 sits ahead on sustained performance. This is the Mac to buy if you want a colourful, portable and affordable Mac that handles everyday work, calls and light creative tasks; skip it if you need a machine for sustained video editing, software development or any pro workloads that benefit from M-series performance and extra RAM.

£649