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We take a look at this new MacBook model, which is affordably priced all while continuing to offer many of the series' signature features and elements.
"Hello everyone and welcome to another Gamereactor Quick Look.
This is a special one because we kind of knew for a while that Apple was set to make a shocking bid in the realm of the affordable laptops, because traditionally, even though Apple have made something called just the MacBook before and the MacBook Air, both have been very popular, particularly in a more budget-oriented segment, well, they aren't really what this is."
"Apple computers have had a tendency to be more expensive than your average Chromebook or just cheaper sort of semi-quality Windows laptop, but this changes today because, well, the CEO of Asus said that this computer before me right here, the MacBook Neo, was shocking and a game changer for the entire segment of the market, and I would tend to disagree."
"This is the MacBook Neo, as I said, yes, this is a very striking color and it comes in a variety of more striking colors, which kind of, let's say, telegraphs that this is for a younger, more dynamic, and also more budget-oriented segment.
So I think we should lead with that, shouldn't we?
This is a $599 USD laptop."
"You buy a set of AirPods Max 2 for almost the same money as an entire computer.
This will set you back around the same as an iPhone 17e, a phone.
So this is cheaper than a lot of cheap smartphones.
It is cheaper than a lot of expensive headsets, and what I'm about to show you is that there really isn't a lot of spaces or places or aspects where you can see that sacrifice."
"So for one, sure, this is, again, in a striking color, but this is made out of 100% recycled aluminum, meaning that that quality feel of something that has been CNC cut out and assembled in such a way that it's very hard for competitors to match, that is here.
This isn't made of some cheap soft-touch plastic to save on the bottom line, 100% recycled aluminum."
"So the good news will keep on rolling.
Here it is.
Do you think that there is a quick way to tell that this is a budget-oriented MacBook?
No, I would argue no."
"The same type of keyboard, this Touch ID is here, that is only for the 512GB model one, where you can purchase it as something extra, but, I mean, it's there for relatively cheap upcharge.
Large-ish trackpad, again, this screen isn't edge-to-edge, but it's 13 inches, so it's not that bad, to be honest with you."
"This webcam is 1080p, no 720p, like, bad, small webcam here.
So why is it so cheap then?
Well, not even the screen will tell it apart.
It's a 13-inch, as I said, it's a liquid retina, it's 24.8 by 1,506, I think, so, like, pretty high resolution, and it'll run you about 500 nits, meaning that you should be able to look at it and see it through even direct sunlight, so that is really special as well."
"It weighs just 1.23kg, which means that it's about as light as a MacBook Air, actually, and you know what you can squeeze from this battery?
About 16 hours of light use.
It has Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 6, Dolby Atmos speakers, for $599, US dollars."
"So one aspect which probably will have you, will be the one that you're focusing on is that this, it does not have a MacBook M processor inside.
The SoC is actually an A18 Pro, which you might remember from the iPhone 16 Pro.
Yes, there's an iPhone 16 SoC in here, a 6-core CPU and 5-core GPU alongside a 16-core neural engine alongside 8GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB storage."
"Now that should, like, the very first times that we saw for instance Snapdragon make their own sort of always-on PCs, they kind of sucked.
But this, I haven't tried it yet, but by all accounts, it'll be just fine for this segment.
Sure, there is no like big editing, multi-layer editing capabilities here, but for email, note-taking, schoolwork, like work-work, just basically the stuff that you need to get it done every single day."
"You now get a MacBook and a way into the Apple ecosystem for $599.
That's crazy to me, it really is.
So we're going to review the MacBook Neo very soon, Apple needs it back because there's a lot of media that is queuing up to review this thing, but so far this looks like a watershed moment to me."
"So for much more on the Neo, stay tuned to Game Racktor, bye."
