MacBook Neo Hands-on Review: Experts Say It Challenges Dominance in Educational Laptops
Apple's new affordable laptop, the MacBook Neo, launched in Taiwan, is stirring discussion. Experts conducting hands-on reviews suggest that the Neo, by combining Apple's brand value with an accessible price, successfully ignites conversation around laptops under NT$20,000, directly challenging the education and entry-level business sectors long dominated by Windows.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 10, 2026 at 15:26
- 🔍 Collected: May 10, 2026 at 15:31 (5 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 10, 2026 at 15:34 (2 min after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Wu Chia-hao, Taipei, May 10) Apple Inc. (Apple) has launched its new affordable laptop, the MacBook Neo, in Taiwan, with prices starting from NT$19,900, sparking heated discussions. After hands-on testing, experts point out that the Neo's most subversive power lies in combining Apple's brand value with its price, successfully heating up the topic of laptops under NT$20,000, directly challenging the education market and entry-level business fields long dominated by the Windows camp.
The MacBook Neo is equipped with the A18 Pro chip, equivalent to that in the iPhone 16 Pro series. Compared to PCs with Intel Core Ultra 5 chips, it can perform daily tasks like web browsing 50% faster, and AI tasks like applying advanced photo effects up to 3 times faster on the device.
The 13-inch Liquid Retina display of the MacBook Neo features a resolution of 2408 x 1506, 500 nits brightness, and supports 1 billion colors, all superior to most PC laptops in the same price range.
3C tech expert Tim Ge told Central News Agency in an interview that the Neo's emergence is not simply about specs competition but rather Apple's precise attack on the laptop market by leveraging its strong supply chain management and residual chip value.
According to Geekbench 6 benchmark data, the MacBook Neo's CPU single-core performance is on par with the M4-powered MacBook Air. However, due to fewer CPU cores, the Neo's performance is between the M1 Air and M2 Air.
Testing the MacBook Neo with Geekbench AI, an AI benchmark tool, to measure the performance of its Neural Engine, it was found to be on par with the M4-powered MacBook Air.
Tim Ge pointed out that the MacBook Neo has a clear 'ceiling' in AI applications, primarily used for interacting with large language models like ChatGPT. Still, it would struggle with tasks requiring high computing power, such as AI Agents. This means the Neo is sufficient for document processing, 1080P video editing, and daily web browsing, but for heavy AI generation or professional computing needs, the market segment still clearly points to the flagship MacBook Pro series.
In the past, Apple users with budgets under NT$20,000 could usually only choose the iPad Air as a productivity tool. Tim Ge believes that the Neo's appearance breaks this stalemate, allowing consumers with the same budget to make a choice between a tablet and a full-featured laptop that better suits their needs.
For example, the Neo is quite suitable for students with limited budgets or business users with light office needs, as well as users who demand brand quality but do not have high-performance requirements.
However, Tim Ge also pointed out that while the Neo maintains Apple's consistent metal texture and excellent screen quality, due to cost control, the body is thicker, the bezels are wider, and the trackpad uses a physical click mechanism instead of Force Touch haptic feedback technology. These are all inevitable trade-offs for achieving a lower price point.
Tim Ge further analyzed that the Neo's low price is thanks to Apple CEO Tim Cook's excellent supply chain control. By signing long-term contracts in advance to lock in raw material costs and utilizing the inventory surplus of the A18 Pro chip, Apple was able to launch a disruptive pricing product in an environment where everything is rising, forcing Intel and the Android camp to brace themselves and reportedly prepare countermeasures soon.
He said that previously, laptops under NT$20,000 were all in the education market, which has long been dominated and relatively stable by the Windows camp. After Apple stirred up the topic this time, teachers and students who previously used Windows laptops have shown significant movement.
Despite the attractive price, Tim Ge cautioned that the entry-level MacBook Neo configuration with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage might experience system slowdowns and insufficient storage when facing system updates and accumulating files in the next 2 to 3 years. He recommended opting for the 512GB storage version to ensure a longer product life cycle and enjoy the convenience of Touch ID fingerprint recognition. (Editor: Tsai Su-jung) 1150510
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(Central News Agency reporter Wu Chia-hao, Taipei, May 10) Apple Inc. (Apple) has launched its new affordable laptop, the MacBook Neo, in Taiwan, with prices starting from NT$19,900, sparking heated discussions. After hands-on testing, experts point out that the Neo's most subversive power lies in combining Apple's brand value with its price, successfully heating up the topic of laptops under NT$20,000, directly challenging the education market and entry-level business fields long dominated by the Windows camp.
The MacBook Neo is equipped with the A18 Pro chip, equivalent to that in the iPhone 16 Pro series. Compared to PCs with Intel Core Ultra 5 chips, it can perform daily tasks like web browsing 50% faster, and AI tasks like applying advanced photo effects up to 3 times faster on the device.
The 13-inch Liquid Retina display of the MacBook Neo features a resolution of 2408 x 1506, 500 nits brightness, and supports 1 billion colors, all superior to most PC laptops in the same price range.
3C tech expert Tim Ge told Central News Agency in an interview that the Neo's emergence is not simply about specs competition but rather Apple's precise attack on the laptop market by leveraging its strong supply chain management and residual chip value.
According to Geekbench 6 benchmark data, the MacBook Neo's CPU single-core performance is on par with the M4-powered MacBook Air. However, due to fewer CPU cores, the Neo's performance is between the M1 Air and M2 Air.
Testing the MacBook Neo with Geekbench AI, an AI benchmark tool, to measure the performance of its Neural Engine, it was found to be on par with the M4-powered MacBook Air.
Tim Ge pointed out that the MacBook Neo has a clear 'ceiling' in AI applications, primarily used for interacting with large language models like ChatGPT. Still, it would struggle with tasks requiring high computing power, such as AI Agents. This means the Neo is sufficient for document processing, 1080P video editing, and daily web browsing, but for heavy AI generation or professional computing needs, the market segment still clearly points to the flagship MacBook Pro series.
In the past, Apple users with budgets under NT$20,000 could usually only choose the iPad Air as a productivity tool. Tim Ge believes that the Neo's appearance breaks this stalemate, allowing consumers with the same budget to make a choice between a tablet and a full-featured laptop that better suits their needs.
For example, the Neo is quite suitable for students with limited budgets or business users with light office needs, as well as users who demand brand quality but do not have high-performance requirements.
However, Tim Ge also pointed out that while the Neo maintains Apple's consistent metal texture and excellent screen quality, due to cost control, the body is thicker, the bezels are wider, and the trackpad uses a physical click mechanism instead of Force Touch haptic feedback technology. These are all inevitable trade-offs for achieving a lower price point.
Tim Ge further analyzed that the Neo's low price is thanks to Apple CEO Tim Cook's excellent supply chain control. By signing long-term contracts in advance to lock in raw material costs and utilizing the inventory surplus of the A18 Pro chip, Apple was able to launch a disruptive pricing product in an environment where everything is rising, forcing Intel and the Android camp to brace themselves and reportedly prepare countermeasures soon.
He said that previously, laptops under NT$20,000 were all in the education market, which has long been dominated and relatively stable by the Windows camp. After Apple stirred up the topic this time, teachers and students who previously used Windows laptops have shown significant movement.
Despite the attractive price, Tim Ge cautioned that the entry-level MacBook Neo configuration with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage might experience system slowdowns and insufficient storage when facing system updates and accumulating files in the next 2 to 3 years. He recommended opting for the 512GB storage version to ensure a longer product life cycle and enjoy the convenience of Touch ID fingerprint recognition. (Editor: Tsai Su-jung) 1150510
Choose to stand with facts; every sponsorship you make is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency 'First-hand News' APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and audio/video on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and utilized without authorization.