When Apple releases a budget laptop, you can’t help but expect a catch. We found more than 20 drawbacks in the MacBook Neo, but as it turned out, it has one very important advantage. The Apple laptop priced at $599 managed to last 13 hours and 28 minutes in a rigorous battery life test — and that, to put it mildly, is impressive. What’s behind these numbers, and how does the Neo stack up against the competition?
MacBook Neo: a battery that shocks — the test results amazed me
How the MacBook Neo Differs from the MacBook Air
MacBook Neo is the most affordable Apple laptop available today. Inside, it runs on the A18 Pro chip — the same one that came from the iPhone world, not the familiar M-series. The display is a 13-inch Liquid Retina with a resolution of 2408 × 1506, 8 GB of RAM, and a 256 GB SSD. The camera is 1080p FaceTime HD. The laptop weighs just 1.22 kg (2.7 pounds) and comes in four colors: Indigo, Blush, Citrus, and Silver.
Four colors to choose from — Apple is clearly targeting a younger audience tired of silver aluminum. Image: gizmodo.com
For an additional cost, you can get the version with Touch ID and a 512 GB SSD — that one will run you $699. Essentially, the Neo occupies a niche below the MacBook Air: cheaper, lighter, yet running full-fledged macOS Tahoe. However, there are a ton of differences between the Neo and Air. Its fanless design is similar to the Air, but the processor is a completely different story. And that’s exactly why the battery test raised so many questions.
How Many Hours Does the MacBook Neo Last Without Charging
Apple claims 16 hours of battery life during video playback. The company promises the same figure for the MacBook Air with M-series chips, so the claim for a budget model on the A18 Pro is quite bold. But reality, as usual, is a bit more modest.
In the Tom’s Guide test, the laptop continuously surfed the internet over Wi-Fi at a screen brightness of 150 nits. The result — 13 hours and 28 minutes. The Neo didn’t quite reach the claimed 16 hours, but it’s hard to complain: that’s a full workday plus a couple of extra hours. For a $599 laptop — pure magic.
In an everyday scenario, when the reviewer worked with multiple Chrome windows and kept Slack running in the background at 75% brightness, the battery only dropped to 74% after a couple of hours. Simply put, the Neo isn’t one of those devices where you need to carry your charger everywhere.
How the MacBook Neo Holds Its Charge Compared to Competitors
Numbers alone mean little — context is what matters. And this is where the Neo really starts to impress. Let’s compare it with competitors in the same price range.
| Model | Battery Life |
|---|---|
| Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x | 16:29 |
| MacBook Neo | 13:28 |
| Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 | 13:19 |
| Acer Aspire Go 15 | 10:15 |
| Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 | 8:39 |
| Asus Chromebook CX15 | 7:26 |
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 at $529 lasted less than 9 hours in the same test. The Acer Aspire Go 15 at $299 managed only 10 hours and 15 minutes, meaning the Neo beat it by more than three hours. And the Asus Chromebook CX15 at $159 gave up after just 7 hours and 26 minutes — the gap with the Neo was a full 6 hours. That’s an absolute chasm.
However, there is one uncomfortable competitor. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x at $529 clocked 16 hours and 29 minutes — three hours more than the Neo. The secret lies in the Snapdragon X chip, known for its energy efficiency. Meanwhile, the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 at $549 trailed the Neo by just 10 minutes (13:19 vs. 13:28), but it runs ChromeOS — a far less capable system than macOS Tahoe.
There was a time when Chromebooks were considered the undisputed champions of battery life. But first the M-series chips, and now the A18 Pro, have put an end to that.
Which Is Better to Buy: MacBook Neo or MacBook Air
Next to the MacBook Air, the Neo looks like a toy. Image: edition.cnn.com
And now — the main question. How does the budget Neo look alongside its “big brothers” from the MacBook Air lineup? For a fair comparison, Tom’s Guide only compared it with 13-inch Air models, since they also feature fanless designs and entry-level M-series chips.
| Model | Battery Life |
|---|---|
| MacBook Air M5 | 15:30 |
| MacBook Air M4 | 15:22 |
| MacBook Air M3 | 15:13 |
| MacBook Air M2 | 14:33 |
| MacBook Neo | 13:28 |
| MacBook Air M1 | 13:19 |
The results lined up in a predictable staircase: MacBook Air M5 — 15:30, Air M4 — 15:22, Air M3 — 15:13, Air M2 — 14:33. The Neo with its 13:28 falls behind all of them except the very first — the MacBook Air M1, which lasted 13:19. The difference is just 10 minutes in the Neo’s favor.
It turns out that a $599 laptop running a mobile A18 Pro chip holds up nearly on par with the MacBook Air M1 and trails the newest Air M5 by only two hours. For a budget model, that’s a strong result. Apple clearly didn’t skimp on the battery.
Is the MacBook Neo Worth Buying
In short — yes, if your budget is limited. 13 hours and 28 minutes of battery life for $599 — there’s virtually no such combination of price and endurance among the competition. The Neo beats most Windows and ChromeOS laptops in its price range while running full macOS.
Apple made a pretty good computer, but not without compromises. Image: engadget.com
Of course, real-world battery life will depend on the workload: heavy video editing will drain the battery faster than messaging. But the main takeaway is clear: Apple didn’t cut corners on what matters most to many users — more than any benchmark ever could.
Finding a laptop with this kind of endurance at this price is a challenge that only the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3x on Snapdragon X can really match. But it doesn’t have macOS, and for some people, that’s the deciding factor.
