Apple has released the cheapest Mac in its history. Everyone immediately had the main question: isn’t the chip too weak, since it’s from a smartphone? The first Geekbench results are already in, and they’re somewhat surprising, and if you go for the base version at 70 thousand rubles, you’ll have to put up with drawbacks that Apple doesn’t mention. So let’s break down what the tests showed and why Apple put a chip from last year’s phone into a laptop instead of a new one.
The new MacBook has been tested in Geekbench 6. Image: zdnet.com
MacBook Neo Performance
The device went through full Geekbench 6 testing. Here’s what it scored compared to other Apple phones and computers:
| Device | Single Core | Multi Core | Metal (GPU) |
|---|---|---|---|
| MacBook Neo (A18 Pro) | 3461 | 8668 | 31,286 |
| iPhone 16 Pro (A18 Pro) | 3445 | 8624 | 32,575 |
| MacBook Air M1 | 2346 | 8342 | 33,148 |
| MacBook Air M4 | 3696 | 14,730 | 54,630 |
The gap with iPhone 16 Pro is negligible. MacBook Neo even slightly outperforms the smartphone in single-core and multi-core tests, which makes sense: the laptop doesn’t suffer from the phone’s thermal throttling because heat dissipates better through the larger aluminum body.
However, in the Metal (GPU) test, the Neo falls slightly behind the iPhone 16 Pro — it turns out it has cut-down graphics and a bunch of other drawbacks.
By the way, MacBook Neo could have received the A19 Pro — the one found in the iPhone 17 Pro. But it didn’t. And this isn’t about cost-cutting.
It turns out Apple couldn’t keep up with chip supply for iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max — the factory simply couldn’t produce enough A19 Pro chips. All manufacturing capacity was allocated to iPhone 17 Pro production, while the MacBook Neo got the A18 Pro — a reliable chip unaffected by the shortage, from last year’s flagships.
MacBook Neo vs MacBook Air M1
This is the most interesting part, because the MacBook Air M1 cost $999 at launch — nearly twice the price of the Neo. Let’s compare:
- In single-core, Neo beats the M1 by 47% — a massive difference.
- In multi-core — it’s a tie, with Neo even slightly ahead.
- In GPU (Metal) — Neo falls slightly behind the M1.
So for tasks that load a single core — browsing, typing, messaging, working with documents — MacBook Neo is faster than MacBook Air M1. For heavy multithreaded tasks and graphics, there’s virtually no difference, or the M1 is sometimes faster.
This barely matters — if you’re willing to accept all of MacBook Neo’s issues, it will be an ideal budget laptop to replace the Air.
The green MacBook seems to have every chance of becoming a 2026 trend. Image: zdnet.com
The MacBook Air M4, on the other hand, is a completely different story. In multi-core tests, it’s nearly twice as fast as the Neo, and the GPU test gap is also twofold. Only in single-core is the difference less noticeable and not catastrophic. If you need to edit video, compile code, or work with heavy spreadsheets — the Air M4 and Neo aren’t competitors. But for studying, browsing, Zoom, and office tasks, the A18 Pro handles everything without issues.
How Much Does MacBook Neo Cost in Russia
In the US, MacBook Neo starts at $599 — at the current exchange rate, that’s approximately 47 thousand rubles. But in Russian stores, as usual, there’s different math. For example, M.Video is already accepting pre-orders at “official prices”:
- MacBook Neo 8/256 GB — 69,999 rubles
- MacBook Neo 8/512 GB — 84,999 rubles
Official MacBook Neo sales start on March 11, but the laptops will arrive in Russia later — no earlier than April 4.
Before grabbing the base version for 70 thousand, there’s an important catch: Touch ID is only available on the 512 GB model. The base model has no fingerprint scanner at all. This means you’ll have to confirm unlocking and App Store payments by manually entering your password every time.
So the 15-thousand-ruble difference between the versions gets you twice the storage and a fingerprint scanner — and for that price increase, it’s arguably worth it.
Is MacBook Neo Worth Buying
If you already have a MacBook Air M1 or M2, there’s no point in upgrading. You won’t feel any performance gain in real-world tasks, but you’ll lose a lot of familiar and useful features.
If you’re switching from a Windows laptop or getting your first Mac as an experiment with moving to a new operating system, the Neo looks like a sensible choice for the money. Especially since the A18 Pro will be faster than most budget Windows laptops with Intel Core Ultra 5, supports Apple Intelligence, and runs macOS Tahoe.
