How does the value of the MacBook Neo stack up against used MacBooks?

Apple’s new MacBook Neo is clearly designed to grab attention on price. At around £599, it’s the cheapest way into a brand-new Mac ecosystem and when looking at it from the perspective of a brand-new Apple device it appears like a steal. You still get the premium aluminium design, a crisp Retina display, and an in to the Apple Ecosystem.

But once you look beyond the headline price, the value story becomes more nuanced. The Neo runs on an iOS-level A-series chip rather than Apple’s M-series processors, and while it’s perfectly capable for browsing, emails and basic tasks, it doesn’t offer the same level of performance or longevity as the Apple Silicon MacBooks, even those from a couple of years ago.

This is where refurbished Macs start to look significantly stronger on value. For a similar price to a new Neo, you can often pick up a refurbished MacBook Air or even a Pro if you are fortunate, with an M1 chip and more customisability in regard to ram and storage sizes. This all translates to a faster and more capable machine that holds more longevity. In the real world it leads to having a device that is already underpowered out of the box compared to one that is tried and tested as well as still punching above its weight class.

There’s also the question of real-world usage. Many customers buying a Neo may wish to push past the light browsing and email scrolling that is was built for, in which case it will quickly struggle with multitasking and heavier usage. On the other side of the coin: whether that’s light photo editing, multitasking with multiple apps, or running more demanding software. A refurbished M1 device handles this comfortably, whereas the Neo is much closer to its limits.

The MacBook Neo absolutely has its place. It’s ideal for someone who wants a brand-new Apple device, for light use or an intro to the Apple ecosystem. But if you’re focused on getting the most performance and lifespan for your money, a higher-spec refurbished Mac is still the smarter buy. It’s not just about saving money—it’s about getting more computer for the same spend.