Ars Technicas detailed analysis of the MacBook Neo: performance, throttling, M1 comparison and the RAM question | News
In the previous report we had already summarized the first test reports on the new MacBook Neo. Some of them were euphoric about how much performance and quality the device offers despite the relatively low price. As usual, Ars Technica worked particularly meticulously and carried out a large number of performance measurements. These clearly show where the MacBook Neo reaches its limits, how it compares to a MacBook Air M1 – and when the low RAM becomes a hindrance. Geekbench vs. Reality
The Geekbench numbers have been known since last week. When using all cores, the MacBook Neo is on par with an M1 Mac, but clearly superior when it comes to single cores. However, Ars Technica shows that this is only half the story and things can look worse in practice. The most important finding is: The MacBook Neo almost always feels fast in everyday use, but the performance drops quickly under continuous load.
You can see: The clock speed of the P cores quickly drops significantly – unlike the M1 and M5
Single Core: Top – Multi Core: Quick collapse
Under short single-core loads, the A18 Pro is clearly superior to the old M1 and is around 42 percent ahead in Geekbench 6. However, the picture changes under longer loads: According to Ars, in multi-core, video encoding and 3D tests, the Neo often only achieves around 70 percent of the performance of the M1 MacBook Air. The main reason is the extremely low energy consumption of the A18 Pro, which only consumes around 4 watts under full CPU load – compared to 11.5 watts for the M1 Air. However, the Neo is not at its thermal limit, but rather artificially in a “smartphone-like energy profile” held. Although the Neo takes longer to complete the same task, it uses less energy overall than the M1 through M5 because the chip draws so little power.
8GB RAM and the effects
The A18 Pro has exactly the 8 GB that it also has in the iPhone – which is why we can already predict that the next generation with the A19 Pro will have 12 GB. Ars Technica sees the RAM set at 8 GB as the MacBook Neo’s biggest functional compromise. This means that the device can still be used normally, but according to the test it is almost constantly under “memory pressure”. This does not mean a total system failure, but rather a subtly worse user experience: apps start delayed, browser tabs have to be reloaded, video calls lose frames. Although it still works today and the device copes with everyday life quite impressively, it does pose risks in terms of future viability.
The MacBook Neo has to use a lot of memory
The conclusion – pros and cons
On a positive note, the device feels smooth and is easily sufficient for typical tasks such as surfing, writing, streaming or light image editing. The new, independent design is also rated positively – Apple did not simply recycle an old case, but deliberately created a product that is recognizable as a neo-model. In addition, there is the high-quality aluminum housing, the very good keyboard, the above-average display for this price range, the decent speakers and the overall consistent impression of quality.
The downside: Ars sees the MacBook Neo as a device with hard functional limits – primarily due to the limited amount of RAM and the aforementioned performance development under sustained load. The MacBook Neo is definitely a good entry-level device for schoolchildren, students and first-time buyers – but is expressly not a replacement for a MacBook Air. However, this is exactly Apple’s strategy and planned position in the range, because of course they don’t want to migrate owners of more expensive Macs to the cheapest offers.
