The first reviews of the MacBook Neo were published today by selected publications and YouTube channels, ahead of the laptop launching on Wednesday. Available in Blush, Citrus, Indigo, and Silver, the MacBook Neo is powered by a version of the A18 Pro chip from the iPhone 16 Pro. The laptop is equipped with a 13-inch display, up to 512GB of storage, and a non-configurable 8GB of RAM. MacBook Neo is Apple's most affordable MacBook ever, and most of the reviews so far call it a great value. In the U.S., pricing starts at just $599, or at an even lower $499 for college students and qualifying educational staff. The big question: is just 8GB of RAM enough? Most reviewers say yes. Reviews The Verge's Antonio G. Di Benedetto said the MacBook Neo's 8GB of RAM is "totally adequate" for "the everyday productivity stuff the Neo is meant to handle":The MacBook Neo zips through the light workloads it's designed for. The A18 Pro chip actually outperforms Apple's M1 MacBook Air (and most Windows laptops) in single-core processing benchmarks, the spec most vital for the everyday productivity stuff the Neo is meant to handle. That's why this $600 laptop excels at light tasks like web browsing and working on Google Docs. The Neo's 8GB of RAM and slow 256GB storage are totally adequate for living this life, but the machine does feel a little slower at the fringes if you know where to look — like how clicking the Applications folder on the dock sometimes takes a second for the icons to populate. The relatively paltry RAM and storage prevent the Neo from performing as well in heavier creative apps as the MacBook Airs and Pros, but that's fine.CNET's Matt Elliott ran Geekbench 6 on the MacBook Neo, and the A18 Pro chip achieved scores of 3,541 for single-core CPU performance and 8,958 for multi-core. This means the MacBook Neo's peak performance tops Macs with the M1 chip, while the single-core number is approaching the M4 chip, so the MacBook Neo should feel particularly "bursty." Mac Model Multi-Core CPU Score MacBook Pro (M5 Max)29,233 Mac Studio (M3 Ultra)27,726 MacBook Pro (M4 Max)25,702 MacBook Pro (M4 Pro)22,490 Mac Studio (M2 Ultra)21,410 MacBook Pro (M3 Max)20,960 Mac Studio (M1 Ultra)18,434 MacBook Air (M5)17,073 MacBook Pro (M3 Pro)15,260 MacBook Pro (M2 Max)14,740 MacBook Air (M4)14,731 MacBook Pro (M2 Pro)14,451 MacBook Pro (M1 Max)12,345 MacBook Pro (M1 Pro)12,345 MacBook Air (M3)12,020 MacBook Air (M2)9,709 MacBook Neo (A18 Pro)8,958 MacBook Air (M1)8,342 Bloomberg's Chris Welch praised the MacBook Neo's aluminum design, display quality, and the dual speakers on the left and right edges of the laptop:Even for consumers who stick to more casual computing, the Neo's aluminum build, crisp screen and well-balanced speakers are going to make this a no-brainer purchase for millions. In your hands, the device looks, feels and sounds every bit like a Mac.Tom's Guide ran its usual battery test, which involves continuous web surfing at 150 nits of display brightness, and the MacBook Neo lasted for 13 hours and 28 minutes. The publication said this is "fantastic endurance for a laptop in this price range," topping the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3's 8 hours and 39 minutes. However, it falls short of the latest MacBook Air, which lasted for 15 hours and 28 minutes in the test. While the MacBook Neo has only 8GB of RAM, no Touch ID button on the base configuration, no MagSafe, slower USB-C ports instead of Thunderbolt ports, and no backlit keys, most reviews conclude that the laptop is still a great deal. Fast Company's Harry McCracken:Overall, though, the MacBook Neo is one of Apple's best recent products, even though its innovation is all about thoughtful cost control, not new features. Along with being a compelling option for anyone shopping for a laptop in its price range, it's the perfect Mac for kids and other loved ones who might otherwise have inherited a dented, poky hand-me-down. I would not be startled to see it fly off shelves.Additional reviews were published by Ars Technica, WIRED, and 9to5Mac, among others. Videos Related Roundup: MacBook NeoBuyer's Guide: MacBook Neo (Buy Now)Related Forum: MacBook NeoThis article, "MacBook Neo Reviews: Is Just 8GB of RAM Enough?" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums ...read more read less