The big question most people will want to know is about system memory. The Qualcomm-based IdeaPad and the Dell 16 Plus both come with 16GB, while the Asus sticks with 8GB, like the Neo. All of those are soldered (in Dell's case, it's also on-package because it uses Intel's Lunar Lake architecture).
Apple's A18 Pro, a six-core processor with 2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro in 2024. The Intel Core Ultra 5 226V in the Dell, an 8-core processor, was released the same year. Months later, in January 2025, the 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon X (X1-26-100), the least-powerful chip in this laptop lineup, dropped. The Vivobook Go boasts the oldest processor; the AMD Ryzen 5 7520U launched in 2022 with 4 cores on a 6nm process (that platform launched in 2023).
I can tell you from experience that the MacBook Neo's display is significantly better than what you typically see in big box stores at the $599 price point. If you get this Dell 16 Plus while on sale, you can get a 2560 x 1600 screen, which is slightly higher in resolution. But Dell is only promising 300 nits of brightness; we measured the Neo at 452.6 nits. Asus promises just 250 nits of brightness. On paper, the Neo sure sounds better – and it looks quite good in person. The other laptops offer bog-standard 1080p displays, which I would've called good enough for the price until now.
All of Apple's competition has larger batteries, though that isn't everything in battery life. In our MacBook Neo review, the Surface Laptop with Snapdragon X Plus and a 50 WHr battery outperformed the Neo, so it's possible that the IdeaPad, with a lower-power chip and a 60 Whr battery, and a lower-resolution, likely dimmer, lower screen would go even longer.
Apple's laptop also comes with a 20W USB-C charger. You could use a faster one, but if we're going based on what you get in the box, that's measly. The IdeaPad and Dell come with 65W chargers, while the Vivobook comes with a 45W charger.
One of the biggest issues I had with the MacBook Neo was the lack of backlit keys. Lenovo has backlit keys on the IdeaPad, as does Dell on the 14 Plus. But Asus' Vivobook also has darkened keys.
There’s no doubt that Apple's competitors offer more ports, including mixes of USB-A and USB-C, SD card readers, and even a Thunderbolt 4 port on that Dell. Many of the USB ports are 5GBps, making them slower than the fastest port on the Mac. But if variety trumps speed, then the PC is your friend here.
The main reason these systems weren't compared in our Neo review was that we didn't have scores in our benchmark database. Just to get a sense of performance, though, we're comparing our Geekbench 6 scores for the MacBook Neo to what we're seeing in the Geekbench database for others. It's not ideal, but it's what we've got to work with.
In this comparison, we see that Apple's Neo with A18 Pro still maintains a strong lead in single-core performance, where most Neo owners are likely to spend most of their time browsing the web, writing documents, working on spreadsheets, watching videos or movies, or doing other basic tasks. That being said, if you do switch into multi-core performance, both the Qualcomm Snapdragon X1-26-100 and Intel Core Ultra 5 226V outdid the Neo. Given the IdeaPad and Dell Plus housing those laptops also have 16GB of RAM as configured, they're more able to run multi-core tasks well in the first place.
Geekbench is great for emulating short, bursty workloads — the kind you're likely to run on a budget laptop. But this may not be illustrative of how these systems perform over a longer duration of time. And of course, a lot depends on what you actually do on your laptop.
Apple shaves $100 off the MacBook Neo for education pricing, bringing it down to $499, the same price as the Asus Vivobook. When you compare this head-to-head with the Vivobook on paper, the Neo wins every time, with the Vivobook’s bigger battery. (A larger battery doesn't inherently mean better battery life, though).
That being said, there is one important note to think about: software. While many students will likely be able to get along just fine with macOS, if you're in a specialized high school program or college major that uses software that only runs on Windows, you'll need a PC. If that's the case, leaning towards x86, like that Intel Lunar Lake chip in the Dell, is probably a smart choice; Qualcomm still has some work to do on app compatibility.
But if you're doing most work in the browser, Microsoft Office, or other software available on both platforms, the Mac's price will be extremely enticing here. The best Windows competitors are a bit more expensive.
In general, when I review systems, I review everything about the system, as a full package. And for people doing basic tasks, I maintain that the MacBook Neo is a great value.
That being said, it does have limits. Those who need multi-core performance, more RAM, and more ports (and more properly-labeled ports, at that) do have options in this price range. You just have to give up something else, like build quality and/or a bright screen. That's how cheap laptops tend to work. But on single-core workloads, build quality, and when it comes to the displays, you really do have to hand it to Apple.
In Asus' most recent earnings call, co-CEO S.Y. Hsu said that the MacBook Neo was "certainly a shock to the entire market,” before turning around and saying it was mostly a content consumption device with just 8GB of RAM that you can't upgrade. I would tell him to also look at the Vivobook his company sells.
But that shock will hopefully lay the foundation for better competition from Windows OEMs at lower prices. It will be difficult during this RAM crisis, but raising the bar for budget notebooks across the ecosystem would really be great for everyone, no matter what operating system they prefer. And frankly, Apple's competitors better be ready to answer the MacBook Neo with something that feels as complete as the Neo does, or they'll risk looking out of touch. There are plenty of people who prefer a Windows PC to a Mac, but it's not like Microsoft has been earning fans with its OS lately. There's work to do .
Andrew E. Freedman is a senior editor at Tom's Hardware focusing on laptops, desktops and gaming. He also keeps up with the latest news. A lover of all things gaming and tech, his previous work has shown up in Tom's Guide, Laptop Mag, Kotaku, PCMag and Complex, among others. Follow him on Threads @FreedmanAE and BlueSky @andrewfreedman.net . You can send him tips on Signal: andrewfreedman.01 ","collapsible":{"enabled":true,"maxHeight":250,"readMoreText":"Read more","readLessText":"Read less"}}), "https://slice.vanilla.futurecdn.net/13-4-18/js/authorBio.js"); } else { console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','no lazy slice hydration function available'); } Andrew E. Freedman Social Links Navigation Andrew E. Freedman is a senior editor at Tom's Hardware focusing on laptops, desktops and gaming. He also keeps up with the latest news. A lover of all things gaming and tech, his previous work has shown up in Tom's Guide, Laptop Mag, Kotaku, PCMag and Complex, among others. Follow him on Threads @FreedmanAE and BlueSky @andrewfreedman.net . You can send him tips on Signal: andrewfreedman.01
Key considerations
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Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/laptops/macbooks/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/laptops/macbooks/apple-macbook-neo-vs-windows-laptops-advantages#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com
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Informational only. No financial advice. Do your own research.