The new MacBook Neo’s benchmark results arrived this week, and they show CPU performance that almost mirrors the iPhone 16 Pro. Apple equips the Neo with the same 6‑core A18 Pro chip introduced in the iPhone 16 Pro, minus a single GPU core.
In Geekbench testing the Neo posted a single‑core score of 3461 and a multi‑core score of 8668, while its Metal score landed at 31286. For context, the iPhone 16 Pro recorded 3445 single‑core, 8624 multi‑core and 32575 Metal; the M1‑based MacBook Air logged 2346 single‑core, 8342 multi‑core and 33148 Metal. Higher‑end devices such as the M4‑based MacBook Air reached 3696 single‑core, 14730 multi‑core and 54630 Metal, and the M3 iPad Air scored 3048 single‑core, 11678 multi‑core and 44395 Metal. The Neo’s slightly lower Metal number makes sense given its missing GPU core compared with the iPhone 16 Pro.
When Apple’s own silicon is compared against existing Macs, the A18 Pro’s multi‑core output sits on par with the M1 chip inside the Air, but its single‑core performance leaps ahead of the original M1 and lands in the realm of the newer M3 and M4 chips. That high single‑core speed aligns well with the Neo’s target audience, since everyday tasks like web browsing, document work and video streaming depend more on single‑thread efficiency than on raw multi‑core horsepower. Creative workloads such as video editing, music production or 3D modeling remain outside the Neo’s sweet spot.
Apple’s marketing frames the Neo as a low‑cost competitor to similarly priced Windows laptops and Chromebooks, claiming the A18 Pro is up to 50 percent faster for “everyday tasks” than the bestselling PC equipped with the latest Intel Core Ultra 5, up to three times faster for on‑device AI work, and up to twice as fast for photo editing. The company does not directly pit the Neo against other Macs, iPads or iPhones in its official comparisons.
Only a single benchmark suite has been published so far, so broader testing may nudge the averages slightly. Nevertheless, the numbers sit squarely within the range that analysts expected.
The Neo launches at a base price of $599, is already available for preorder, and will ship beginning March 11.
Hot take: the Neo actually outperforms the M1 Air in real‑world daily use, making it the most practical Mac Apple has released in a decade.
Via First MacBook Neo Benchmarks Are In: Here’s How It Compares to the M1 MacBook Air
Gladstone is a tech virtuoso, boasting a dynamic 25-year journey through the digital landscape. A maestro of code, he has engineered cutting-edge software, orchestrated high-performing teams, and masterminded robust system architectures. His experience covers large-scale systems, as well as the intricacies of embedded systems and microcontrollers. A proud alumnus of a prestigious British institution, he wields a computer-science-related honours degree.