A few years ago, if you told me the best value laptop would have an Apple logo on it, I would’ve laughed. But in this video I test the MacBook Neo (starting at $599, or $499 with a student discount) and compare it directly to an M2 MacBook Air to see if it’s actually reliable for day-to-day work like studying, programming, and productivity. I go through the real-world stuff that matters: build quality (it’s full aluminum and feels way more premium than the price), the 13-inch Liquid Retina display (bright, sharp, no True Tone), the camera/mic, ports (USB‑C but not Thunderbolt), keyboard/trackpad, and speakers.