After using the MacBook Neo for a month, CNET’s Bridget Carey has noticed some drawbacks to the 8GB of RAM on the budget machine when juggling too much on Safari. How many open browser tabs does it take to run out of memory on a Neo?
You can find the products mentioned in this video linked below
Apple 2026 MacBook Neo 13-inch Laptop with A18 Pro chip 256 GB
Apple 2026 MacBook Neo 13-inch Laptop with A18 Pro chip 512 GB
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Read more about it on CNET.com
One Month With the MacBook Neo and Feeling the Limits
0:00 Oops! I crashed my MacBook Neo
0:37 MacBook Neo is a hot seller
1:08 Can MacBook Neo handle Bridget’s normal workload?
1:26 64 Open Safari Tabs Crashed the Neo
2:11 A18 Pro is a Good Chip
2:20 A18 Pro vs M1 Chip
2:28 A18 Benchmark Test Results
2:39 Using the MacBook Neo for a month
2:49 Can MacBook Neo Replace MacBook Pro?
2:55 Disorganized Desktop
3:10 A Warning to People Who Never Close Tabs
3:19 MacBook Neo Trade-Offs
3:36 Remember the Stickies App?
3:59 Bridget tries to get the Mac Neo to freeze up
4:52 Too Many Safari Tabs Make MacBook Neo Run Out of Memory
5:16 What to expect for the next MacBook Neo
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#apple #macbook #problem #stresstest #tech #neo #applechips
@CNET
April 17, 2026 at 10:56 am
Read more about it on CNET.com
One Month With the MacBook Neo and Feeling the Limits
@xtuff501
April 17, 2026 at 12:37 pm
Bridgette: Try the same test with Brave browser.
@TechnologyWizard82
April 18, 2026 at 3:38 pm
Shoulda put the notes and website data u wanted to refer to later into notes app instead of the photos or have all those open website bridjet might have saved u some headache!!
@yow-Jae
April 19, 2026 at 3:22 pm
I literally have three intel based Macs. I suppose macOS 27 won’t be available for any of them. Can you have a story what to do with intel Macs? I have Windows 11 installed in one of them, and it works great!
@Rafayel06
April 17, 2026 at 4:10 pm
Probably the most unnecessary video with a very annoying person using something she doesn’t understand! But hey, that’s journalism!
@egorkosten
April 17, 2026 at 4:15 pm
Don’t forget that Mac OS Tahoe is a buggy software compared to Sequoia and any Mac OS before it. My laptop has 32 gigs of ram and it’s noticeable slower in Tahoe. 3:20
@egorkosten
April 17, 2026 at 4:19 pm
I like the serious part of this video! 4:20
@TrunkyGurden
April 17, 2026 at 4:20 pm
88 tabs and you dont use vertical tabs?!?
on firefox, use sidebary, and unload your tabs. and sort the tabs. very good for tab management.
@Bushidounohana
April 17, 2026 at 4:23 pm
In the age of rising attention deficit, technology is judged by its ability to support the very disorder it promotes.
@egorkosten
April 17, 2026 at 4:24 pm
I thought the ultimate number would be 42 tabs. 5:49
@ehabsoliman1207
April 17, 2026 at 8:18 pm
HHGTTG😂😂😂😂
@PeterHGiftos
April 17, 2026 at 4:26 pm
88 TABS! How do you find anything?!?! 🤔
@sagefaribole
April 17, 2026 at 5:10 pm
The way you just rickrolled us 😂
@Brockthedog315
April 17, 2026 at 5:54 pm
Let’s grab a similar priced PC and do this same thing. Pure trolling.
@awcoolpad
April 17, 2026 at 6:18 pm
Thank you Bridget for this honest video that is saying things after testing rather than from an agenda.
See, i told you so, internet. 8GB RAM is not enough. You need at least 12GB RAM, so get the next Neo 2, which is supposed to come with the A19Pro with 12GB RAM. All those Youtubers diehard Apple fanboys cursing me out for pointing out that 8GB RAM is not enough, and that we have historic data of the same problem with the 8GB RAM M1 Macbook Air. The reason that there is so many 8GB RAM M1 Airs being sold in the used market is proof that 8GB is not enough. Not many 16GB RAM M1 Airs being sold in the used market, because they are still being kept by the M1 Air users, but the 8GB RAM M1 Airs? Those are being sold, almost all of the 8GB RAM M1 Airs are being sold in the used market and that is proof that 8GB is not enough. Apple and the Apple Fan Youtubers lied to you, even going so far to claim that 8GB RAM on a Mac is not the same as 8GB RAM on Windows laptops because of the unified memory technology, or even saying that 8GB RAM on a Mac is the same as 16GB RAM on a Windows laptops. Liars, all of them liars.
@rgseidl67
April 17, 2026 at 6:19 pm
In this RAMpocalypse, a cluttered mind will break your bank. The typical human brain can keep track of seven different things at once, tops.
For everything else, there’s bookmarks, storing PDF copies locally etc. Would it be useful if Safari automatically saved the date and time plus the source URL as metadata in any PDF files thus saved? Yes, researchers need that info for proper citations.
@sunmoonstarkiwi
April 17, 2026 at 6:48 pm
Definitely the video I was looking for.
@TheOnlyName
April 17, 2026 at 7:04 pm
Now THIS is what I was wondering about as someone with 8.4k Firefox tabs
@paulwilson7050
April 17, 2026 at 7:10 pm
I am so sick of videos of people trying to kill the MacBook Neo. I purchased one soon after it was available to purchase as it was the only Apple laptop I could afford. I use it for MS Word, Web browsing, Photoshop and Lightroom. This laptop has not faulted on me and a video saying the computer failed after opening 88 tabs in a browser is just simply stupid! I thank Apple for releasing a laptop people can actually afford to buy.
@ioshadhacomments
April 17, 2026 at 7:23 pm
I think the issue is with Safari 😂 it’s not the greatest browser 88 tabs and then you mix it up with the Neo…Yeah!!
@eagleal
April 17, 2026 at 7:32 pm
Bridget you’re a naughty girl, none of us has that many tabs open! 😆
@juanjohnhoya
April 17, 2026 at 7:43 pm
THANK YOU for this. It’s been what I’ve been waiting to see! My base-model M3 MacBook Pro with 24GB of ram has three Safari windows open, all with at least 10 tabs each, plus a Chrome window with another 10 tabs, plus MS Word, Slack, Pumble, Mail, Messages and WhatsApp. Right now, Activity Monitor says I’m using 21.4GB of Memory with 5GB of Swap. (and yes, I use all four windows on a daily basis)
So clearly, the Neo wouldn’t be for me. 🙂
@JettingChen
April 17, 2026 at 7:59 pm
Now try the same thing on an ipad with the same chip and memory. Maybe it’s a macos issue.
@ESSHD
April 17, 2026 at 8:40 pm
I would not trade my MacBook air M1 for the MacBook Neo
@ackman3981
April 17, 2026 at 9:00 pm
Hard to believe any Neo video reviews on YouTube.
Most claim to be “h9onest” but I find lots of reasons why I do not believe that at all:
1) If they like other Apple products already, they will end up “recommending” people to purchase it. A lot of the reviews keep mentioning external devise.
2) Always gloat about the storage size of it. But never mention that you will never get that much storage. Since the operating system, operating files used by the system, any applications, etc., are also stored on the same SSD. So, you will have at least a 1/4 of it already used up before even using it for anything. (Have yet to hear that their is memory in the machine that does store all of those instead of the only SSD in the machine.)
3) Only two ports on the machine. And they are not even the same. Why is one of them about 1/2 the speed, etc. of the other one? Why could Apple not make them both high speed and capabilities?
4) Apple, and it’s fan base, where so proud of getting rid of the headphone jack years ago. And even stating that it was outdated, etc. Then why did they put it in this? If it is so bad, then why put it in again?
5) Here we go again with the lack of ports, and one that nags the user if they try to use it for an external hard drive.
6) Why does Apple think that 8gigs of memory is all that people will want? There are other laptop makers that give 16gigs and more as standard. But Apple continues to only give the same size memory since around 2013? You can get more, but you have to get a computer from them that is over 2x the price.
10) A lot of the “reviews” mention external devices. Why do you need those if the Neo has all that you need and that “vast” storage space already built in? And if you want to use the higher speed port for more than one external device at the same time, then you will need to get a hub. to connect more than one at a time.
11) For all the money that Apple has, they can not give anything more in the box than the bare minimum to use it. Why not give you some dongles since users that have old ones that do not work with the ports on her. Oh yeah, Apple wants you to purchase brand new ones even if the older ones still work. An added expense that is never mentioned.
12) The operating system takes up about 50gigs of the 256gb or 512gb. So you are NOT getting full storage space that you think that you are getting. (About all computer makers do that as well. I have never seen any Apple so called “reviewers” other than one mention that.)
13) Lack of any internal expansion. You only have the two choices, and the only thing that changes is one key on the keyboard and 2x the size of the ssd. You can not tell me that adding 8gb more or ram on the 512gb version would make the price go a lot higher. (But Apple would with it’s well known “Apple Tax”>)
13) Anytime people give reviews and complain about the lag, etc. that the Neo has the comments try to claim that no one would ever have that since “everyday use” of the machine is just email, web browsing, video watching, etc. and nothing else. People that actually would possibly do video editing on it for example, possibly get lag, etc. since it is using a iPhone cpu and not a laptop cpu.
14) I have even seen reviews that try to claim that there is none at all. And that they have only 4 windows open with one running a small video. They never did show it running a real movie clip at 1080p or higher along with more than just static browser windows opn. Did not see anyone trying to use a word processor, encode videos, etc. at the same time. Just static windows with one just one actually making the processor work.
15) “Using the wrong browser” or software has also been an excuse that so called reviewers have used to try to explain away any lag. Just what is the “correct” software that can be used on the Neo so that is does not lag?
16) Have even seen people using so called benchmark software that was written for a non-Apple cpu on it and then try to claim that they are correct to try to make the Neo look so much “better” than Windows running laptop with the same memory, ssd size, etc.
17) When they try to stated how fast it is, etc. they always compare the chips inside, like the processor, to a previous version from Apple. Of course the newer one will be faster, etc. than the older model. If it was not, then there would be no reason to purchase a product with the new chips if you did not gain any performance, etc.
18) Giving this to a person that has never used an Apple laptop, etc. is not going to just turn it on and be able to use it. There WILL be a learning curve to get over first. Why is that never mentioned? You will be spending a lot of time teaching a person how to use it it if thay have use any other operating system before this.
Here come the, some possibly inappropriate, responses that chances are do not answer what I stated. But most likely just the same “You do not know Apple” , etc. IF Apple is so great, then why have they never taken over Windows and the computes that run that operating system? No one is forcing companies, people, etc. not to purchase anything else.
Even Apple is trying to get away from their old “look” by attempting to use flashy ads, etc. compared to the ones that they did just a few years ago. People want a computer that does what they want. Not just because it comes in a weird yellow color.
If it is Widows, they will use they. If Linux, they will use that. If Apple they will use that.
@ackman3981
April 17, 2026 at 9:11 pm
Funny how in Apple speak “work ram” is just cache ram that has to be stored somewhere. And that place is the SSD. The operating system is already taking about 50gb, this is another 34gb, so. on a 256gb model, you hare only left with 171gb to use for storage, etc. On the 512gb versions, you have a little bit more room of 427gb. And the SSD/operating system has to keep shuffling sata all over it since it has no extra ram that 16gb would provide to help it to handle slow downs., etc.
@ackman3981
April 17, 2026 at 9:13 pm
If the enxt version uses the A19 chip that is current now, would not be surprised that Apple comes out with the A210 version, that finally allows people to access 16gb that the rest of the computing world has been using for decades.
@zeuslgn
April 17, 2026 at 9:14 pm
Use a tab suspender plug-in.
@douglepong
April 18, 2026 at 3:03 am
Well.. at least we know 88 tabs is the limit 😅.
@Kenny-bt4vb
April 18, 2026 at 4:32 am
I can open 89 tabs on a machine that costs double the price of a Neo…is that a win? 🤷♂️
@N.A.Y.T.E
April 18, 2026 at 4:32 am
Holy, I don’t comprehend how people can use that many tabs.
@mikecoshan3752
April 18, 2026 at 4:59 am
When you get to 88 Tabs does the Neo go back in time Bridget 🤔
@montellthewizard
April 18, 2026 at 5:32 am
I have never passed 5 tabs being opened simultaneously. So I don’t think that the MacBook NEO will have any problems with me when I get one. LOL!
@elliotalderson9945
April 18, 2026 at 6:10 am
88 tabs on 8gb ram? that’s wild, meanwhile my 2019 i9 macbook pro with 64gb ram is chilling like it’s got another decade in it.
@T3CHGY007
April 18, 2026 at 7:01 am
The moment the jean jacket gets tossed to the ground I knew this was going to be serious!!
@GWillWin
April 18, 2026 at 7:38 am
This is actually quite a stupid test that has me doing one more thing, and that is quitting this video. I thought CNET had people who could manage their time and data better.
@Spiderjin
April 18, 2026 at 10:13 am
the “just wait for 12GB” advice is solid in theory but worth noting the A19 Pro Neo is reportedly a 2027 launch, and there’s already supply chain noise about Apple facing production constraints on switching chips mid-cycle. so if someone needs a laptop now, they’re probably not waiting 12+ months on a rumor. the 8GB is fine for 90% of what this machine is marketed for anyway, unless your workflow is apparently “open every tab ever made”
@gameworldintel9924
April 18, 2026 at 1:32 pm
Seems like a skill issue to me. Always save your tabs as bookmarks so you can go back anytime.
@Happy_Abe
April 18, 2026 at 3:01 pm
Would love to see what the limit on the MacBook Air would be for comparison
@zlerner716
April 18, 2026 at 3:03 pm
DOWNLOAD THE PLUGIN THE GREAT SUSPENDER!!!!!!
@spe808
April 18, 2026 at 3:46 pm
From what I hear, the next Neo will have the A19 pro with 12 gigs of ram. I think if you can wait, I would wait for that release. If Apple can make these Soc in the USA, that would probably be best for these types of machines.
@rgknudson1
April 18, 2026 at 4:17 pm
I don’t even think about how many tabs I have open on my M4 iPad Pro. So just for fun. I looked to see how many I have open right now and it’s 84 tabs. No problem for the iPad but good to know that it might be a problem for the Neo.
@miguellee3
April 18, 2026 at 4:47 pm
I love Bridget’s segments but this video is quite lame. Any device has a limit when stressed enough and it doesn’t make any sense to compare a Neo to [her] MacBook Pro. It’s like comparing a scooter to a car expecting the same level of performance 🤷🏽♂️
@Heisenbourne
April 18, 2026 at 6:25 pm
Looks like Neo is no longer The One. He was defeated by Agent Bridget.
@cometcaper
April 18, 2026 at 6:37 pm
You can save your tabs or tab groups in collections or whatever the safari equivalent is. I use Edge on both my work M4 Pro 15 inch MacBook and my personal i7 13 inch MacBook Pro as some extensions are free on edge and not safari, and I like the way Chromium does the tab groups and collections and how you can move one into the other.
This is someone who often has 50+ tabs open.
Also, Edge may even be sometimes better for people who use 50+ tabs. It’s more efficient and less battery hungry than Chrome and is usually second place to Safari. But, when the tabs exceed 50, Edge’s aggressive sleep tabs can be better than Safari’s organic memory management.
@JennieLT3
April 18, 2026 at 6:44 pm
FInally… a woman who doesn’t just post for its “cuteness” or for aesthetics. Thanks for the info, Bridget! 🙂 Eighty eight tabs…damn, that’s impressive for the little guy!
@fmatta
April 18, 2026 at 7:04 pm
love Bridget. I find that she understands real life uses and she is not concerned with benchmarks. This video helped me decided that I am getting a Neo. lightweight, portability, quality and good design is what I need to replace aging laptop.
@elbert5208
April 18, 2026 at 7:55 pm
i think theres an extension in safari that lets you sleep/discard inactive tabs but not close them. save you a lot of ram
@fegik5922
April 18, 2026 at 8:31 pm
that’s a safari problem! I always have 90 add tabs open on my galaxy ultra yet non of my macs using safari can even ¼ that without battery warning ” safari using to much power” doesn’t slow down my Macbook air it just silently performs smoothly while the chip roasts and because there’s no fan I often don’t realise the pressure it’s under without checking
@andyH_England
April 19, 2026 at 1:59 am
Microsoft Edge is the best browser for my usage, and I’ve tested all of them. Safari, unfortunately, has memory leaks (and has for many years), so I don’t use it anymore.
@fegik5922
April 19, 2026 at 5:21 pm
@andyH_Englandedge on a mac is more efficient than safari?
@RAUDEZA
April 18, 2026 at 8:41 pm
Simple solution to this seemingly non-issue. Close some tabs. It must’ve been a very slow news week for the story. Let’s invent an issue that’s not really an issue.
@007KrausBean
April 18, 2026 at 8:59 pm
It’s an electronic turd.
@GoGoPooerRangers
April 18, 2026 at 10:20 pm
This is such a non issue, 88 tabs is ridiculous.
@Pmp174
April 18, 2026 at 10:21 pm
There is a memory leak issue after Mac OS 26.4 update. This happened to me on my m4 air with 16gb of ram. This is definitely a bug.
@JWOY-1985
April 18, 2026 at 11:06 pm
This video should be named looking for a fake problem and trying to convince people it actually is. 88 tabs that’s not even useful you would forget where and what each has in it..so everyone this computer is just fine
@kapitanel7977
April 19, 2026 at 12:04 am
I don’t think regular users use 88 tabs on browser 😂
@veedub95
April 19, 2026 at 1:51 am
Really 88 tabs.
@JustinYadao-n2u
April 19, 2026 at 2:00 am
Well everyone here knows 88 tabs on a phone processor is a win for 499 student discount… but can we test the same price range windows laptop with 8 gigabytes of RAM to further appreciate what we have here?
@thomaskerr2477
April 19, 2026 at 3:15 am
so thats why any laptop tht a low basic doing more than it can will crash or slugish , even i had tipe on 600 pound asus laptoop i slow and too agches with all my apps ,3d work ,drawing apps for video and . and also for me i can use up 2tb hard drive so i also always serch for large storage as like to get acces to my creative things . the new o is only for exstreamly basic of any thing 1 wants to do. and for me as well i have and use googlechrome and also windows web browser, i like to kep hoping for easy back and forth or thing i yet to finish so , the new would never be for me in that form of use am heavy user , ot light were you got 2 programs and 3 tabs …….. and oo i have ai program
@sotonin
April 19, 2026 at 9:59 am
If you have enough tabs to choke up a neo then the problem is you. Sorry. there’s no reason for that.
This video is useless just like you
@cletp758
April 19, 2026 at 10:00 am
I can have the most powerful laptop and still use less than 10 tabs at once.
@linenonthehedgerow
April 19, 2026 at 12:01 pm
Close your tabs. Who keeps lots of tabs open? Only those addicted to the internet.
@PacMappy
April 19, 2026 at 12:42 pm
84 Safari tabs; and that equates to how many Chrome tabs?
better yet, how much further can the Neo be pushed if it was connected to a docking station that has a TB4 cable with fiber speeds playing 85+ different 4K Youtube tabs all while benchmarking?
🤣
@DiegoSierraMusic
April 19, 2026 at 12:49 pm
Apples reputation is somewhat damaged for making non upgradable devices
This tradeoff since 2013 has been the most anti consumer grade action they have taken, willing fully knowing that they have all the money and resources to make upgradable ARM RAM.
Apple silicon is amazing but it COULD be better.
The mac is THE device in the entire product line that deserves at the very least battery, RAM and SSD upgradeability. Nothing else just that.
Artificial intelligence DEVOURS RAM and, until they make ultra powerful CONVINCING efficient AI models, Apple silicon potential is wasted.
This is more like a very dark grey rupture in Apples quality, though everything else is quite value for the money (even though everything is getting more expensive).
The Mac deserves much more, it is the most creative utility from the entire lineup.
@milhouse14
April 19, 2026 at 4:31 pm
In Chrome and Firefox, you can group those tabs and they will only load when you open that group
@mdasimpathan
April 19, 2026 at 4:35 pm
Close things 😅😅😅
@fortnitehub5232
April 19, 2026 at 8:00 pm
If this can do 88 how many can Mac air do?
@CNET
April 20, 2026 at 5:18 am
we will run that test soon and share it.
@JuanGuillermoSanchezPerez
April 19, 2026 at 8:28 pm
I have to ask why? You can either in notes make a list of all those bookmarks you need for your article or save them in your bookmarks. You fail 84 tabs is an example of a poor browser usage
@thecapone45
April 19, 2026 at 8:30 pm
This is insane. My mind doesn’t work like this. I close my tabs after each session. So
Many tabs would just overload me! 😅
@new-lviv
April 20, 2026 at 12:43 am
Can you crash it with Firefox tabs? I wonder if it is a Safary memory management problem.
@reubenkiptanui3880
April 20, 2026 at 3:20 am
Why would you open 88 tabs when you ain’t using all of them 😂
@anaktuagede
April 20, 2026 at 7:16 am
My record is 35 tabs opened in Safari. 88 tabs on a phone chip with $600 price tag is actually insane
@ShawaebTee
April 20, 2026 at 7:35 am
that means apple could sell you an iphone for 500$ but dont :/
@mariuszwaleski596
April 20, 2026 at 8:58 am
I love Bridget ❤❤❤
@andryzoun
April 20, 2026 at 12:31 pm
88 tabs without a tab suspender??? Sounds like a waste of ressources to me. Realistically can you even focus on just a third of that? Using multiple monitors with separate tab layouts all at once? How??
@CannedFunkMusic
April 20, 2026 at 12:51 pm
I think this was clickbait for Apple to have more MacBook Neo back orders LoL!!!
@kratos-k0b
April 20, 2026 at 7:34 pm
USER PROBLEM. Your workflow is wrong