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00:00Apple has just announced new 2026 MacBooks, iPads, displays, and even a new iPhone.
00:05And they're kind of weird.
00:06There's an unusual amount of focus on the affordable end,
00:09while at the same time making the extreme stuff much more extreme.
00:12So let's find out why.
00:14At the very bottom end, then, this is the new $599 MacBook Neo,
00:18which sits as the new entry point into Apple's laptop lineup,
00:22a lot more affordable than the $1,099 MacBook Air,
00:25which in itself is a lot more affordable than the new top-of-the-line $2,199 MacBook Pros.
00:31But the obvious question is,
00:33how is Apple suddenly randomly selling a MacBook that costs half the price?
00:38Well, it's not the build quality, like I was expecting it to be.
00:40This thing is still made of aluminium, like the other MacBooks,
00:43and it still feels fancy to use.
00:45The hinge is sturdy, the keyboard is satisfying to type on,
00:48even the trackpad still has all of the multi-touch gestures that I'm used to from the MacBook Pros.
00:54Frankly, I've never used a $599 laptop that feels this good.
00:58I wish more companies would make colours like these.
01:01I love them in person, especially this citrus,
01:04which makes me feel like I'm six years old again, marvelling at my dad's iMac G3.
01:09So it must be the display, right?
01:13Well, no.
01:14What's here is sharp, it's punchy,
01:16it could do with being a little brighter, topping out at 500 nits,
01:19but that is still just as bright as the almost twice the price MacBook Air.
01:24There's a couple of smaller things that are cut, like Touch ID.
01:26You don't get it on the base 256 gig version of the Neo,
01:29but you do get it on the highest-roared version.
01:32The battery, they claim 16 hours on this compared to 18 on a MacBook Air.
01:36And the ports, there's no MagSafe here.
01:38And weirdly, only one of these two USB-C ports
01:41is fast enough to connect up to a monitor.
01:44The other is slower,
01:44but you can use either of them to charge the thing.
01:47Really though, there are two compromises that I think truly matter.
01:51The first is that the keyboard on the Neo has no backlighting,
01:55which I think you will notice,
01:57even if you don't tend to work in a cave.
02:00Pretty much any time that you try and get something done
02:02in a dimly lit car or late at night,
02:05backlighting is a given feature at this price on other laptops.
02:09I can imagine quite a few people being surprised
02:11when their Neo arrives at their door without it.
02:14And then the second thing is performance.
02:16There is no laptop-grade M-series chip here.
02:19This is actually using a phone chip,
02:21the A18 Pro, plucked straight from an iPhone 16 Pro,
02:25which might on its own have been able to fly under the radar,
02:29but it's the fact that that is paired with slower SSD storage speeds than the Air
02:33and half the RAM.
02:358 gigabyte here compared to 16.
02:38All put together, this is a distinctly less agile machine.
02:42I can feel it when I use it.
02:43Some things do take a second or two to load up,
02:46and you can see how this thing would get overwhelmed if you pushed it.
02:49Gaming too was also a little choppy,
02:51but if you're buying a MacBook Neo for gaming,
02:53then I think you've got bigger problems.
02:56So clearly, the performance cutbacks are the main way
02:59that Apple has made this laptop so affordable,
03:01but it's just, they've done it in such a considerable way
03:04that if you're anything even resembling a multitasker,
03:07you would feel the benefits of the pricier MacBook Air.
03:11Exactly as Apple intended.
03:13That said, I do think this laptop makes a ton of sense.
03:15Like, the MacBook Air has crept up in power every year since the first M1 version,
03:20and that now means we are at a stage where there is a vast difference
03:24between what you can do on that laptop
03:26and the Google Docs and YouTube that the average school kid
03:30or university student actually needs to do on it.
03:33So the Neo exists to cut back on that performance to minimize that gap,
03:37passing on a lot of those savings to the buyer,
03:39especially if you use the education discount
03:41and end up getting it for $499.
03:44And you can see the ripple effects that this has on every Apple laptop.
03:47Because there is now a very clear entry-level option,
03:51Apple doesn't need to worry anymore about hitting that sub-$1,000 price tag
03:54with the MacBook Air.
03:56So while this used to start at $999,
03:58the new MacBook Air is now $1099,
04:00and I can see that climbing over the next few years quite substantially.
04:05That said, it's still really hard to argue
04:07with the amount of laptop that you get for that.
04:09This new MacBook Air has an M5 chip instead of the M4,
04:12which in itself is nothing major.
04:14It's like 10, 20% more power, really.
04:16There's Apple's new N1 networking chip,
04:18which improves Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
04:20This has actually made a big difference on the latest iPhones,
04:22so it will probably have the same effect here.
04:25And then the main thing is that this new MacBook Air
04:27gets double the starting storage, now at 512 gigs,
04:30and that double storage is now twice as fast, too.
04:33So while I don't love this whole trying to disguise
04:35what is effectively a price hike
04:37by just removing the option to buy the lower storage version,
04:40this is still the most recommendable laptop in the world.
04:43While the compromises of the MacBook Neo are pretty obvious,
04:46and the price of the new Pros is pretty prohibitive,
04:49the MacBook Air is not really missing anything for most people,
04:53unless they're like the lead editor for the next Avatar movie.
04:56And to be honest, they don't need more effects.
04:58They just need a better title font.
05:00He clicked the drop-down menu,
05:01and then he just randomly selected Papyrus.
05:05Speaking of the MacBook Pros,
05:06at the very top of Apple's lineup,
05:08these have just had what's essentially
05:10just a more extreme version of the Air treatment.
05:13So the same N1 networking chip,
05:14and the same thing's happening with storage, too.
05:16It's twice as fast, and you get twice as much of it,
05:19going from the minimum of 512 gigs last year
05:21to a terabyte now.
05:23But you have to pay $200 more for the price range.
05:26That said, one terabyte minimum on a Pro
05:28does not actually upset me.
05:29Because of how the MacBook Air
05:31has naturally drifted over the years
05:33from this ultra-thin, ultra-light laptop
05:35that can just about function
05:37to now actually very powerful machine.
05:39In 2026, you're only buying a MacBook Pro
05:42if you actually are a Pro.
05:44And if you are a Pro,
05:45you're going to need a terabyte at least.
05:47And then the chip upgrade for these laptops
05:49is supposedly pretty serious.
05:51They're now powered by the M5 Pro,
05:53which it depends what you're doing,
05:55but you could broadly think of this
05:56as around two times the system power
05:59and capability of the base M5.
06:00And then the M5 Max,
06:03which has the same CPU as the Pro,
06:05but then up to two times
06:06the graphics performance of even that.
06:08So on paper, it is a monolithic chip
06:11with up to four times the AI performance
06:14compared to previous gen.
06:16That's probably not going to translate
06:17to a whole lot for most users,
06:19but the AI bros will be chuffed.
06:21It's a big deal for people
06:22who want to be running large AI models locally.
06:25So these are huge improvement numbers,
06:27but treat them with caution.
06:29If you watch the commercials
06:30for these new MacBook Pros,
06:32it literally says in plain text
06:33up to five times faster graphics.
06:36No caveats, no asterisks.
06:38So, wow, that's insane.
06:40Five times compared to the M4 Pro
06:42and M4 Max just last year.
06:45That's what you'd assume it means, right?
06:46Given that they don't specify.
06:47Well, no, not exactly.
06:50Oh, so like five times
06:51compared to three years ago.
06:53So what people are likely upgrading from?
06:54Well, if you're performing
06:57this one specific AI image generation task,
07:00then maybe.
07:01Ultimately, it's only when you delve
07:03all the way into the depths
07:04of the Apple press release
07:05that you find the graphics performance
07:07for M5 Max is up to 20% higher than M4 Max.
07:11So the number you're actually looking for
07:13is up to 20%.
07:16I guess I just want to make it clear
07:17that while I do think the MacBook Pro
07:19is an exceptional machine.
07:21I'm actually really excited
07:23to finally upgrade my whole team's M1 and M2
07:26so we can get our videos out even faster.
07:28I so much more appreciate it
07:31when companies just talk straight
07:33and they aren't trying to fool people
07:34with numerical smoke and mirrors.
07:36That combined with the fact
07:37that every single improvement here
07:39is quoted as an up to figure
07:41as opposed to any kind of absolute improvement,
07:43which if you think about it,
07:45doesn't tell us anything
07:46about how much you should actually expect
07:48to notice day-to-day.
07:50Up to 500% faster.
07:52Could be 5%.
07:53Could be 495%.
07:55They both fit that description.
07:57All topped off with the fact
07:58that if you live in the EU,
08:00you don't actually get a power brick
08:01with these MacBooks.
08:02You have to buy it separately.
08:04I don't know what I expected.
08:05Now, what exactly this decision-making process
08:08is based on is not clear,
08:09but if you're buying a 16-inch MacBook Pro,
08:12which would usually come with a 140-watt power brick,
08:15then I don't think that is something
08:17that you're likely to just have lying around
08:19and is a fair bit of value
08:21that you're now missing out on.
08:22If the laptop was cheaper to accommodate,
08:24then I guess I get it,
08:25but at least here in the UK,
08:28it is not.
08:29And now, just before the new iPhone,
08:31there's also a new iPad Air.
08:33So this is Apple's mid-range iPad,
08:35sitting about halfway between the iPad,
08:37you know, the one that's just called iPad.
08:39God, this is getting so confusing.
08:41And then the iPad Pro.
08:43And it's not a bad update,
08:44it's just unexciting.
08:45So let me run through it real quick.
08:46It gets an M4 chip instead of an M3 chip,
08:4912 gigabytes of RAM up from 8,
08:50and then that same networking chip
08:52that everything seems to be getting now,
08:53while staying at the same $599 price.
08:56That makes it actually, like,
08:58very powerful for a mid-range tablet.
09:01But I just don't think
09:02that's what people are asking for.
09:03If anything, I think upgrading the storage
09:05from 128 to 256 gigs
09:07would make more of a difference
09:09to most Air users
09:10than all of those changes put together.
09:12But the storage is the secret source
09:15of Apple's pricing leather.
09:16So there's a reason for everything.
09:18And there's also two new monitors.
09:20There's an update to Apple's most affordable,
09:23insanely unaffordable $1,600 studio display,
09:27which I would say was a decent product
09:29when it first launched four years ago.
09:31But I'm not exactly impressed
09:32that in those four years,
09:34the only changes that we're getting now
09:35are two Thunderbolt 5 ports,
09:37which means you can daisy chain up
09:39to four of these monitors
09:40from one cable into a Mac
09:42and then an improved 12 megapixel
09:45center stage camera.
09:46Huge for zoom enthusiasts.
09:48I hear there are literally dozens of you.
09:50So pretty hard to recommend this one in 2026.
09:53The fact that it is still using
09:54that same 60 hertz fairly dated panel
09:57for that price means,
09:59actually, to be honest,
10:00it's a pretty good time
10:01to buy the old model for half of that.
10:03But then there is also
10:04the completely new studio display XDR.
10:07XDR meaning extreme debt required.
10:12Tim told me you can quote that.
10:13So this is very much a monitor for professionals,
10:17but I think it's very welcome.
10:19Not necessarily because it in itself
10:20is fantastic value,
10:22but more because it replaces
10:23the very much not fantastic value
10:26$5,000 pro display XDR.
10:29And unlike that monitor,
10:31this is $3,299.
10:33This has a 120 hertz refresh rate
10:36instead of 60.
10:37It uses mini LED tech
10:38for even more brightness
10:39and actually has a mic,
10:41a webcam and speakers
10:43of which somehow
10:44the pro display had none of.
10:46All topped off with this tilt
10:48and height adjustable stand included.
10:50So after six years of memes,
10:52we can finally put the $999 pro stand
10:56to rest.
10:57RIP.
10:58The only weird thing
11:00that for me is a real turnoff
11:02is the size.
11:03This studio display XDR
11:05is replacing a monitor
11:06that was 32 inches,
11:08but in itself,
11:09it's only 27,
11:11just like the normal studio display.
11:13So while it's good to have the option
11:14for a very high grade monitor
11:16in a compact size,
11:17it definitely leaves this gap
11:19for people wanting something bigger.
11:21I definitely would.
11:22I work on a 40 inch ultrawide right now
11:24and it's amazing.
11:25And that leaves us with the new iPhone,
11:28the 17e.
11:29So this is a one-to-one replacement
11:31to the 16e
11:32and it serves as the $599 basic iPhone.
11:35$200 below the honestly pretty fantastic iPhone 17.
11:39So it's got a lot to prove.
11:41What I am really happy to see is,
11:42say it with me, folks,
11:43the storage has doubled to 256 gigs.
11:46But unlike with all the Macs,
11:48here they've done that
11:49without raising the price,
11:50which feels especially rare
11:52given the whole memory crisis
11:53happening right now
11:54and might actually be
11:56why the rest of the changes
11:57feel quite minimal.
11:58In some ways,
11:59they have brought this 17e
12:00closer to the normal iPhones.
12:02Like, we get the latest chip,
12:04the A19.
12:05We get that N1 networking.
12:07The screen now is coated
12:08with the same Ceramic Shield 2
12:10for protection
12:11and has that somewhat helpful
12:13but not game-changing
12:14anti-reflective coating
12:15that we saw on the iPhone 17s.
12:17Plus, MagSafe
12:18combined with much faster
12:20Qi2 wireless charging.
12:21This is a very important change
12:23from the 16e
12:24but kind of should have been
12:26on the 16e in the first place.
12:28And that combined
12:29with the very huge battery on this
12:31should make it a very reliable phone.
12:33But what it isn't is flashy.
12:35I think the 17e looks pretty dated now
12:38when you put it next to the iPhone 17
12:40with these thick bezels
12:41and the fact that this is like
12:42the last remaining late bloomer
12:44still to have a notch.
12:46You don't get the bigger,
12:47brighter, faster 120Hz display
12:49of that phone.
12:50This is still 60
12:51and the cameras are pretty bad.
12:54There's no ultrawide camera.
12:55You don't get the iPhone 17's
12:57upgraded selfie camera.
12:58This is just plain old
12:59traditional 12 megapixel.
13:01And even the main rear camera,
13:03it does still feel like an iPhone camera
13:05when you use it.
13:06You're still getting pretty much
13:07the latest in Apple's processing.
13:09But it's just that
13:10the actual camera sensor itself
13:11is very dated.
13:13It's close to the quality
13:14of the ultrawide cameras
13:15on other current iPhones.
13:17So I think the reason this exists
13:18is business customers
13:20who just want to buy
13:21a few hundred or thousand iPhones
13:23don't care how great
13:24the cameras or the screens are.
13:26But ease of use,
13:27battery, storage, durability,
13:29that stuff matters.
13:30And I'd actually say
13:32it's a very solid phone
13:33for that purpose.
13:34But if you were considering
13:35this for yourself,
13:36I would suggest you spend the extra
13:38and get the iPhone 17.
13:39Because especially with sales,
13:41I would not be surprised
13:42if you can find that
13:43for just $100 to $150
13:45more than this.
13:47And that would be the difference
13:48between something
13:49that feels lower mid-range
13:50and something that feels
13:52pretty flagship.
13:53Or just go Android
13:54and get a Nothing Phone 3.
13:55At this point,
13:56you can get that
13:56for the same money
13:57and it's a lot more phone.
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