MacBook Neo outperforms Dell XPS 13 in Cyberpunk 2077 benchmark—though I wouldn’t recommend gaming on either notebook
Apple’s MacBook Neo and Dell’s XPS 13 are competing directly in the affordable entry-level notebook market, both priced identically at $699. According to PC Gamer’s coverage of independent testing by PhoneBuff, the MacBook Neo edges out the Dell XPS 13 in a Cyberpunk 2077 gaming benchmark, reviving the classic Mac-versus-PC rivalry in a new era.
Beyond gaming performance, real-world productivity testing revealed an additional advantage for the MacBook Neo: it opened a 500-page Microsoft Word document in just over 7 seconds, outpacing the Dell XPS 13. This suggests the MacBook Neo’s performance advantage extends beyond specialized benchmarks into everyday computing tasks.
However, PC Gamer tempers expectations for both devices in gaming contexts, noting that neither notebook is genuinely recommended for serious gaming despite the MacBook Neo’s relative performance lead. The benchmarking exercise appears designed to highlight the MacBook Neo’s capabilities against its direct Windows-based competitor at the same price point, while acknowledging the fundamental limitations of entry-level hardware for demanding gaming workloads.