AMD Targets MacBook Neo in New Marketing Campaign

AMD has launched a new marketing offensive against Apple, focusing on the recent MacBook Neo, the entry-level notebook that is reportedly experiencing demand exceeding initial expectations. However, the strategy chosen by the Sunnyvale company does not focus on a direct comparison of processors but rather on the differences between the Windows and macOS ecosystems, with particular attention to the gaming sector.

In the documentation published by AMD, systems based on Ryzen processors are presented as a more complete platform, thanks to native access to the main PC game libraries, including Steam, Epic Games Store, and PC Game Pass. The company claims that all 20 of the selected titles for comparison are executable on Ryzen notebooks, while only 5 would be available natively on the MacBook Neo. This leads to AMD's message that Windows users would not need alternative solutions to access the most popular video games.

To support this claim, AMD has chosen the HP OmniBook X Flip equipped with a Ryzen 5 220 processor as a comparison. This CPU is part of the Ryzen 200 Mobile family introduced in 2025 and derived from the Hawk Point architecture based on Zen 4. The chip integrates two Zen 4 cores, four Zen 4c cores, twelve threads, and an integrated Radeon 740M GPU, without a dedicated Ryzen AI unit.

The advertising campaign is not limited to gaming. AMD highlights a series of hardware features considered advantageous compared to the MacBook Neo, including a more generous memory and storage provision, touchscreen support with a convertible 2-in-1 design, and richer connectivity thanks to the presence of HDMI, USB-A, and USB-C ports. In the referenced configuration, the HP OmniBook X Flip offers 512 GB of storage space, while the MacBook Neo is listed with 256 GB.

AMD also attributes superior performance to the Ryzen 5 220 in certain usage scenarios, claiming a performance advantage of up to 57% in multitasking and up to 38% in content creation tasks. However, the company's communication avoids a direct comparison with the Apple A18 Pro chip that powers the MacBook Neo, preferring instead to focus on the differences between software platforms.

This choice represents one of the most discussed aspects of the campaign. On one hand, it is undeniable that Windows boasts significantly higher compatibility with the PC gaming catalog; on the other hand, the MacBook Neo was not designed as a gaming-oriented product. Moreover, the notebook chosen by AMD for comparison is not exactly a machine designed for this purpose. The integrated Radeon 740M GPU indeed offers limited performance in more demanding titles. In less recent games like GTA V, one can exceed 100 fps with reduced settings, while particularly heavy modern productions like Star Wars Outlaws can drop to single-digit values. In other words, compatibility with a title does not necessarily guarantee a satisfying gaming experience.

AMD's campaign thus has significant weaknesses, especially considering that the MacBook Neo targets an audience primarily interested in productivity, mobility, and integration with the Apple ecosystem rather than gaming performance.