Apple's affordable MacBook Neo launched in March 2026 with enough performance for casual computing, but 8 GB of RAM poses a significant longevity risk. YouTube channel UFD Tech found that the 256 GB model burned through an estimated 5% of its SSD lifespan after just 20 TB of write cycles, projecting a total rated endurance of around 414 TB. The 512 GB variant showed improved durability with a projected rating of approximately 1,521 TB.

In a real-world test, the host used the laptop as a web portal with Chrome, WhatsApp, and Discord, writing nearly 900 GB of data to the SSD in just three hours. Assuming the Neo's estimated 400-420 TB endurance, the SSD is only estimated to last around 1,400 hours, or 58 days, of full-time basic productivity use. The 512 GB model appears to have 2-3× the durability of the 256 GB version, lasting roughly 5,000 hours of constant use.

A major concern is that the SSD is non-replaceable, meaning eventual burnout will require expensive repairs with potential data loss. These findings raise alarms over Apple's reliance on SSD swapping due to limited RAM, especially with rumors circulating about a future switch to the A19 Pro chip to increase memory capacity.