Now that MacBook Neo has a mobile chip, does it make it more secure than others?

Questions
1

It is my understanding that smartphones are more secure than laptops and computers because of the chipset. And hence my title question.

Does it mean macOS on Neo is somehow more secure on Neo given the mobile chip?

Please clarify whether or not I am right or wrong or explain how security of a device actually works. Thanks!

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2

I think the latest laptops all come with security chips that prevent boot if a single chip that wasn’t approved by the manufacturer is present. Smart phones had an advantage for a while because they were the only device that did that.

3

The chip is one thing but it still runs MacOS which will have more attack surface because it’s a desktop OS and not a more restricted mobile OS.

The more “stupid” something is, the least vulnerabilities it potentially can have.
Hacking a sophisticated system is easier because of all the possible angles of attack.

Moreover, I’m not sure if that chip will add anything groundbreaking given that Apple’s security is already quite high, might be a small bump but nothing groundbreaking.

Maybe I’m wrong :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes: but point still stands: if you want something with higher security then there are options besides MacOS (with specific high security Linux distros).

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4

I guess what I am really asking then is if this chip provides equivalent security to an iPhone and how close (if measureable) is it to GrapheneOS on a Pixel.

5

I guess the answer is then a regular comparison: iOS vs GrapheneOS then. :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

Maybe check on Graphene’s forums, maybe someone asked a similar question?
I still think that GrapheneOS would be more secure given that its the main focus of the OS rather than a “consumer OS”.

6

I need a basic laptop for everyday use for my father. His is coming up on 7 years now and is an old large MacBook Pro. But I ask this out of curiosity to learn how its security fares compared to other Macs too.

I should have been clearer. I was trying to compare to any and all devices froma. security POV only because it now has a mobile chip from Apple.

7

TDLR: any macbook will be more than enough for simple daily use needs with the basic amount of security. :+1:t2:
That won’t prevent your dad from being phished or installing malware tho, there is also some basic knowledge to have when browsing the Internet. :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

But overall, out of the box and without a high threat model, you’re 100% covered with MacOS.
Consider recommending him a good offline password manager maybe + other tools from PG’s recommendations to cover all of his digital needs. :+1:t2:

Otherwise, I’ve shared a post about the Neo already where quite a few other discussions happened, feel free to check it here: Macbook Neo

Buying a Neo or any other M chip will realistically not change anything in practice (regarding security) for your father.

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8

Yeah I’m going to set it up hardened before he starts using it.

Thanks for your input. Insightful and helpful!

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9

Even better, recommend him to call you in case of any doubt.

If he sees a suspicious prompt, not sure about some software or just has any doubt.
Nowadays, the risks are more about “oh, I didn’t knew X or Y” rather than “national agency installed a Trojan remotely on my laptop thanks to some 0 day exploit”. :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

You’re welcome! :folded_hands:t2:

10

The use case is very basic. Emails and work related stuff. Mostly browser with a few apps like Word, WhatsApp, etc. The staples.

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11

I was mostly saying that basic knowledge might be a good reminder.
Here is a simple and decent website for some basics: https://digital-defense.io/

I shared it to some of my family and went through some pages with them in person, was very nice because they understood a bit more why they need an email alias, why a Yubikey is helpful and a ton of other topics they weren’t aware about.

Moreover, it’s a discussion starter and a potential good checklist for you, if you’re the family’s sysadmin haha. :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

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12

Thanks for sharing. Cool website. Will check it out.

I’m tech savvy. But even I am always learning.

13

The website[1] is a nice material that you can iterate on, not full of drawings or anything but it does 80% of the theory job for you so that you can just “powerpoint” it to your family on some weekends when they have some mental bandwidth. :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

  1. done by a cool lady with lots nice projects ↩︎

14

The website still says 2024 at the bottom. Not outdated, is it?

15

She probably just forgot to update the footer, but the GH is very much active: GitHub - Lissy93/personal-security-checklist: 🔒 A compiled checklist of 300+ tips for protecting digital security and privacy in 2026 · GitHub

Moreover, most of the things are still relevant even if 50 years old. :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

I opened a PR just to fix that one: feat: make the date dynamic in the footer by kissu · Pull Request #320 · Lissy93/personal-security-checklist · GitHub :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

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16

Thanks for clarifying.

17

No, the processor architecture and the security features that go with it are just one part of what makes smartphones more resilient to attacks.

Apple have been using similar processors in their MacBooks and Smartphones since 2020 when they announced Apple Silicon: Apple announces Mac transition to Apple silicon - Apple

The security of a device depends on what attack you are facing. Smartphones are considered secure because by default they:

  • have strong app sandboxing (separate data for apps, strict permissions on what data/hardware functions apps can access and mediated access to sensitive data),
  • make it hard to execute common exploits by carefully managing dynamic code and memory with a combination of hardware and software security features,
  • make it hard for an attacker to maintain access after reboot/factory reset/reset from recovery,
  • make it very hard to extract your device data when it is at rest even when you use a weak password/PIN
  • carefully manage memory access between wireless attack surfaces and your main OS/apps
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18

Huh. Did not know. Thanks for explaining. Will read up more on it.