Neanderthal was at its most advanced level of evolution. Its cranium, with a volume ranging from 1200 to 1700 cc, was in fact larger than that of Cro-Magnons (Paleolithic European Homo sapiens), and also 10% greater than that of modern humans in average. If brain size is any indication, Neanderthals could have been cleverer than us. But that’s not the whole story. Neanderthal’s skull had a lower vaulted prefrontal cortex than most modern humans, and it has been speculated that they would have had less good at decision making and moderating social behaviour. On the other hand, Neanderthals possessed a bigger occipital lobe, meaning that their visual abilities (including the distinction of details and colours) were certainly better than that of modern humans.
There are several genes influencing skin colour. Among them, the BNC2 gene, which influences saturation of skin colour and is responsible for freckling, was confirmed by Sankararaman et al. (2014) to have been come from Neanderthal As for the genes for light eyes, there is a relatively high likelihood that they were inherited from Neanderthals too,
thier stupidity could be a a misconsception
This would have hindered Neanderthals when it came to forming extended social groups, necessary for large raiding parties or a proto-army. If so, it is no wonder we displaced them. Being able to form larger and more disciplined groups, we could have easily hunted them to extinction, regardless of their individual physical superiority.
One of the most striking aspects of a Neanderthal skull is the size and shape of their eye sockets. They are enormous, certainly twice the size of ours, and more round. It's logical to assume that their eyes were likewise huge and round, perhaps creating a bug-eyed appearance. These enormous eyes must have been an adaptation, but for what? Hunting at night, perhaps? If so, why with their huge physical size, would being nocturnal have conferred an advantage?