The addition of the MacBook Neo in the lineup allows Apple to bring the starting price into the MacBook lineup from $999 for the previous M4 MacBook Air down to just $599. For an entire Mac experience, this is an incredible value. But how does it stack up against Apple’s previous most affordable MacBook: the 13-inch MacBook Air? Let’s compare the two to see how big the differences are between these two laptops.
Compute
The MacBook Neo features the A18 Pro chip with 6 CPU cores and 5 GPU cores. The MacBook Air obviously has the more powerful M5 chip with 10 CPU cores and 8 or 10 GPU cores. Both of these laptops feature the same media engine as well as support for Apple Intelligence.
Memory
The MacBook Neo features 8GB of memory, and there are no other higher memory options. On the other hand, the MacBook Air comes with 16GB of memory by default, but you can upgrade it to either 24GB or 32GB of memory.
Storage
The MacBook Neo features two storage options: 256GB and 512GB. The MacBook Air now starts at 512GB by default, and you can upgrade it to either 1TB, 2TB, or even the new 4TB option.
Display
The MacBook Neo features a 13.0-inch Liquid Retina display (2408 by 1506 at 219 ppi), but it supports only the sRGB color gamut and lacks True Tone technology.
The MacBook Air features a larger 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display (2560 by 1664 at 224 ppi), and it features the wider P3 color gamut and has True Tone technology as well.
Size and Weight
In terms of thickness, the MacBook Neo is 12.7 mm thick, but the MacBook Air is even thinner at 11.3 mm thick.
However, the MacBook Neo does have a slightly smaller footprint than that of the MacBook Air.
Interestingly, both the MacBook Neo and MacBook Air weigh exactly the same at 2.7 pounds.
Camera
The built-in camera on the MacBook Neo lacks Center Stage with support for Desk View, but the one on the MacBook Air supports this feature. Both of the cameras are capable of 1080p HD video recording, though.
Audio
The MacBook Neo features two side speakers, whereas the MacBook Air features a four-speaker sound system. Both of these laptops support Spatial Audio.
The MacBook Neo has dual microphones, whereas the MacBook Air has three microphones.
Although both laptops have a headphone jack, only the MacBook Air supports high-impedance headphones.
Keyboard and Trackpad
Although both laptops have a similar Magic Keyboard layout with full-height function keys, there are a few differences between the two.
The Magic Keyboard on the MacBook Air has backlit keys, whereas the one on the MacBook Neo does not.
Touch ID is standard on the MacBook Air; however, this biometric authentication is available only on the 512GB configuration of the MacBook Neo.
Although the trackpads on both laptops support all the multi-touch gestures, the one on the MacBook Air is more advanced as it features Force Touch technology for pressure-sensing capabilities.
Wireless
The MacBook Neo features Wi-Fi 6E, whereas the MacBook Air features the faster Wi-Fi 7 thanks to the N1 chip.
Both of these laptops feature Bluetooth 6
Ports
Although there are two USB-C ports on the MacBook Neo, one of them supports USB 3 speeds, while the other one supports slower USB 2 speeds.
Both of the USB-C ports on the MacBook Air support Thunderbolt 4 speeds as well as the faster USB 4 speeds.
Additionally, the MacBook Air features MagSafe for charging, whereas the MacBook Neo lacks this feature.
External display support
The MacBook Neo can support one external display up to 4K at 60Hz, whereas the MacBook Air can support up to two external displays up to 6K at 60Hz.
Battery life
The MacBook Neo’s battery life is rated at up to 16 hours of video streaming, according to Apple. The MacBook Air gets even longer battery life with a rating of up to 18 hours of video streaming. Of course, battery life varies with usage and configuration, so both of these laptops should last you throughout a day or two, depending on what you’re doing or how often you use them unplugged.
Pricing and Conclusion
The MacBook Neo starts at $599 with 256GB, but for $100 more, you could upgrade it to 512GB for a total of $699. Since there’s only one configuration you could make on this MacBook Neo, the next step up would be the base 13-inch MacBook Air, which starts at $1,099, and that comes with double the memory (16GB) and the same storage (512GB). So is a $400 price gap between the two laptops justifiable? With all the limitations that we discussed, it seems reasonable, but most people likely won’t take advantage of these under-the-hood premium features, such as wider color gamut, True Tone, and so on. So, for most people who regularly perform light, everyday tasks, they’d be much better off with the MacBook Neo, and I can see this laptop flying off the shelves. For more demanding tasks, they can still justify getting the MacBook Air. Either way, the best laptop for you ultimately depends on your needs.
