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Even before Introduction to the MacBook NeoApple had a great laptop for students. the MacBook Air It is our current choice as well Best laptop for college students. Therefore, in addition to competing against Chromebooks and Budget laptops running Windowsthe new MacBook Neo is also competing with the MacBook Air for school laptop buyers.
Given the huge price difference between the Neo and Air, I think we’ll see a large number of colorful MacBook Neos in schools by next fall. It sounds like a great hit for student budgets, but should you consider buying a MacBook Neo if you’re already out of school? Let’s take a closer look at the new Neo to see what features it offers and which ones it’s missing.
MacBook Neo vs MacBook Air
For $599, or just $499 with the Apple Education Discount, the MacBook Neo Significantly lowers the entry price for MacBook shoppers. The new arrives on the heels of the new m5 macbook air, Which raises the price of Air by $100 to $1,099. This will likely put air outside many students’ budgets.
There’s also last year’s M4 MacBook Air to consider. It can usually be found for under $1,000 on Amazon. Now, it is Selling for $899.
Since the M4 MacBook Air models are still readily available, budget laptop shoppers have three MacBook options.
Comparison between MacBook Neo and MacBook Air
| MacBook Neo | MacBook Air M4 | MacBook Air M5 | |
| price | $599 | $899 | $1099 |
| CPU | A18 Pro | M4 | M5 |
| Number of CPU cores | 6 | 10 | 10 |
| Number of GPU cores | 5 | 8 | 8 |
| ram | 8 GB | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| storage | 256 GB | 256 GB | 512 GB |
| Screen size | 13 inches | 13.6 inches | 13.6 inches |
| Screen resolution | 2,408 x 1,506 pixels | 2,560 x 1,664 pixels | 2,560 x 1,664 pixels |
| weight | 2.7 lbs | 2.7 lbs | 2.7 lbs |
| Dimensions (HDO) | 0.5 x 11.71 x 8.12 inches | 0.44 x 11.97 x 8.46 inches | 0.44 x 11.97 x 8.46 inches |
| communication | USB-C x2, headphone | Thunderbolt 4×2, Headphones, MagSafe 3 | Thunderbolt 4×2, Headphones, MagSafe 3 |
| battery | 36.5 watts/hour | 52.6 watt-hours | 53.8 watts/hour |
The fact that the price gap between the MacBook Neo and the discounted M4 MacBook Air is larger than that of the M4 Air and M5 Air makes a compelling case for the Neo. The Neo costs $300 less than the discounted M4 Air and $500 less than the M5 Air’s $1,099 price. Just $200 separates the older M4 Air from the new M5 Air.
We don’t know yet how the MacBook Neo, with its A18 Pro processor and 8GB of unified memory, will fit into the MacBook Air with an M4 or M5 chip and 16GB of RAM. However, I can tell you right now that if you’re a creator who uses photo or video editing apps or plans to use Apple Intelligence or run other AI-powered workloads, the MacBook Air is the better choice for the extra GPU cores and more memory allocation. You’re stuck with the Neo’s 8GB of RAM; The only upgrade offered to it is doubling the storage space to a 512GB SSD for $100.
The Neo makes more sense as a MacBook for casual use around the house. Think of it as a large, non-touch iPad with an attached keyboard. It will let you browse the web, watch shows and movies, edit photos and videos you’ve taken with your iPhone, and respond to texts using the keyboard. It is also small and portable, with a lightweight aluminum body, and will undoubtedly be an easy travel companion.
The Neo looks like the MacBook Air, but it’s a little smaller (and $500 less).
What’s missing in neo
The most pleasant surprise of the MacBook Neo was the screen size. Rumors have swirled that Apple will keep costs under control in part by outfitting the Neo with a 12-inch display, so I was happy to see the Neo get a 13-inch display that’s slightly smaller than the Air’s 13.6-inch display. In addition, it is a Liquid Retina display with a relatively high resolution of 2408 x 1506 pixels.
However, there are a number of elements you get with the Air that disappear in the Neo.
Let’s start with the input devices. There’s no keyboard backlighting, which is annoying since it appears on even most Windows laptops and Chromebooks at this price. The touchpad is mechanical and not the beautiful Force Touch touchpad found on the Air. The basic keyboard lacks Touch ID. You have to spend $100 on a 512GB SSD to get Touch ID, a feature I can’t live without on my MacBook.
You can upgrade to a 512GB SSD that also includes a Touch ID keyboard, but the MacBook Neo doesn’t offer a backlit keyboard.
Ports are also downgraded. Instead of a pair of fast Thunderbolt 4 ports, the two USB-C ports are of the slower USB 3 and USB 2 variety. You’ll need to use one of these to charge the Neo as it doesn’t have a MagSafe connector. I really enjoy the satisfying snap when I connect my MagSafe cable, and the peace of mind that comes with knowing that the cable will detach easily and won’t drag my MacBook to its doom if I trip over the cord.
The webcam can shoot 1080p video, as it does with the Air, but it lacks Center Stage, which pans and zooms to keep you in the center of the frame. (It’s a good thing there’s no webcam hole.) And although you get a Liquid Retina display on the Neo, it doesn’t have Apple’s True Tone technology, which uses ambient light sensors to adjust white balance so text and images look more natural and accurate. Most people won’t miss either of these last two items.
Don’t forget the memory
For most people choosing between the MacBook Air and Neo, the biggest drawback will be the 8GB of RAM. I suspect the A18 Pro’s hexa-core processor will do a reasonably good job of running MacOS. It’s the RAM that makes me nervous.
In this era of The shortage of RAM drives up pricesIt should come as no surprise that Apple only included 8GB of RAM on the Neo. It makes sense why you can’t upgrade the Neo’s memory to 16GB.
Apple charges $200 to go from 16GB of RAM to 24GB on the MacBook Air. Adding $200 to the cost of the Neo plus the $100 cost of 512GB (because most people won’t do one without the other), you’re suddenly looking at a price of $899 for the Neo. At this price, you’re entering MacBook Air territory.
Unless you absolutely insist on keyboard, touchpad, Thunderbolt 4 or MagSafe support, the decision between a MacBook Neo or Air will come down to memory. If you keep things casual, 8GB of RAM will suffice for the Neo. After all, until the M3 Air, the base models only had 8GB of memory and had no trouble running MacOS. However, for heavier loads when you’re doing some graphics or AI work — or you’re just a multitasker who finds yourself switching between many, many apps every day — it makes sense to spend the extra money on a MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM.