- Operating System
-
macOS 26
- CPU
-
A18 Pro
- RAM
-
8GB
- Storage
-
256GB, 512GB
-
- Operating System
-
macOS 26
- CPU
-
M5
- RAM
-
16GB, 24GB
- Storage
-
512GB, 1TB, 2TB
Apple recently announced a wave of new products, including the iPhone 17e, the M4 iPad Air, and the M5 MacBook Air, but the announcement that’s arguably attracting the most attention is the new MacBook Neo.
The MacBook Neo is Apple’s long-awaited answer for people on a tight budget who want a MacBook rather than a Windows laptop. It starts at $600, which is substantially cheaper than the new M5 MacBook Air, which costs $1,100.
For anyone searching for a reliable laptop to browse the web, work, study, and watch movies or TV shows, the MacBook Neo is a very appealing choice. Personally, I wish something like this had been around when I was a student.
However, the MacBook Neo has some drawbacks. Since it’s $500 cheaper than the M5 MacBook Air, Apple has made some compromises to keep the cost down.
So if you’re thinking about buying a MacBook and want to decide whether the new MacBook Neo or the MacBook Air is the better choice for you, let’s take a closer look at the key differences, including performance, design, display, and battery.
Price, specs, and availability
- Operating System
-
macOS 26
- CPU
-
A18 Pro
- RAM
-
8GB
- Storage
-
256GB, 512GB
- Display (Size, Resolution)
-
13-inch Liquid Retina display
- Colors
-
Silver, Blush, Citrus, Indigo
- Starting Price
-
$600
- Operating System
-
macOS 26
- CPU
-
M5
- RAM
-
16GB, 24GB
- Storage
-
512GB, 1TB, 2TB
- Display (Size, Resolution)
-
13.6-inch, 15-inch
- Colors
-
Sky blue, Silver, Starlight, Midnight
- Starting Price
-
$1,100
Both the M5 MacBook Air and MacBook Neo are now available for pre-order and will launch on March 11.
The M5 MacBook Air starts at $1,100 and is powered by Apple’s new M5 chipset, has 512GB of base storage, 16GB of RAM, and has a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display. The Air comes in four colors: sky blue, silver, starlight, and midnight.
On the other hand, the MacBook Neo starts at $600, and is powered by Apple’s A18 Pro chipset, has 256GB of base storage, 8GB of RAM, and a 13-inch Liquid Retina display. The Neo comes in four colors: silver, blush, citrus, and indigo.
The M5 MacBook Air is also available with a larger 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display, starting at $1,300. For this comparison with the MacBook Neo, I’m focusing on the 13.6-inch M5 MacBook Air.
Performance
A18 Pro vs M5
Considering the MacBook Neo costs only $600, the big question on many people’s minds is performance, and rightly so. What garnered a lot of attention when the Neo was revealed was its processor. It’s powered by Apple’s A18 Pro chipset rather than an M-series chip, marking the first time a MacBook has ever used an iPhone chipset.
While we don’t have exact benchmarks for the Neo yet, the A18 Pro was used in the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max, and those phones were exceptionally fast. Apple even claims the A18 Pro is “up to 50 percent faster for everyday tasks than the bestselling PC with the latest shipping Intel Core Ultra 5.”
The version of the A18 Pro in the MacBook Neo has a 6-core CPU and a 5-core GPU, while the M5 chip in the MacBook Air features an 8-core CPU and a 10-core GPU. Of course, core count alone doesn’t tell the whole story, but the M5 has already appeared in the MacBook Pro, and it’s one of the fastest chips Apple has made (aside from the M5 Pro and M5 Max). It’s significantly faster than the A18 Pro for demanding tasks like photo and video editing, gaming, 3D rendering, AI workloads, and more.
RAM is another crucial factor. The Neo comes with 8GB, while the M5 MacBook Air starts with 16GB, twice as much. For multitasking and heavier workloads, that extra memory in the Air will make it a more reliable option.
Design and build
There are similarities
The MacBook Neo and M5 MacBook Air share a very similar design and build. Both are made of 100 percent recycled aluminum, have rounded corners, and weigh 2.7lbs. Though there are a few key differences that separate the two (besides the different color options).
For starters, looking at the keyboards, the Neo doesn’t have a backlight keyboard like the MacBook Air, and the $600 version of the Neo doesn’t include Touch ID, which all versions of the MacBook Air do. If you’re unfamiliar with Touch ID, it’s a key on the top-right of the keyboard that lets you log into your Mac with your fingerprint, which is more secure and convenient.
You can get a MacBook Neo with Touch ID on the keyboard, but it’s included in the higher-end model that costs $700 and comes with 512GB of storage (rather than 256GB).
Looking at the trackpads, the MacBook Neo has a Multi-Touch trackpad that supports multiple-finger gestures, such as pinching to zoom, scrolling, and swiping between apps. The MacBook Air, on the other hand, has a more premium Force Touch trackpad. It supports all the same gestures as a Multi-Touch trackpad but also adds pressure sensitivity, so you can press harder to trigger actions like Force Click, which lets you quickly preview links or look up words.
Port-wise, the MacBook Neo has a headphone jack and two USB-C ports: one USB 3 port and one USB 2 port. While the M5 MacBook Air has a headphone jack, MagSafe 3 for charging, and two USB-C ports that are significantly more powerful because they support Thunderbolt 4, which enables data transfer rates of up to 40 Gbps — far higher than the maximum 10 Gbps rate of the Neo’s USB 3 port.
Display
Both displays are above 1440p
Turning to the displays, they’re quite similar. The MacBook Neo has a 13-inch Liquid Retina display with a 2408 x 1506 pixel resolution, 500 nits of brightness, and a 60Hz refresh rate.
The M5 MacBook Air, meanwhile, features a slightly larger 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display with a 2560 x 1664 pixel resolution, 500 nits of brightness, and the same 60Hz refresh rate. What the Air has that the Neo doesn’t is support for Wide Color (P3) and True Tone, which help make colors more accurate and adjust the screen’s white balance to match your environment.
Both the MacBook Neo and MacBook Air also have a camera built into the top of the display. The Neo includes a standard 1080p camera, while the MacBook Air has a more capable 12-megapixel Center Stage camera that supports 1080p video and features Desk View, which lets you share both your face and an overhead view of your desk if you want.
Battery
The MacBook Neo can last up to 16 hours
When it comes to battery life, the MacBook Neo and MacBook Air differ slightly. The MacBook Neo has a 36.5-watt-hour lithium-ion battery, which is smaller than the M5 MacBook Air’s 53.8-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery.
Even so, Apple claims the Neo can last up to 16 hours on a single charge, which isn’t far off from the MacBook Air’s claimed 18 hours.
Charging is another area where they differ. The MacBook Neo includes a 20W USB-C power adapter, while the M5 MacBook Air comes with a 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with a 60W max, so the Air will charge much faster. The Air also features a MagSafe 3 charging port, which lets the cable attach magnetically — handy if you accidentally trip over it, since it will automatically disconnect instead of dragging the laptop with it.
The Neo, on the other hand, charges with a standard USB-C cable, so if you trip over it, the laptop might be coming along for the ride.
Verdict: Is the MacBook Neo worth it over the M5 MacBook Air?
If you’re not doing anything performance-intensive, the Neo is a great choice
While the MacBook Neo does make some compromises compared to the M5 MacBook Air — in performance, display, battery life, and design — it’s tough to beat its value if you’re on a budget. At $600, you still get solid performance and a premium design, even though it’s $500 less than the M5 MacBook Air.
if you’re looking to save as much money as possible while still getting a reliable laptop, there’s simply nothing like the MacBook Neo on the market right now.
If all you need is a laptop that can handle everyday tasks, like browsing the web, responding to emails, studying, or doing schoolwork, the MacBook Neo is more than capable with its fast A18 Pro chip and 8GB of RAM. It’s only when you push into more demanding workloads that the Neo starts to show its limits. The M5 MacBook Air, with its M5 chip and 16GB of RAM, is much better suited for performance-heavy tasks like 4K video editing or gaming.
Ultimately, if you need more performance for what you’re doing and can stretch your budget, the M5 MacBook Air is the better choice. But if you’re looking to save as much money as possible while still getting a reliable laptop, there’s simply nothing like the MacBook Neo on the market right now.
-
- Operating System
-
macOS 26
- CPU
-
A18 Pro
- RAM
-
8GB
- Storage
-
256GB, 512GB
-
- Operating System
-
macOS 26
- CPU
-
M5
- RAM
-
16GB, 24GB
- Storage
-
512GB, 1TB, 2TB
