MacBook Air or MacBook Neo: Which Apple laptop should you buy?

Apple released a bunch of new laptops recently, which means it might be time to buy one if you’ve been waiting for the right time. The MacBook Air used to be the best laptop for most people with its 13.6-inch display and plenty of speed.

Now, with the MacBook Neo, the question of which Apple laptop to buy is a little trickier. The Neo has a 13-inch display and interesting colors, but most importantly, it has a $599 starting price.

In short, the Neo’s limitations make it suitable for basic needs, but it won’t be for everyone. The MacBook Air is powerful enough for nearly any task, but its $1,100 price can be prohibitively high. After covering computers and all kinds of consumer electronics for over a decade, it’s exciting to see Apple address even more types of buyers. Let’s dive into how they compare and which might be the right one for you.

An introduction to the MacBook Neo

The MacBook Neo is designed to be someone’s first Mac. It’s meant to compete against Chromebooks and low-priced Windows laptops. If you have an iPhone but have been hesitant to buy an Apple computer because you’re not familiar with the software, the Neo may be a perfect option.

The MacBook Neo is a great companion to an iPhone. Things like Messages, Photos, and Safari tabs will all sync between the two devices. You can AirDrop files between the computer and the phone. You can even copy text on one and paste it wirelessly on the other one.

While the Mac software isn’t exactly the same as the software on an iPhone, it should seem very familiar. You’ll find all your apps like Apple Music, Apple TV, Podcasts, Apple News, Notes, Reminders, Maps, and the App Store.

The MacBook Air can do all of these things, too. The difference is about $500. So, if you’re considering an Apple laptop for the first time, spending less on one will make it a lot less intimidating.

MacBook Air vs MacBook Neo: Design

The first thing you’ll notice about the MacBook Neo is that its color choices are bolder than the Air’s. It comes in Blush, Indigo, Citrus, and Silver. The MacBook Air comes in four colors, too, but they’re much subtler. Sky Blue, Silver, and Starlight are all very light and may all seem silver, depending on the lighting. The Midnight color is distinguishable for its dark mix of blue and black.

The second thing you’ll notice about the two machines is that there’s a slight difference in the screen size. The Neo is 13 inches diagonally, while the Air is 13.6 inches. You won’t notice the smaller size unless you compare the two next to each other.

Each of the computers has 500 nits of brightness, so they’ll look about the same outdoors in the daytime. The Air does have an ambient light sensor, so it can adjust the brightness and tone based on where you’re using the computer. The Neo lacks that sensor.

Both computers weigh 2.7 pounds and are a similar size. The Neo is about half an inch less deep and around 1cm less wide. It’s also 0.14cm taller.

The physical size won’t be very noticeable, but the Neo’s lack of a backlit keyboard will be, if you’ve ever used one before. On the MacBook Air, light shines through the keyboard letters so you can use it more easily in the dark.

Both computers have two USB-C ports for charging and plugging in flash drives. The Air’s ports are faster for transferring data if you’re backing up data to an external drive.

MacBook Air vs MacBook Neo: Performance

The MacBook Air and MacBook Neo have some differences in their appearance, but they’re largely the same shape and size. The performance of these computers is where they really diverge.

The MacBook Air has an M5 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. The M5 processor means that it will run coding tasks and handle intense video editing much faster than the Neo’s A18 Pro processor.

Tasks like web browsing, checking email, making graphics for social media accounts, using Google Docs, and streaming video will all work fine on the Neo.

The Neo comes with 8GB of RAM, which may eventually limit running more than several tasks at once. The amount of storage you need, either 256GB or 512GB, will depend on whether you want to store more photos and files on the computer.

For people doing more intensive work like programming and app development, the Air will handle those tasks much better. The Neo will likely still be able to dabble in those things, but people will be much happier with the experience the Air provides for those things.

MacBook Air vs MacBook Neo: Battery life and the finer details

For battery life, the Neo has around 16 hours, while the Air has around 18 hours. The Air wins here, but it’s close enough that most people won’t notice a difference.

The Neo has a front FaceTime camera, but it doesn’t have the Center Stage feature, which moves around and keeps you in the middle. There’s also one less mic in the Neo than the Air, so two mics instead of three. The MacBook Air’s mic system is incredibly good, so hopefully the Neo having one less isn’t too much worse.

The Neo comes with a 20W charger, instead of the 40W one for the Air. The Neo will charge slower, at the same speed as the iPhone 16 Pro, than the Air.

Should you buy an Apple MacBook Air or MacBook Neo?

Although the MacBook Air used to be the lowest-cost Apple laptop for a long time, it has slowly inched up to be much faster since 2020, thanks to Apple’s processing chips. As the Air became more capable, it created space below it for a more entry-level portable Apple computer.

You can think of Apple’s laptops as good, better, and best for the Neo, Air, and Pro.

For $599, the price of the MacBook Neo, you can get an iPad Air or a regular iPad with an Apple Magic Keyboard Folio. So, if you heavily use an iPad for computing tasks, but are shopping for a laptop, the Neo will feel snappier and probably feel like a better experience overall.

If you’re worried about only having 8GB of RAM, not having a high impedance headphone jack, or only one USB 3 Type-C port (and one USB 2), then you should get the MacBook Air. If you recognize those things as being a potential need, then you should strongly consider the Air. But if those things aren’t really a concern, then the Neo will be a great fit for you.