The new MacBook Neo is Apple's most affordable Mac notebook. At $599, it costs the same as the iPhone 17e. For educators and students, it comes in at an even lower price, just $499. However, as is understandable, Apple had to make some compromises. The MacBook Neo lacks a few features compared to the next most expensive Mac notebook, the MacBook Air. Let's take a closer look at the "shortcomings" of the new device compared to the most expensive MacBooks.
MacBook Neo – Processor
A18 Pro Chip: Apple is using an A-series chip instead of an M-series chip. It has the A18 Pro chip that was introduced in the iPhone 16 Pro, but it's a stripped-down. It has a six-core CPU and a five-core GPU, while the iPhone 16 Pro chip had a 6-core CPU and 6-core GPU.
RAM: The MacBook Neo comes with 8GB of non-upgradeable RAM . All other Macs start with 16GB. However, it supports Apple Intelligence, as 8GB is the minimum.
Memory bandwidth: Apple's chips use unified memory that's available to both the CPU and GPU. Memory bandwidth on the Neo is 60GB/s, less than half that of the MacBook Air.
Storage: The MacBook Neo starts with 256GB of storage, and there's only one upgrade to 512GB. Other Macs support SSDs with much higher capacities.
Wi-Fi: The MacBook Neo has Wi-Fi 6E, but not Wi-Fi 7, as Apple did not include the new N1 networking chip.
See also: New MacBooks come without a charger in the UK and EU
Battery and Charging
Battery capacity: The MacBook Neo is about the same size as the MacBook Air, but it has a shorter battery life. It lasts up to 16 hours when streaming video, while the MacBook Air lasts up to 18 hours. The battery has a capacity of 36.5 watt-hours (the MacBook Air has a 53.8 watt-hour battery).
Battery size: Since the MacBook Neo is thicker than the MacBook Air, it has more room for a battery, but Apple didn't take full advantage of the battery life, likely for cost reasons. Apple is using older battery technology or a smaller battery. Battery life should theoretically be even longer because the A18 Pro chip doesn't consume as much power as the M5.
No MagSafe: The MacBook Neo is limited to charging via USB-C and does not include a MagSafe port.
No fast charging: Apple ships the MacBook Neo with a 20W charger, and there's no mention of fast charging.
Doors
USB-C: There are two USB-C ports, one that is USB 3 and one that is USB 2. The USB3 port supports DisplayPort 1.4 and transfer speeds up to 10Gb/s, but the USB 2 port is limited to 480Mb/s.
Display support: The MacBook Neo only supports one external display at 4K 60Hz, although it may be possible to connect another with a third-party DisplayPort adapter.
No Thunderbolt: There are no Thunderbolt ports on the MacBook Neo because Thunderbolt is not supported.
No Studio Display: Since the Neo lacks Thunderbolt and is limited to 4K displays, it is not compatible with Studio Display.
See also: Apple introduced the new M5 MacBook Air
MacBook Neo design
Screen size: The MacBook Neo has a 13-inch screen, making it Apple's smallest Mac notebook.
Bezels: There's no notch on the Neo, but it does have thick iPad-style bezels on the top, bottom, and sides of the screen. The bezel hides the FaceTime camera.
Thickness: The Neo is a bit smaller than the MacBook Air in terms of length and width, but it's thicker at 0.50 inches (compared to the MacBook Air's 0.44 inches).
Screen
No True Tone: The MacBook Neo doesn't support True Tone, which is the white balance feature that adjusts the temperature of the display to match the ambient lighting in the room.
No P3 Wide color: sRGB is supported, but not P3 Wide color, so the MacBook Neo won't have colors as true as other Mac notebooks.
No ProMotion: As expected, the MacBook Neo is limited to a 60Hz refresh rate and does not support ProMotion.
Trackpad and Keyboard
Lighting: There is no lighting for the keyboard.
Touch ID: Touch ID is not included in the base 256GB model, but you can get it for an extra $100 for the 512GB model.
Trackpad: There's no Force Touch trackpad, with Apple opting for a less complex physical Multi-Touch trackpad. The button on the trackpad is a real button, rather than a virtual button with haptic feedback. There's no pressure-sensing, Force clicks, or pressure-sensitive drawing option.
See also: Apple introduces M5 Pro and M5 Max processors
Speakers and Camera
FaceTime camera: The MacBook Neo has a 1080p FaceTime HD like older Macs, instead of the newer 12-megapixel Center Stage camera that Apple has added to its newer models. There is no Center Stage or Desk View.
Camera light: There's no little light to alert you when the MacBook Neo's camera is active (instead, a warning will appear in the menu bar).
Speakers: The MacBook Neo has audio system located on the outer sides of the device. The MacBook Air has a quad-speaker audio system with richer sound.
Microphones: There are only two microphones, but Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum are supported for better clarity on calls.
Headphone jack: There is a 3.5mm headphone jack, but it does not support high-impedance headphones.
Advantages of the MacBook Neo
Although the MacBook Neo has a simplified feature set compared to other Mac models, its price is tempting. $599 for a Mac is an incredible deal, and the A18 Pro chip is more than adequate for everyday use and the kind of work that students do.
It's not the best choice for 3D rendering, running local AI models, editing video, or similar creative tasks, but it'll do those things at a basic level. It's an ideal MacBook for anyone who doesn't need more than a machine for browsing the web and other light tasks.
The MacBook Neo is available for pre-order now and is scheduled to ship on Wednesday, March 11.
