The MacBook Neo Looks Like a Hit for Students. Should Anyone Else Choose It Over the Air?

Even before the introduction of the MacBook Neo, Apple had a great student laptop. The MacBook Air is our current pick as the best laptop for college students. So in addition to competing against Chromebooks and budget Windows laptops, the new MacBook Neo is also going up against the MacBook Air for school laptop buyers. 

Given the large price difference between the Neo and Air, I think we’ll see tons of colorful MacBook Neos in schools by next fall. It looks like a 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 those that are missing.

MacBook Neo vs. MacBook Air

For $599, or just $499 with Apple’s educational discount, the MacBook Neo significantly lowers the entry price for MacBook shoppers. The Neo arrives on the heels of the new M5 MacBook Air, which raises the Air’s price by $100 to $1,099. That likely puts the Air beyond many student budgets.

There’s also last year’s M4 MacBook Air to consider. It can usually be found for less than $1,000 at Amazon. Right now, it’s selling for $899. 

With M4 MacBook Air models still readily available, budget laptop shoppers have three MacBook options.

The fact that the price gap between the MacBook Neo and the discounted M4 MacBook Air is greater 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 $1,099 M5 Air. Only $200 separates the older M4 Air and the new M5 Air.

We don’t yet know how the MacBook Neo with its A18 Pro processor and 8GB of unified memory will measure up to a MacBook Air with an M4 or M5 chip and 16GB of RAM.

I can tell you right now, however, that if you’re a creator who uses photo- or video-editing apps or plan to use Apple Intelligence or run other AI workloads, a MacBook Air is the better choice for the additional GPU cores and greater memory allotment. You’re stuck with the Neo’s 8GB of RAM; the only upgrade offered for it is doubling the storage to a 512GB SSD for $100.

The Neo makes more sense as a MacBook for casual use around the house. Think of it as an oversized, nontouch iPad with an attached keyboard. It will let you browse the web, watch shows and movies, edit photos and videos you took with your iPhone, and respond to texts using a keyboard. It’s also compact and portable, with a lightweight aluminum body, and will no doubt make an easy travel companion. 

What’s missing on the Neo

The MacBook Neo’s most pleasant surprise was the size of the display. Rumors had swirled that Apple would keep costs in check 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 only slightly smaller than the Air’s 13.6-inch display. Plus, it’s a Liquid Retina display with a relatively high resolution of 2,408×1,506 pixels. 

Still, a number of items that you get with the Air are missing on the Neo.

Let’s start with the input devices. The keyboard doesn’t have backlighting, which is a bummer since that shows up on even the most budget of Windows laptops and Chromebooks at this price. The basic keyboard also lacks Touch ID. You have to spend $100 on the 512GB SSD to get Touch ID, a feature I couldn’t live without on my MacBook. Also, the touchpad is mechanical and not the lovely Force Touch haptic touchpad found on the Air. 

Ports are also a downgrade. Instead of a pair of speedy Thunderbolt 4 ports, the two USB-C ports are of the slower USB 3 and USB 2 variety. And you’ll need to use one of them to charge the Neo because 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 knowing that the cable will disconnect with ease and not pull my MacBook to its doom if I trip over the cord.

The webcam can do 1080p video, as you get with the Air, but it lacks Center Stage, which pans and zooms to keep you in the middle of the frame. (It is nice that there’s no webcam notch, though.) And while you get a Liquid Retina display on the Neo, it doesn’t have Apple’s True Tone technology that uses ambient light sensors to adjust the 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 deciding between a MacBook Air and Neo, the biggest drawback will be the 8GB of RAM. I suspect the six-core A18 Pro will do a reasonably good job of running MacOS. It’s the RAM that makes me nervous.

In this era of RAM shortages driving up pricing, it should come as no surprise that Apple went with only 8GB of RAM on the Neo. And it makes sense why you can’t upgrade the Neo’s memory to 16GB. 

Apple charges $200 to go from 16GB to 24GB of RAM on the MacBook Air. Adding $200 to the cost of the Neo on top of the $100 charge for the 512GB (because most people wouldn’t do one without the other), and you’re suddenly looking at a price of $899 for the Neo. At that price, you’re entering MacBook Air territory. 

Unless you absolutely insist on keyboard backing, a haptic touchpad, Thunderbolt 4 or MagSafe, the decision between MacBook Neo or Air will come down to the memory. If you keep things casual, then the Neo’s 8GB of RAM will suffice. After all, up until the M3 Air, the base models had just 8GB of memory and didn’t struggle to run MacOS. Still, for heavier lifting where you’re doing some graphics or AI work — or you’re just a serious multitasker and find yourself juggling many, many apps every day — then it makes sense to spend the extra money on a MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM.