 (2).png){kind=logo}
2 hours ago
3
Apple's instauration of the MacBook Neo expands the company's laptop lineup with a acold much affordable introduction point, sitting good beneath the ‌MacBook Air‌ successful some terms and capability. While the 2 machines stock a akin size and lightweight design, they are aimed astatine precise antithetic types of users. The MacBook Neo focuses connected delivering the essentials of the Mac acquisition astatine the lowest imaginable cost, portion the ‌MacBook Air‌ offers importantly much performance, features, and flexibility.
Design
The MacBook Neo and the 13-inch ‌MacBook Air‌ person akin dimensions. The ‌MacBook Air‌ remains thinner, but the MacBook Neo has a somewhat smaller wide footprint owing to its smaller display. Both machines measurement 2.7 pounds (1.23 kg).
| 0.50 inch (1.27 cm) | 0.44 inch (1.13 cm) |
| 11.71 inches (29.75 cm) | 11.97 inches (30.41 cm) |
| 8.12 inches (20.64 cm) | 8.46 inches (21.5 cm) |
There are inactive immoderate notable plan differences. The MacBook Neo does not person a backlit keyboard oregon a haptic trackpad, and lone has Touch ID erstwhile configured with 512GB of retention for an other $100. They are besides disposable successful antithetic selections of colour options, with the MacBook Neo's colour extending to the Magic Keyboard successful a lighter shade.
| Available successful Silver, Blush, Indigo, and Citrus | Available successful Silver, Sky Blue, Midnight, and Starlight |
| ‌Touch ID‌ connected 512GB models only | ‌Touch ID‌ |
| Magic Keyboard oregon Magic Keyboard with ‌Touch ID‌ | Backlit Magic Keyboard with ‌Touch ID‌ |
| Color-matched Magic Keyboard | Black Magic Keyboard |
| Mechanical Multi-Touch trackpad | Haptic Force Touch trackpad with pressure-sensing capabilities |
| Display "notch" |
Display
The ‌MacBook Air‌'s show is somewhat larger and supports True Tone and P3 wide color. Both are Liquid Retina displays with 500 nits of brightness.
| 13-inch Liquid Retina display | 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display
(15-inch exemplary besides available) |
| 2408 by 1506 pixel resolution | 2560 by 1664 pixel resolution |
| sRGB | Wide colour (P3) |
| True Tone technology | |
| Thicker show borders | Slimmer show borders |
Performance
The MacBook Neo is Apple's archetypal Mac to incorporate an iPhone chip. The A18 Pro is inactive a susceptible chip, but the M5 is astir 20% faster for single-core tasks and 80% faster for multi-core tasks. The M5 spot besides has much than treble the GPU throughput of the A18 Pro and features Neural Accelerators.
| Apple A18 Pro chip | Apple M5 chip |
| Made with TSMC's second-generation 3nm process (N3E) | Made with TSMC's third-generation ‌3nm‌ process (N3P) |
| 6-core CPU | 10-core CPU |
| 5-core GPU | 8-core GPU |
| Neural Accelerators | |
| 8GB unified memory | 16GB, 24GB, oregon 32GB unified memory |
| 60GB/s representation bandwidth | 153GB/s representation bandwidth |
Battery and Charging
The ‌MacBook Air‌ has up to 2 hours of other artillery beingness implicit the MacBook Neo, on with enactment for charging via MagSafe 3 and accelerated charging.
| Integrated 36.5-watt-hour lithium-ion battery | Integrated 53.8-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery |
| 16-hour artillery life | 18-hour artillery life |
| ‌MagSafe‌ 3 charging | |
| Fast-charge susceptible with 70W USB-C Power Adapter oregon higher | |
| Comes with 20W USB-C Power Adapter | Comes with 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max |
Cameras, Speakers, and Microphones
The ‌MacBook Air‌ has a superior array of camera and audio hardware, resulting successful a somewhat amended acquisition with video calls, listening to music, and signaling audio.
| 1080p FaceTime HD camera | 12MP Center Stage camera |
| LED webcam indicator light | |
| Desk View support | |
| Dual-speaker dependable system | Four-speaker dependable system |
| Spatial Audio with dynamic caput tracking erstwhile utilizing supported AirPods | |
| Dual-mic array with directional beamforming | Three-mic array with directional beamforming |
Connectivity
The MacBook Neo's connectivity is much constricted than that of the ‌MacBook Air‌. While some person 2 USB-C ports, the ‌MacBook Air‌'s are considerably much susceptible successful presumption of information transportation and outer show support.
| Wi-Fi 6E connectivity | Wi-Fi 7 connectivity |
| One USB 3 (10 Gb/s) larboard and 1 USB 2 larboard (480 Mb/s) | Two Thunderbolt 4 ports (40 Gb/s) |
| Support for 1 4K outer show astatine 60Hz | Support for 2 6K outer displays up 60Hz oregon 4K astatine 144Hz |
| 3.5mm headphone jack | 3.5mm headphone jack with enactment for high-impedance headphones |
| Magnetic ‌MagSafe‌ 3 charging port |
Other Differences
The astir important quality betwixt the MacBook Neo and the ‌MacBook Air‌ is price: The ‌MacBook Air‌ costs $500 more. It is besides overmuch much configurable, with higher amounts of representation and retention available.
| Ambient airy sensor | |
| 256GB oregon 512GB storage | 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, oregon 4TB storage |
| Starts astatine $599 | Starts astatine $1,099 |
Which to Choose?
Choosing betwixt the MacBook Neo and the ‌MacBook Air‌ chiefly comes down to however demanding your needs are and however overmuch you privation to spend. The MacBook Neo is intelligibly positioned arsenic Apple's astir accessible notebook, delivering the halfway Mac acquisition astatine the lowest imaginable price. For users who chiefly request a reliable machine for basal mundane tasks, the Neo provides capable performance. Its little outgo besides makes it an appealing enactment for households purchasing aggregate computers, specified arsenic for kids oregon household use.
For first-time Mac owners, the MacBook Neo is besides apt to beryllium the astir sensible starting point. It offers the aforesaid bundle acquisition arsenic Apple's much costly laptops, allowing caller users to research the level without a ample fiscal commitment. In galore cases, buyers moving from inexpensive Windows laptops oregon Chromebooks volition find the Neo importantly faster and amended built than devices successful the aforesaid terms range.
The ‌MacBook Air‌, by contrast, is aimed astatine users who expect higher performance, greater longevity, and a much feature-rich, premium experience. Its much almighty M5 chip, representation options, larger display, and importantly much susceptible connectivity marque it acold amended suited to multitasking, nonrecreational workloads, and originative applications. Users who regularly enactment with ample files, tally demanding software, link aggregate outer displays, oregon privation a instrumentality that volition stay comfy to usage for galore years volition payment from choosing the Air.
In applicable terms, the MacBook Neo is champion viewed arsenic a fund introduction constituent into the Mac lineup, portion the ‌MacBook Air‌ remains Apple's mainstream ultraportable for astir people. Buyers who simply privation a dependable Mac for mundane computing tin prevention wealth with the Neo, but those who privation stronger performance, amended hardware features, and a laptop that volition standard to much demanding tasks implicit clip should see spending the other wealth connected the ‌MacBook Air‌.
Related Roundup: MacBook Air
Tag: MacBook (A18 Pro)
Buyer's Guide: 15" MacBook Air (Buy Now), 13" MacBook Air (Buy Now)
Related Forum: MacBook Air
This article, "MacBook Neo vs. MacBook Air Buyer's Guide: 40 Differences Compared" archetypal appeared connected MacRumors.com
Discuss this article successful our forums
English (US) ·