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

Even before the presentation of the MacBook NeoApple had a great student laptop. THE MacBook Air is our current choice as best laptop for students. So, in addition to competing with Chromebooks And budget Windows laptopsThe new MacBook Neo also takes on the MacBook Air for school laptop buyers.

Given the big price difference between the Neo and the Air, I think we’ll see tons of colorful MacBook Neos in schools by next fall. This seems 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 which ones are missing.

MacBook Neo versus MacBook Air

For $599, or just $499 with Apple’s educational discount, the MacBook Neo significantly reduces the price of entry for MacBook buyers. The Neo arrives on the heels of the new MacBook Air M5, which increases the price of the Air by $100 to $1,099. This likely puts the Air beyond the budget of many students.

There’s also last year’s MacBook Air M4 to consider. It’s usually found for under $1,000 on Amazon. At the moment it is sold for $899.

With the M4 MacBook Air models still available, budget laptop buyers have three MacBook options.

The fact that the price gap between the discounted MacBook Neo and M4 MacBook Air is greater than that of the M4 Air and M5 Air makes a compelling argument in favor of the Neo. The Neo is $300 less than the discounted M4 Air and $500 less than the $1,099 M5 Air. Just $200 separates the old M4 Air and the new M5 Air.

It’s not yet clear how the MacBook Neo with its A18 Pro processor and 8GB of unified memory will compare to a MacBook Air with an M4 or M5 chip and 16GB of RAM.

However, I can tell you right now 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 extra GPU cores and larger memory allocation. You’re stuck with the Neo’s 8GB of RAM; the only upgrade offered is doubling the storage to a 512GB SSD for $100.

The Neo makes more sense as a MacBook for occasional home use. Think of it as an oversized, non-touch iPad with a connected keyboard. It will let you browse the web, watch shows and movies, edit photos and videos you’ve taken with your iPhone, and respond to text messages using a keyboard. It’s also compact and portable, with a lightweight aluminum body, and will undoubtedly make an easy travel companion.

What’s missing on the Neo

The most pleasant surprise of the MacBook Neo was the screen size. There were rumors that Apple would control costs by equipping the Neo with a 12-inch screen. So I was happy to see the Neo get a 13-inch screen that’s only slightly smaller than the Air’s 13.6-inch screen. Additionally, it is a Liquid Retina display with a relatively high resolution of 2408 x 1506 pixels.

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

Let’s start with input devices. The keyboard doesn’t have a backlight, which is a shame because it shows up even on the most budget-friendly Windows laptops and Chromebooks at this price. The base 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. Additionally, the touchpad is mechanical and not the nice Force Touch haptic touchpad found on the Air.

The ports are also a downgrade. Instead of a pair of speedy Thunderbolt 4 ports, the two USB-C ports are USB 3 and slower USB 2. And you’ll need to use one 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 with knowing that the cable will disconnect easily and not bring my MacBook to its doom if I trip on the cord.

The webcam can shoot 1080p video, as is the case with the Air, but it doesn’t have Center Stage, which pans and zooms to keep you in the middle of the frame. (It’s 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 that text and images appear more natural and crisp. Most people won’t miss either of these last two items.

Don’t forget the memory

For most people choosing between a MacBook Air and a Neo, the biggest drawback will be the 8GB of RAM. I suspect the six-core A18 Pro will do a pretty good job running macOS. It’s the RAM that makes me nervous.

In this era of RAM shortages are driving up pricesIt’s no surprise that Apple opted for just 8GB of RAM on the Neo. And it makes sense that you can’t upgrade the Neo’s memory to 16GB.

Apple charges $200 to upgrade from 16GB to 24GB of RAM on the MacBook Air. By adding $200 to the cost of the Neo on top of the $100 for the 512GB (because most people wouldn’t do one without the other), you suddenly get a price of $899 for the Neo. At this price, you’re entering MacBook Air territory.

Unless you absolutely insist on keyboard support, a haptic touchpad, Thunderbolt 4, or MagSafe, the decision between MacBook Neo or Air will come down to memory. If you’re keeping it casual, the Neo’s 8GB of RAM will be enough. After all, until the M3 Air, base models only had 8GB of memory and had no trouble running MacOS. Still, for heavier tasks where you’re doing graphics or AI work – or if 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.