Until now, the MacBook Air was the lowest-cost MacBook, and the new MacBook Neo is only cheaper because it drops certain features. Here's what you have to give up, large and small, and whether it's worth it.
Perhaps the overriding issue over the MacBook Neo is whether it is powerful enough for what you need to do, and for most people, it will be. Yet to get a lower cost, there are key things that the MacBook Neo has to lack compared to the next model, the MacBook Air.
The most visible of these is the screen — but then probably only if you put them side by side. Even though both models are said to have 13-inch screens, the MacBook Air's one is actually 13.6 inches.
There's no difference in the brightness of the two, although the MacBook Pro's screen is twice as bright as either the MacBook Neo or MacBook Air. There is a fractional difference in resolution, and the MacBook Neo lacks True Tone.
Storage, RAM and ports
The MacBook Neo starts at 256GB storage, and can be configured to 512GB. In comparison, the MacBook Air starts at 512GB, and can go to 1TB, 2TB, or 4TB.
Similarly, the MacBook Neo comes with 8GB RAM, but the MacBook Air starts at 16GB RAM. The MacBook Air can also be configured with 24GB RAM, or 32GB RAM.
There are no options for more RAM on the MacBook Neo.
Both devices come with two ports for connecting peripherals. But the MacBook Neo's ports are USB-C where the MacBook Air's are the notably faster Thunderbolt 4.
The MacBook Neo's ports are more limited than those on the MacBook Air
These are issues that will concern heavier users, such as people needing to do video editing work and the like. That's not what the MacBook Neo is going to be ideal for.
Size and weight
The MacBook Neo is, though, going to be carried around. Its weight of 2.7 pounds is identical to that of the MacBook Air.
Otherwise, its dimensions are mostly smaller. The MacBook Neo is 11.71 inches wide, compared to the MacBook Air's 11.97 inches.
Then the depth of the MacBook Neo is 8.12 inches, where that of the MacBook Air is 8.46 inches. The MacBook Neo height is more, though, at 0.5 inches compared to 0.44 inches with the MacBook Air.
Cameras and sound
The MacBook Neo does not have a notch, it keeps its front-facing camera in the bezel around the screen. But then that camera is a 1080p FaceTime one, where the MacBook Air has the superior 12MP Center Stage one.
That means the MacBook Air has the better camera for video calls. But it also means that the MacBook Neo will not have Desk View.
The MacBook Neo's colors include a new citrus one
Don't expect the MacBook Neo to have as good a speaker or microphone system as the MacBook Air. It does, though, support Spatial Audio through its built-in speakers.
Smaller differences
The MacBook Air now supports Wi-Fi 7, which is faster but not yet commonly used. The MacBook Neo has the older Wi-Fi 6E.
You may be more concerned about the trackpad, because here the MacBook Neo has a particular compromise. On the MacBook Air, the trackpad is a Force Touch one, which means it allows for pressure-sensitive drawing, plus force clicks.
There's also the fact that the MacBook Neo's battery will not last as long as the one in the MacBook Air. Apple claims up to 11 hours of wireless web browsing on the MacBook Neo, compared to 15 hours on the MacBook Air.
The battery in the MacBook Air also supports fast charging, while the MacBook Neo's one does not.
What you might miss most
If you are coming from the MacBook Air, or the MacBook Pro, to the base MacBook Neo, there is one thing you will miss. The $599 version of the MacBook Neo does not include Touch ID.
This is one of those features where if you have it, you know very well how useful it is for logging in to websites and confirming payments.
And Apple does make Touch ID an option. If you spend $100 more, you get a MacBook Neo with Touch ID — and 512GB storage.
All of these differences have one thing in common, though. In every case, the difference is something that if you haven't had the better option, you will simply not notice.
