MacBook Neo vs. MacBook Air (M5): Comparing Apple's laptops

The MacBook Air has been Apple's entry-level offering since 2011, but as of this week, it's now a mid-tier upgrade. On March 4, the company announced that it's launching an all-new budget laptop called the MacBook Neo, which starts at just $599 — giving Chromebooks and cheap Windows laptops some fresh competition.

There's a $500 gap between the MacBook Neo and the latest base MacBook Air, which was just updated with the M5 chip. That accounts for some pretty big differences on their spec sheets related to processor types, RAM and storage options, display quality, battery life, and more. Let's dive right into a MacBook Neo vs. MacBook Air comparison.

MacBook Neo vs. MacBook Air (M5): Pricing and specs

The 13-inch M5 MacBook Air starts at $1,099, while the 15-inch version starts at $1,299. The Apple Store's education discount knocks $100 off for college students, their parents, and school staff.

Both sizes of the M5 MacBook Air are kitted with the following specs:

• Processor: M5 chip with a 10-core CPU and an 8-core or 10-core GPU

• Memory: 16GB, 24GB, or 32GB RAM

• Storage: 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, or 4TB SSD

• Display: 13.6-inch or 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display

The M5 MacBook Airs have double the starting storage of their predecessors — 512GB instead of 256GB. While they don't come in that lesser configuration anymore, they're $100 cheaper than their M4 counterparts with 512GB of disk space. Their 4TB storage upgrade is also new.

The M5 MacBook Air's MSRP gave Apple a lot of breathing room in pricing the MacBook Neo, but it's even cheaper than some analysts expected. The base configuration with 256GB of storage is only $599, and a 512GB model is just $699. Once again, students and educators can save $100 by buying direct.

The MacBook Neo is only available in one 13-inch size:

• Processor: A18 Pro chip with 6-core CPU and 5-core GPU

• Memory: 8GB RAM

• Storage: 256GB or 512GB SSD

• Display: 13-inch Liquid Retina display

The MacBook Neo's specs are more "iPad in spirit," to quote Mashable's Stan Schroeder. It starts with half the memory and storage of the MacBook Air, and that RAM isn't upgradable. It also runs on a pared-down iPhone chip. (The 2024 iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max had an A18 Pro chip with one extra GPU core.) Overall, it's much less future-proofed than the Air.

MacBook Neo vs. MacBook Air (M5): Performance predictions

Apple's mobile chips are zippy — there's an older A16 chip in the current iPad — but don't expect the A18 Pro to vie with Apple's M-series silicon in any serious way. We got a taste of the M5 chip's multitasking prowess in the base 14-inch MacBook Pro last fall, and it's astonishingly fast, earning a Geekbench 6 multi-core score of 17,470. (That's our main CPU performance benchmark.) At the time of writing, the M5 MacBook Pro outperforms 90 percent of the laptops in our current testing database, including many Windows PCs that cost hundreds or thousands of dollars more.

Apple's M4 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro had close Geekbench 6 scores, so I expect the M5 MacBook Air to notch a mid-17,000s multi-core number, too. If that pans out, it'll have an unrivaled price-to-performance ratio among ultraportables.

The A18 Pro nabbed an average Geekbench 6 multi-core score of 8,166 when we tested it in the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, so I'm thinking the MacBook Neo will be about half as fast as the M5 MacBook Air. The Air should feel much snappier in everyday scenarios and have a much higher performance ceiling to run more demanding apps.

That said, the MacBook Neo will probably be a strong performer compared to other options at its low price point. In a press release, Apple claimed the A18 Pro chip is up to 50 percent faster for everyday tasks like web browsing, and up to three times faster when running local AI workloads, compared to the latest mid-range Intel Core Ultra 5 chip in top-selling Windows laptops. Of note, Apple says it still supports Apple Intelligence features on device.

A Geekbench 6 multi-core score in the lower 8,000s would make the MacBook Neo about as fast as the M1 MacBook Air (8,783), which Apple sold through Walmart for around $699 from 2024 to early 2026. That would also put it in the same realm as two high-end Chromebooks we've tried, the Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14 (7,680) and the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 (7,187), which both have MediaTek's Kompanio Ultra 910 chip.

I'll add that the MacBook Neo is fanless, so it should run as quietly as a MacBook Air, if not nearly as fast.

MacBook Neo vs. MacBook Air (M5): Battery life

The MacBook Neo will likely be Apple's shortest-lasting laptop, but it should still get you through a full school or workday. It has a 36.5Wh battery that's rated at up to 16 hours of video playback, while the MacBook Air has a 53.8Wh battery that's rated at up to 18 hours of video streaming.

The M4 MacBook Air had the same 18-hour rating but lasted nearly 20 hours when tested, so expect both of those numbers to vary slightly in practice.

MacBook Neo vs. MacBook Air (M5): Design

The MacBook Neo and the MacBook Air look pretty similar — both have an aluminum chassis with rounded edges — but there are a few key design differences separating them. For two, the Neo has larger bezels surrounding its display and lacks a webcam notch. It also comes in different colors, including a flashy new yellow hue called "citrus":

• MacBook Neo colors: Silver, indigo, blush, and citrus

• MacBook Air colors: Silver, starlight, midnight, and sky blue

The MacBook Neo is slightly thicker and smaller than the 13-inch Air, but they both weigh the same:

• MacBook Neo: 11.71 x 8.12 x 0.5 inches, 2.7 pounds

• 13-inch MacBook Air: 11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches, 2.7 pounds

MacBook Neo vs. MacBook Air (M5): Display

The MacBook Neo and the smaller MacBook Air are both classified as 13-inch laptops, but the Air's display is a little bigger than that. It's like how Microsoft has a 13-inch Surface Laptop and a 13.8-inch Surface Laptop.

The MacBook Neo's display has a 2,408 x 1,506 resolution and an anti-reflective coating, while the 13-inch MacBook Air's display has a 2,560 x 1,664 resolution and a glossy finish. The MacBook Air supports a broader color gamut on top of Apple's True Tone display technology, which adjusts its picture based on ambient lighting. This means colors will look more lifelike on it.

Both MacBooks' displays have a 60Hz refresh rate and 500 nits of brightness.

MacBook Neo vs. MacBook Air (M5): Keyboard and trackpad

The MacBook Neo and the MacBook Air both have a full-sized Magic Keyboard. Touch ID comes standard on the Air, but if you want it on the Neo, you have to upgrade to the $699 model with 512GB of storage. The MacBook Air's keyboard has backlighting; the MacBook Neo's does not.

The MacBook Air has a Force Touch trackpad with haptic feedback, gesture controls, and input sensitivity. (It can perform different actions based on how hard you press.) The MacBook Neo has a clickier mechanical Multi-Touch trackpad with gesture support.

MacBook Neo vs. MacBook Air (M5): Audio

Music and movies should sound better on the MacBook Air: It has four speakers to the Neo's two. However, both models support Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio. The Neo just lacks dynamic head tracking support with AirPods.

The MacBook Neo has a dual-mic array, while the MacBook Air has a three-mic array.

MacBook Neo vs. MacBook Air (M5): Webcam

The MacBook Air has a fantastic 12MP webcam that supports Center Stage, a tool that keeps you centered in frame, as well as Desk View, a feature that produces an overhead shot of your desktop. As mentioned above, it's housed in an (ugly) webcam notch that juts down into the top of the screen.

The MacBook Neo has a 1080p webcam, so its picture is going to look fuzzier, but it's located within the display's upper bezel. No notch!

MacBook Neo vs. MacBook Air (M5): Connectivity

Both new MacBooks have two USB-C ports on the upper-left sides of their bases (near their hinges), but with the Neo, you miss out on Thunderbolt 4 for faster data transfer speeds. Both models charge through those ports, though the Air has an extra dedicated MagSafe 3 charging port that frees them up for other peripherals.

One of the Neo's USB-C ports can support a 4K external monitor while its own display is active. Conversely, the Air has open-lid support for two 4K monitors or one 8K monitor over either of its USB-C ports.

The MacBook Neo has an audio jack on the left side of its base near its trackpad. The MacBook Air's audio jack is located on the opposite side, and it has added support for high-impedance headphones.

The Neo and the Air both support Bluetooth 6, the latest Bluetooth standard, but their WiFi standards differ. The Air supports WiFi 7, the newest, fastest WiFi standard, while the Neo supports older WiFi 6E tech.

MacBook Neo vs. MacBook Air (M5): Which model is better for you?

The MacBook Neo is technically a "worse" laptop than the M5 MacBook Air in almost every way, but it's also geared toward a very different kind of user. As someone in the r/technology subreddit observed: "If you even understand the difference between 8 vs 16 GB of RAM, you're not the target" for the Neo. (This echoes the broader Chromebook vs. laptop debate.)

In the Neo, Apple skimps on specs so it can offer its signature premium build quality and polished, reliable operating system at a lower price point. It's effectively a MacBook "SE" in all but name. On paper, it seems ideal for those who don't need a ton of power, like kids and people who were already using their iPads as laptops. I could also see existing MacBook Air and Pro owners buying a Neo as a secondary laptop for travel.

The M5 MacBook Air will veer into "overkill" territory for those folks, but others will find its boosted performance, higher-end components, and extra future-proofing worth the $500 upcharge. Apple considers the Air's user base to be college students, creative professionals, and business users, according to a press release.

As a final note, I'll just mention that both new MacBooks seem like an exceptional value compared to other options at their respective price points — especially if you can take advantage of Apple's education pricing. We'll be testing both models soon, so stay tuned for some more formal hands-on reviews and analysis.

Both new MacBooks are available for preorder ahead of their official launches on Wednesday, March 11.