Is the new Apple MacBook Neo better than the M1 MacBook Air? 

Is the new Apple MacBook Neo better than the M1 MacBook Air? 

Is the new Apple MacBook Neo better than the M1 MacBook Air? 

https://tech.sportskeeda.com/laptops/is-new-apple-macbook-neo-better-m1-macbook-air

Publish Date: 2026-03-08 09:18:00

Source Domain: tech.sportskeeda.com

The newly launched Apple MacBook Neo is creating waves in the market even before it goes on sale, thanks to its really affordable $599 price tag. However, it is powered by the Apple A18 Pro, which is actually an iPhone chipset. Therefore, the MacBook Neo is obviously no match for the newer MacBook Air models with Apple M-series chips.

However, the question is: Is the MacBook Neo better than the first Apple Silicon MacBook Air, which features the M1 chip? Let’s compare the two laptops and find out.

Note: The base models of the two laptops were used for this comparison.

Apple MacBook Neo vs M1 MacBook Air: Detailed comparison

Specs comparison

Here are the specs of the Apple MacBook Neo and MacBook Air with the M1 chip:

Specifications Apple MacBook Neo Apple MacBook Air (M1 chip)
Display 13-inch Liquid Retina screen
2408×1506 resolution at 219 PPI
16:10 aspect ratio
60Hz refresh rate
500 nits peak brightness
13.3-inch Liquid Retina screen
2560×1600 resolution at 227 PPI
16:10 aspect ratio
60Hz refresh rate
400 nits peak brightness
True Tone technology
CPU Apple A18 Pro 6-core CPU Apple M1 8-core CPU
Memory 8 GB LPDDR5 memory (Soldered)
60 GB/s memory bandwidth
8/16 GB LPDDR5X Unified memory (Soldered)
68.25 GB/s memory bandwidth
GPU Apple A18 Pro 5-core GPU (Binned) Apple M1 7-core GPU
Storage 256GB/512GB PCIe Gen 4 unified SSD (Soldered) 256GB/512GB/1TB/2TB PCIe Gen 4 unified SSD (Soldered)
Battery 36.5Wh 49.9Wh

Design, build quality, and display

Apple MacBook Neo vs M1 MacBook Air (Image via Apple)Source