MacBook Neo vs. MacBook Air: What’s the difference?
MacBook Neo vs. MacBook Air: What’s the difference?
Publish Date: 2026-03-04 13:00:00
Source Domain: tech.yahoo.com
We know the colors are different, but how else do these two differ? (Apple)
Apple dropped some exciting news today regarding its MacBook lineup: we’re getting a new laptop that’s actually affordable. Apple dubbed it the MacBook Neo, and surprisingly it costs the same as an iPad Air — just $599 — which is mind-boggling. The lower price indicates that Apple is trying to bring more people into its ecosystem by making Macs “more accessible to millions of people around the world.”
But also this week, the MacBook Air got some updates, including Apple’s latest M5 and much more storage than before. But that also means it comes with a higher price tag. (You can check out everything Apple announced this week here.) Before the Neo, the Air was the “cheaper” option of the MacBooks, with the MacBook Pro offering the highest performance.
So when it comes to the new MacBook Neo and updated MacBook Air, how different are they really? Is it worth it to shell out a four-figure amount, or does the much cheaper Neo give you what you’ll need on the regular? I’ll walk you through how the Neo and Air stack up, and which one might fit your day-to-day the best.
Let’s start with the price
Before today, getting your hands on a MacBook for less than $1,000 after tax seemed almost impossible (unless you snagged a deep discount, bought one second-hand or got the student discount). So my jaw dropped a bit when I saw the Neo starts at just $599 — nearly half the price of the MacBook Air, which starts at $1,099 for the base 13-inch model with the M5 chip.
As a note, since the price is significantly lower, don’t expect all the bells and whistles that come with Apple’s higher-end laptops to be embedded into the MacBook Neo — we’ll get into that below.
Are the sizes and displays really different?
The MacBook Neo only comes in one size, with a 13-inch Liquid Retina display, while the MacBook Air is available in two sizes with either a 13.6-inch or 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display. With the Neo…
