MacBook Neo vs MacBook Air M5 — how do they compare and which should you buy?
MacBook Neo vs MacBook Air M5 — how do they compare and which should you buy?
Publish Date: 2026-03-08 15:00:00
Source Domain: www.techradar.com
Apple announced a clutch of new laptops last week, and two models in particular will catch the eye of the typical consumer: the MacBook Air M5 and MacBook Neo.
The former is the latest instalment in what was Apple’s most affordable MacBook line-up, while the latter now takes the crown of the most wallet-friendly laptop in Apple’s roster.
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Clearly, though, Apple has made compromises in the spec of the Neo, which starts at $599 / £599 / AU$899 for the entry-level laptop, making it by far the cheapest MacBook ever seen (at launch). The MacBook Air M5, meanwhile, starts at $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,799 for the 13-inch version.
If you want to know the main differences between these two Apple laptops, that’s exactly what we’re going to cover in this concise roundup of comparative specs.
First, we’ll outline the key specs in a head-to-head table, before moving on to discuss these points in more depth. We’ll weigh up the relative merits of both these new MacBooks, so you can see which might be better suited to your needs overall.
- Apple MacBook Neo at Apple for $599
MacBook Neo vs MacBook Air M5: Base specs
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| Header Cell – Column 0 | MacBook Neo | MacBook Air M5 13-inch |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | A18 Pro (6‑core CPU, 5‑core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine) | M5 (10‑core CPU, 8‑core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine) |
| RAM | 8GB | 16GB |
| Storage | 256GB | 512GB |
| Display | 13-inch Liquid Retina (2,408 x 1,506 resolution) | 13.6-inch Liquid Retina (2,560 x 1,664 resolution) |
| Price | $599 / £599 / AU$899 | $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,799 |
MacBook Neo vs MacBook Air M5: Design
(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
Apple’s MacBook Air M5 retains the same design as its predecessor with the M4 chip. That’s not a negative point, though, as…
