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Apple’s next big hit is here. The colorful new budget MacBook Neo debuted to rave reviews, and a couple configurations were already backordered weeks out the day after its March 11 launch. With a starting price of just $599 (or $499 for students), the Neo marks an exciting entry-level addition to Apple’s lineup — not to mention brutal competition for cheap Windows laptops.
We’ve already stacked the Neo against the latest MacBook Air, which Apple just updated with a supercharged M5 chip. But how does the Neo compare to older MacBook Airs? Previous models with M1, M2, M3, and M4 chips are still somewhat readily available, mainly on the refurbished market, and they can be viable options for budget buyers, too. Let’s dive right into the nitty-gritty details.
MacBook Neo vs. older MacBook Airs: Specs
The MacBook Neo is Apple’s smallest laptop in seven years.
Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
As a refresher, here’s a brief M-series MacBook Air release timeline:
Unlike the MacBook Airs, which run on ARM-based laptop silicon, the MacBook Neo runs on an iPhone processor — the A18 Pro chip, specifically. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as you’ll see later in the “Performance” section. Smartphone chips are crazy-overpowered nowadays.
The MacBook Neo’s memory is fixed at 8GB. (This is probably its biggest drawback.) Most older MacBook Airs also start with 8GB of RAM, but users have the option to upgrade them. The M1 model can get bumped to 16GB of RAM, while the M2 and M3 models are configurable with up to 24GB of RAM. The M4 MacBook Air starts with 16GB of memory and maxes out with 32GB.
With the MacBook Neo, you can take your pick from two storage options. It comes with 256GB of disk space for $599 or 512GB for $699. (The latter also adds a Touch ID sensor to its power button.) The older MacBook Airs have four storage variants: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB.
The MacBook Neo and the M1 MacBook Air both come in one 13-inch size, but M1 Air is technically 13.3 inches on the diagonal, while the Neo measures 13 inches exactly. (It’s Apple’s smallest MacBook in seven years.) The M2, M3, and M4 MacBook Airs come in 13.6-inch and 15.3-inch sizes.
MacBook Neo vs. older MacBook Airs: Pricing and availability
Apple sold the M1 MacBook Air through Walmart for around $699 until early 2026.
Credit: Zlata Ivleva / mashable
Again, the MacBook Neo costs $599 or $699 depending on your storage and Touch ID preferences. College students, their parents, and school staff can save $100 on either configuration with the Apple Store’s clutch education discount.
The older M-series MacBook Airs originally started at $999 to $1,299, minus $100 for education buyers. Third-party retailers were still selling the M4 model in new condition as of mid-March — Apple only just discontinued it — though its availability fluctuates, and it’s usually full price or close to it. (Gone are the days of the $749 M4 MacBook Air deal.)
Refurbished M4 Airs aren’t dramatically cheaper yet: At present, they range from $899 to $1,199 in limited configurations. Expect to see steeper price cuts in about a year or so.
M1, M2, and M3 MacBook Airs are pretty rare to find in stock brand-new these days. (Apple no longer sells the M1 through Walmart.) So if you want one of those models, you’ll have to lean on the refurbished market. They tend to be much more tempting buys at $800 or less, but they tend to sell out much faster as a result.
For reference, here’s how much Best Buy was charging for new-to-you base models at the time of writing. M2 and M3 variants with double the RAM were $50 extra:
Mashable Light Speed
The Neo is still cheaper than most of your refurbished options, with or without Apple’s education offer. But can it handle your daily workload? That’s the real question.
MacBook Neo vs. older MacBook Airs: Performance
The M2 MacBook Air is roughly 14 percent faster in multi-core scenarios compared to the MacBook Neo.
Credit: Molly Flores / Mashable
Here at Mashable dot com, we measure laptops’ performance by having them run Primate Labs’ Geekbench 6 CPU test. This industry-standard benchmark produces two kinds of scores: a single-core score, which tells us how snappy the laptop will feel in everyday tasks (like web browsing), and a multi-core score, which tells us how well it can plow through more intensive workloads (like video rendering). The higher the scores, the better.
Apple’s overachieving A-series chips have been making iPhones as powerful as some laptops for years, so it’s actually not that weird to see one fueling a MacBook.
The MacBook Neo offers M4-tier single-core performance and M1-level multi-core performance. Since it’s geared toward users with basic needs, that single-core result is more important — and very impressive. It means the Neo will feel just as zippy as a pricier last-gen MacBook Air when you’re sending emails or online shopping. It definitely punches above its budget price point in this regard.
That isn’t to say the Neo won’t be usable for some lighter multi-core work. (Our tech editor used one to edit a simple video in Final Cut Pro.) It just won’t be nearly as good for running a bunch of heavier apps at the same time. You’ll want an M3 or M4 MacBook Air for that, or possibly even a MacBook Pro.
MacBook Neo vs. older MacBook Airs: Battery life
The M3 MacBook Air offers about 21.5 hours of battery life.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
Apple rated the MacBook Neo for up to 16 hours of video playback and all of the older MacBook Airs for up to 18 hours. We put those claims through our own video rundown test to see how they translate to real-world use.
Indeed, all of the MacBook Airs from the past six years outlast the MacBook Neo, which has an actual battery life of around 15 hours of video playback per charge. It should still get you through a full day of school or travel with some juice to spare.
For what it’s worth, the Neo’s 15-hour runtime beats our current battery life medians for Windows laptops and Chromebooks (14 hours and 10 hours, respectively).
MacBook Neo vs. older MacBook Airs: Design
The M4 MacBook Air features an incredible 12MP Center Stage webcam.
Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable
The MacBook Neo has the same fully aluminum build as all of the older MacBook Airs. It’s roughly the same size as the M1 MacBook Air, but its chassis is shaped more like the M2 to M4 MacBook Airs. Those three models have a flat “slab” design, while the M1 MacBook Air has a tapered “wedge” design. (Read more about the MacBook Air’s 2022 makeover.)
The MacBook Neo weighs the same as a 13-inch M2, M3, or M4 MacBook Air, but it’s slightly thicker. The M1 MacBook Air is both heavier and thicker than all of them.
Apple had to make some hardware sacrifices to make the MacBook Neo cheap from the jump, but it’s nicer than the M1 MacBook Air in a few small ways:
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Display: The Neo’s display lacks the Airs’ True Tone feature for natural-looking colors, but it has the same 60Hz refresh rate and crisp Liquid Retina technology. It’s just as bright as the M2 to M4 models’ screens; the M1 Air is slightly dimmer.
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Keyboard: The Neo lacks keyboard backlighting and Touch ID (unless you pay $100 extra).
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Trackpad: The Neo’s mechanical touchpad lacks haptic feedback.
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Webcam: The Neo’s camera has same 1080p resolution as the M2 and M3 Airs’ webcam. It’s better than the M1 model’s 720p camera but worse than the M4 model’s 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View support. It’s housed in the upper bezel of the Neo’s display (an M1 Air relic), not a notch.
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Speakers: The Neo has two fewer speakers than the 13-inch M2, M3, and M4 Airs. (Their 15-inch counterparts have two more speakers for a total of six.) The Neo does support Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos like the M2 to M4 Airs, but it lacks their dynamic head tracking support with AirPods. The M1 Air has Dolby Atmos but no Spatial Audio.
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Mic array: The Neo has one fewer mic than the M-series Airs (two instead of three).
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Ports: The Neo lacks the Airs’ speedy Thunderbolt ports. The M3 and M4 models can also drive an extra external display (two instead of one).
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Connectivity. The Neo has same WiFi 6E tech as the M3 and M4 Airs (the M1 and M2 models have WiFi 6). The Neo has newer Bluetooth 6 tech than all of the older Airs.
MacBook Neo vs. older MacBook Airs: Colors
The MacBook Neo comes in four colors: citrus, indigo (both pictured), blush, and silver.
Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
The MacBook Airs come in neutrals. (Let’s not pretend that “sky blue” is anything more than a cooler gray.) The Neo, in contrast, is available in a few wilder new colors:
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M1 MacBook Air — silver, space gray, and gold
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M2 MacBook Air — silver, space gray, starlight, and midnight
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M3 MacBook Air — silver, space gray, starlight, and midnight
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M4 MacBook Air — silver, starlight, midnight, and sky blue
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MacBook Neo — silver, indigo, blush, and citrus
“Wild” is relative, by the way. My kingdom for a (PRODUCT)RED MacBook.
Final thoughts: Should you get a MacBook Neo or an older MacBook Air?
Neo or nah?
Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
Your decision will come down to two factors: what you need your MacBook for and how much you want to spend on it.
The MacBook Neo is a basic starter PC with limited RAM and features, but an enticingly affordable price. It’s technically not designed to compete with MacBook Airs, but I can see shoppers with ultra-strict budgets weighing it closely against a cheap base M1 MacBook Air. In this case, I’d go with the Neo for future-proofing and vastly better single-core performance. The fact that it’s missing True Tone, backlighting, a haptic touchpad, and Thunderbolt support shouldn’t be dealbreakers for students and casual users with light workloads.
If you already own an M1 MacBook Air, don’t bother buying a Neo. It would be a lateral move, not an upgrade.
A MacBook Air with an M2 chip or newer is a better, more well-rounded laptop than the Neo in almost every way; I think creative professionals and multitasking-happy business users who rely on heavier apps will see plenty of merit in the price bump. Try to find a configuration with at least 16GB of RAM — and be prepared to maybe hunt around for a while, since retailers’ inventories can be fickle. With the global RAM shortage driving up new laptop prices, and the M5 MacBook Air now starting at $1,099 — an excellent value, but still — I expect M2 to M4 Airs in new or good used condition to fly off shelves in the coming months.
