Even before the introduction of the MacBook Neo, Apple had a great student laptop. The MacBook Air is our current pick as the best laptop for college students. So in addition to competing against Chromebooks and budget Windows laptops, the new MacBook Neo is also going up against the MacBook Air for school laptop buyers.. Given the large price difference between the Neo and Air, I think we’ll see tons of colorful MacBook Neos in schools by next fall. It looks like a hit for student budgets, but should you consider buying a MacBook Neo if you’re already out of school?. Let’s take a closer look at the new Neo to see what features it offers and those that are missing.. MacBook Neo vs. MacBook Air. For $599, or just $499 with Apple’s educational discount, the MacBook Neo significantly lowers the entry price for MacBook shoppers. The Neo arrives on the heels of the new M5 MacBook Air, which raises the Air’s price by $100 to $1,099. That likely puts the Air beyond many student budgets.. There’s also last year’s M4 MacBook Air to consider. It can usually be found for less than $1,000 at Amazon. Right now, it’s selling for $899.. With M4 MacBook Air models still readily available, budget laptop shoppers have three MacBook options.. MacBook Neo and MacBook Air compared. Price $599$899$1,099. CPU A18 ProM4M5. No. of CPU cores 61010. No. of GPU cores 588. RAM 8GB16GB16GB. Storage 256GB256GB512GB. Screen size 13 in13.6 in13.6 in. Screen resolution 2,408×1,506 pixels2,560×1,664 pixels2,560×1,664 pixels. Weight 2.7 lbs2.7 lbs2.7 lbs. Dimensions (HWD) 0.5 x 11.71 x 8.12 in0.44 x 11.97 x 8.46 in0.44 x 11.97 x 8.46 in. Connections USB-C x2, headphoneThunderbolt 4 x2, headphone, MagSafe 3Thunderbolt 4 x2, headphone, MagSafe 3. Battery 36.5-watt‑hour52.6-watt‑hour53.8-watt‑hour. The fact that the price gap between the MacBook Neo and the discounted M4 MacBook Air is greater than that of the M4 Air and M5 Air makes a compelling case for the Neo. The Neo costs $300 less than the discounted M4 Air and $500 less than the $1,099 M5 Air. Only $200 separates the older M4 Air and the new M5 Air.. We don’t yet know how the MacBook Neo with its A18 Pro processor and 8GB of unified memory will measure up to a MacBook Air with an M4 or M5 chip and 16GB of RAM.. I can tell you right now, however, that if you’re a creator who uses photo- or video-editing apps or plan to use Apple Intelligence or run other AI workloads, a MacBook Air is the better choice for the additional GPU cores and greater memory allotment. You’re stuck with the Neo’s 8GB of RAM; the only upgrade offered for it is doubling the storage to a 512GB SSD for $100.. The Neo makes more sense as a MacBook for casual use around the house. Think of it as an oversized, nontouch iPad with an attached keyboard. It will let you browse the web, watch shows and movies, edit photos and videos you took with your iPhone, and respond to texts using a keyboard. It’s also compact and portable, with a lightweight aluminum bo
