Versus Engine
Apple MacBook Air (M5) vs Apple MacBook Neo
Specs, price and the one trade-off that actually decides it — Apple MacBook Air (M5) against Apple MacBook Neo, side by side.
Cheaper to start
Apple MacBook Neo
Starts about $400 lower.
Rated higher
Apple MacBook Air (M5)
9.6 vs 8.8 on our design scale.
Standout
Apple MacBook Air (M5)
Completely silent under normal load
Apple MacBook Air (M5)
The fanless efficiency benchmark: desktop-class work in a silent chassis, from $1,099.
Where it wins, where it doesn't
Pros
- Completely silent under normal load
- Battery life that removes charger anxiety
- Very light for the performance on offer
Cons
- Throttles under sustained load — no fan to shed heat
- Not suitable for serious local model inference
- Memory and storage fixed at purchase
Specifications
- chip—
- memory—
- chassis—
- colours—
- display—
- storage_base—
Apple MacBook Neo
Apple's entry laptop from $699 — the first MacBook running an iPhone chip.
Where it wins, where it doesn't
Pros
- All-aluminium build at $699
- A18 Pro delivers iPhone-class efficiency and battery life
- Cheapest credible path into macOS
Cons
- 8GB of memory and a 256GB base, neither upgradeable
- Display is a step below the Air
- A18 Pro is a phone chip — sustained workloads are not its job
Specifications
- chipApple A18 Pro
- memory8GB
- chassisAluminium, no plastic parts
- coloursIndigo, blush, citrus, silver
- display13-inch, 2408 x 1506
- storage_base256GB (512GB at $799)