Versus Engine
Apple MacBook Neo vs Apple MacBook Pro 16" (M3 Max)
Specs, price and the one trade-off that actually decides it — Apple MacBook Neo against Apple MacBook Pro 16" (M3 Max), side by side.
Cheaper to start
Apple MacBook Neo
Starts about $2,800 lower.
Rated higher
Apple MacBook Pro 16" (M3 Max)
9.8 vs 8.8 on our design scale.
Standout
Apple MacBook Neo
All-aluminium build at $699
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
- DisplayLiquid Retina display 13.0-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2 2408-by-1506 native resolution at 219 pixels per inch 500 nits brightness Support for 1 billion colors sRGB color
- architecture—
- Audio PlaybackSupported formats include AAC, MP3, Apple Lossless, FLAC, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby Atmos
- battery—
- Battery and PowerUp to 16 hours video streaming Up to 11 hours wireless web Built-in 36.5‐watt‐hour lithium‐ion battery 20W USB-C Power Adapter USB-C Charge Cable (1.5 m)
- Built-in AppsApp Store Books Calendar Contacts FaceTime Find My Freeform Games GarageBand Home iMovie iPhone Mirroring Journal
- Charging and ExpansionOne USB 3 (USB-C) port with support for: Charging DisplayPort USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s) One USB 2 (USB-C) port with support for: Charging USB 2 (up to 480Mb/s) 3.5 mm headphone jack
- chassisAluminium, no plastic parts
- ChipApple A18 Pro chip 6‐core CPU with 2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores 5‐core GPU Hardware‐accelerated ray tracing 16‐core Neural Engine 60GB/s memory bandwidth
- coloursIndigo, blush, citrus, silver
- cpu_cores—
- External Display SupportSupports one external display with up to a native resolution of 4K at 60Hz 4 Simultaneously supports the built-in display at full native resolution USB 3 (USB-C) port supports native DisplayPort 1.4 speeds (up to HBR3)
- fabrication_process—
- gpu_cores—
- Keyboard and TrackpadMagic Keyboard 78 (ANSI) or 79 (ISO) keys including 12 full-height function keys – Not available, Touch ID Multi-Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and support for gestures Magic Keyboard with Touch ID
- M1 Max chip—
- M1 Pro chip—
- M2 chip—
- M2 Max chip—
- M2 Pro chip—
- M2 Ultra chip—
- M3 chip—
- M3 Pro chip—
- M3 Ultra chip—
- M4 chip—
- M4 Max chip—
- M4 Pro chip—
- M5 Max chip—
- M5 Pro chip—
- M5 Ultra chip—
- M6 chip—
- Memory8GB 8GB unified memory
- memory_bandwidth—
- neural_engine—
- Operating SystemmacOS
- Size and WeightHeight: 0.50 inch (1.27 cm) Width: 11.71 inches (29.75 cm) Depth: 8.12 inches (20.64 cm) Weight: 2.7 pounds (1.23 kg) 6
- Storage256GB 256GB SSD
- storage_base256GB (512GB at $799)
- unified_memory—
- Video PlaybackSupported formats include HEVC, H.264, AV1, and ProRes HDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10+/HDR10, and HLG
Apple MacBook Pro 16" (M3 Max)
Apple's 16-inch laptop with the M3 Max chip, a 40-core GPU and up to 128GB of unified memory at 400GB/s.
Where it wins, where it doesn't
Pros
- Equipped with a powerful M3 Max chip featuring a 16-core CPU and 40-core GPU.
- Up to 128GB of unified memory running at 400GB/s for efficient data handling.
- Supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing for advanced graphics processing.
Cons
- The high price of $3499 may limit its appeal to a broader audience.
Specifications
- Display16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR (3456x2234, 120Hz ProMotion)
- architectureARMv8.6-A (Apple Silicon)
- Audio Playback—
- battery100-watt-hour lithium-polymer
- Battery and Power—
- Built-in Apps—
- Charging and Expansion—
- chassis—
- Chip—
- colours—
- cpu_cores16-core (12 performance, 4 efficiency)
- External Display Support—
- fabrication_process3nm (TSMC N3B)
- gpu_cores40-core (Hardware-accelerated ray tracing)
- Keyboard and Trackpad—
- M1 Max chip10-core CPU with 8 performance cores and 2 efficiency cores Up to 32-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine 400GB/s memory bandwidth
- M1 Pro chip10-core CPU with 8 performance cores and 2 efficiency cores 16-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine 200GB/s memory bandwidth
- M2 chip8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores 10-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine 100GB/s memory bandwidth
- M2 Max chip12-core CPU with 8 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores Up to 38-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine 400GB/s memory bandwidth
- M2 Pro chip12-core CPU with 8 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores 19-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine 200GB/s memory bandwidth
- M2 Ultra chip24-core CPU with 16 performance cores and 8 efficiency cores Up to 76-core GPU 32-core Neural Engine 800GB/s memory bandwidth
- M3 chip8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores 10-core GPU Hardware-accelerated ray tracing 16-core Neural Engine 100GB/s memory bandwidth
- M3 Pro chip12-core CPU with 6 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores 18-core GPU Hardware-accelerated ray tracing 16-core Neural Engine 150GB/s memory bandwidth
- M3 Ultra chipUp to 32-core CPU with 24 performance cores and 8 efficiency cores Up to 80-core GPU Hardware-accelerated ray tracing 32-core Neural Engine 819GB/s memory bandwidth
- M4 chip10-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores 10-core GPU Hardware-accelerated ray tracing 16-core Neural Engine 120GB/s memory bandwidth
- M4 Max chipUp to 16-core CPU with 12 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores Up to 40-core GPU Hardware-accelerated ray tracing 16-core Neural Engine Up to 546GB/s memory bandwidth
- M4 Pro chip14-core CPU with 10 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores 20-core GPU Hardware-accelerated ray tracing 16-core Neural Engine 273GB/s memory bandwidth
- M5 Max chip18-core CPU with 6 super cores and 12 performance cores Up to 40-core GPU Neural Accelerators Hardware-accelerated ray tracing 16-core Neural Engine Up to 614GB/s memory bandwidth
- M5 Pro chipUp to 18-core CPU with 6 super cores and 12 performance cores Up to 20-core GPU Neural Accelerators Hardware-accelerated ray tracing 16-core Neural Engine 307GB/s memory bandwidth
- M5 Ultra chipUp to 36-core CPU with 12 super cores and 24 performance cores Up to 80-core GPU Neural Accelerators Hardware-accelerated ray tracing 32-core Neural Engine 1.2TB/s memory bandwidth
- M6 chip12-core CPU with 2 super cores, 4 performance cores, and 6 efficiency cores 12-core GPU Neural Accelerators Hardware-accelerated ray tracing Dual 16-core Neural Engine Up to 170GB/s memory bandwidth
- Memory—
- memory_bandwidth400 GB/s
- neural_engine16-core (18 TOPS)
- Operating System—
- Size and Weight—
- Storage—
- storage_base—
- unified_memoryUp to 128GB LPDDR5
- Video Playback—