Versus Engine
Apple MacBook Neo vs MacBook Pro 16" M4 Max
Specs, price and the one trade-off that actually decides it — Apple MacBook Neo against MacBook Pro 16" M4 Max, side by side.
Cheaper to start
Apple MacBook Neo
Starts about $2,700 lower.
Rated higher
MacBook Pro 16" M4 Max
9.2 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
- chipApple A18 Pro
- memory8GB
- chassisAluminium, no plastic parts
- coloursIndigo, blush, citrus, silver
- display13-inch, 2408 x 1506
- storage_base256GB (512GB at $799)
- NPU—
- RAM—
- Ports—
- Weight—
- Battery—
- Display—
- Storage—
- Processor—
MacBook Pro 16" M4 Max
A flagship mobile workstation designed for peak performance-per-watt and heavy local AI inference.
Where it wins, where it doesn't
Pros
- Unmatched battery life under heavy load
- Class-leading NPU performance
- Phenomenal display
Cons
- Extremely expensive memory upgrades
- Closed ecosystem restricts some open-source tools
Specifications
- chip—
- memory—
- chassis—
- colours—
- display—
- storage_base—
- NPU38 TOPS (Neural Engine)
- RAMUp to 128GB Unified
- Ports3x Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, SDXC, MagSafe 3
- Weight2.14 kg
- BatteryUp to 22 hours
- Display16.2" Liquid Retina XDR
- StorageUp to 8TB SSD
- ProcessorApple M4 Max