MacBook Neo vs MacBook Air M5: Which laptop to choose in 2026

What is it

The MacBook Neo was announced on March 4, 2026, and went on sale on March 11. It is the first Mac powered by an A-series chip rather than an M-series chip—the same type found in iPhones. The starting price is $599, and $499 for students and educators. Apple positions the Neo as an entry point into the Mac ecosystem, sitting below the Air and Pro in the hierarchy.

The MacBook Air M5 is a completely different story. It is the flagship of the lineup for most users: it features an M5 chip with a 10-core CPU, standard 16 GB of RAM, and a base storage capacity of 512 GB—twice that of its M4 predecessor. It offers up to 18 hours of battery life and supports Wi-Fi 7. The 13-inch version starts at $1,099.

Chip and Performance

The main difference lies in the processors. The MacBook Neo runs on the A18 Pro: a six-core CPU with two performance cores and four efficiency cores. In Geekbench 6 tests, it scores 3,461 in single-core mode and 8,668 in multi-core mode—significantly better than the MacBook Air with the M1 chip.

The MacBook Air M5 is more powerful, and the gap is noticeable. In a Handbrake test converting an hour-long video to 1080p, the Air M5 completed the task in 4 minutes and 53 seconds—23.7% faster than the M4. In Geekbench 6, it scores 3,901 in single-core mode and 16,798 in multi-core mode. This means that in multi-core performance, the Air M5 nearly doubles the Neo's score.

An important nuance: thanks to the efficient A18 Pro chip, the MacBook Neo uses passive cooling and operates completely silently. The Air M5 is also fanless, but under sustained loads, it heats up more due to its more powerful chip.

Display

Both devices feature 13-inch Liquid Retina displays, but there is a nuance. The MacBook Air M5 supports the wide P3 color gamut and adapts color temperature to room lighting, which reduces eye strain. The MacBook Neo lacks P3 support—its display is basic, although bright: a resolution of 2408×1506, up to 500 nits of brightness, and support for a billion colors.

The Neo's screen is perfectly fine for watching videos and studying. For color-critical work, photography, or video editing, the Air M5 is preferable.

Battery Life

In a looped 4K video test, the MacBook Neo lasted 13 hours and 57 minutes—only 2 hours and 41 minutes less than the MacBook Air M5. There is a gap, but it is not catastrophic. Apple officially rates the Air at up to 18 hours of battery life, while the Neo is rated for up to 16 hours during video streaming.

Design and Build

The MacBook Neo features a sturdy aluminum body, not plastic—something competitors in the same price range completely lack. The keyboard is similar to that on the Air M5 and is quite comfortable for long work sessions.

The Neo is available in four colors: Silver, Blush, Citrus, and Indigo—each with a keyboard matching the body color. The Air M5 looks more strict and "mature," although the design has remained virtually unchanged since 2022.

Who Should Choose What

The MacBook Neo is your choice if:

— your budget is limited
— you are a student, schoolchild, or buying a laptop for basic tasks: studying, web browsing, email, and simple spreadsheets
— you occasionally need to edit 4K video—the Neo handles this as well
— silent operation is crucial.

The MacBook Air M5 is your choice if:

— you need serious multitasking: running several heavy applications simultaneously
— you work professionally with photos or video and color accuracy is important
— you want a device with a lifespan of more than five years
— expandable memory up to 32 GB and storage up to 4 TB are important.