MacBook Neo versus an old MacBook Air: good luck
Published: (March 4, 2026 at 11:21 AM EST)
1 min read
Source: The Verge
Source: The Verge
Are you the one?
Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge
My first thought when Apple announced the MacBook Neo today was “okay, but why not just get an older Air?” If you’re thinking that too, you might be right—if you can find one.
The Neo starts at $599 with an A18 Pro processor, 8 GB of memory, and 256 GB of storage, and ends at $699 with the same specs plus Touch ID and 512 GB of storage. It has two USB‑C (not Thunderbolt) ports, a fairly basic‑looking screen, a mechanical trackpad instead of a haptic one, and various other cost‑saving measures. It’s the cheapest new MacBook you can get now.
The new M5 MacBook Air starts at $1,099 with 16 GB of memory and 512 GB of much faster storage, a bigger and brighter …