Today, I’m going to answer a pretty simple question: should you buy the MacBook Neo or the MacBook Air? I’m going to compare them in a few different categories, including build quality, keyboard, battery life, price, screen, weight, and how long they might actually last. Then, at the end, I’ll tell you which one I think you should buy.
First, let’s start with the general feel of the computer. I have my MacBook Air with me right now, and this is actually my main computer. The keyboard is not the mushiest keyboard in the world, and it is definitely not like a mechanical keyboard, but I actually think it is really good for fast typing. Personally, I don’t always like mechanical keyboards for typing quickly because the keys can feel pretty large. The MacBook Air keyboard feels smaller, faster, and easier to type on. I’ve also tried my friend’s MacBook Neo, and its keyboard felt much mushier to me. So for keyboard feel, the first point goes to the MacBook Air.
Next is build quality. When I push down on my MacBook Air, everything feels solid. The screen stays in place pretty well, there is very little shaking, and the whole computer just feels sturdy. Surprisingly, the MacBook Neo also feels really well built. It doesn’t feel like some super-cheap plastic laptop. Both computers feel solid enough, so I’m giving both of them a point here.
Now let’s go back to the keyboard for one more thing: keyboard lighting. The MacBook Air has a backlit keyboard, while the base MacBook Neo does not. That might sound like a small thing, but if you ever use your computer in a darker room, it actually matters. That point definitely goes to the MacBook Air.
The trackpads are much closer. Both feel extremely precise and smooth, and I honestly don’t notice enough of a difference to declare a winner. Apple has always been really good at trackpads, and both computers feel excellent here, so I’m giving them both a point.
Next comes battery life. The MacBook Neo has very good battery life, but the MacBook Air still has the advantage. If you’re carrying your computer around school or working for a long time without a charger, that can matter quite a bit. So the Air gets another point.
But now we finally get to the category where the MacBook Neo fights back: price. This is probably its biggest advantage. The Neo was introduced at around $599, which is incredibly cheap for a Mac. When you compare that with a MacBook Air costing around twice as much depending on the configuration, suddenly the Neo starts making a lot more sense. The price difference is so huge that I’m giving the Neo two points for this category. You can complain about some of its missing features, but at this price, Apple clearly had to cut something.
Next is the camera. Here, I prefer the MacBook Air. If you use your laptop for FaceTime, Zoom, school meetings, or recording anything, the Air gives you the better overall experience. Another point goes to the MacBook Air.
Then we get to something I care about a lot: the screen. I tried displaying a really detailed, high-resolution Pokémon city landscape on both computers because I wanted something with enough detail to actually test the displays. There might have been a tiny difference between them, but honestly, it was difficult for me to tell whether I was actually seeing a difference or just expecting one. Both screens looked really good, so I’m not giving either computer a major advantage here.
Weight is another category where the Air earns its name. The MacBook Air is extremely easy to carry around, which is important if you’re bringing it to school every day. The Neo feels noticeably heavier to me. It isn’t unusably heavy, obviously, but when you compare them directly, the Air feels much more portable. For that reason, this point goes to the MacBook Air.
Another thing I care about is how many years you can realistically keep using the computer. This is harder to predict because nobody can know exactly how long a computer will last, but I would personally trust the MacBook Air more as a long-term computer. If I were buying something that I wanted to keep for five or six years, I would choose the Air. The Neo is cheaper and less powerful, so I would think of it more as a computer for basic schoolwork and everyday use rather than something I would expect to keep forever.
However, the MacBook Neo gets one final advantage: colors. The Neo comes in much more interesting colors, and I really like that Apple made a cheap laptop that doesn’t automatically look boring. You can choose colors such as blush, indigo, silver, and citrus. That makes the Neo feel more personal and fun, especially for students.
So after all of my completely scientific scoring, the MacBook Air still wins overall. But that doesn’t necessarily mean everyone should buy one.
If you have a bigger budget, you use your computer a lot, and you want something that you can probably keep for years, I would definitely choose the MacBook Air. If you need even more performance, you could obviously move up to a MacBook Pro. But for most people who want a really good everyday computer, the Air is probably the safest choice.
On the other hand, if you are a student, you mainly need a computer for schoolwork, browsing, documents, videos, and normal everyday things, and you really care about keeping the price down, the MacBook Neo makes a lot of sense. Not everybody needs a computer that they are going to keep for six years. Sometimes you just need something affordable that does the job.
So that’s my answer. The MacBook Air is the better computer, but the MacBook Neo might actually be the better deal. Which one you should buy depends on how much money you want to spend, how long you plan to keep it, and what you actually need your computer to do.
Next time you’re standing there trying to decide which MacBook to buy, hopefully now you know exactly which one you.
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