15 Features Missing From the MacBook Neo

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Apple’s MacBook Neo is exactly the laptop many budget-conscious users have been looking for. It costs under $500 for students ($599 for everyone else) and has good enough specs to be a great entry-level laptop for most users. However, making it a “budget laptop” requires sacrificing some features. As a result, the MacBook Neo lacks some of the features you might expect from a MacBook. Here are the key compromises Apple made to keep the Neo’s price down.

The base model does not have Touch ID.

The base model MacBook Neo doesn’t have a Touch ID fingerprint scanner, meaning you’ll have to manually enter your passwords every time. While some might prefer this over a fingerprint scanner, I’d rather pay the extra $100 for it. This version also comes with 512GB of storage, while the base model only has 256GB.

It lacks a backlit keyboard.

Apple’s MacBook laptops have traditionally featured a backlit keyboard to make typing visible even in low-light conditions. Unfortunately, this feature was removed in the MacBook Neo for cost reasons, but in bright conditions or for those who don’t look at the keyboard while typing, it won’t make much of a difference.

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You won’t get a True Tone display.

Apple’s True Tone feature automatically adjusts image color and intensity to match the ambient light, no matter where you are. This means the display won’t be blindingly bright in low light, and colors will appear more natural in a variety of lighting conditions. However, the MacBook Neo doesn’t have an ambient light sensor, so don’t expect True Tone support.

There is no option to increase the amount of RAM.

My main laptop is still a MacBook Air M1 with 8GB of RAM. I have no complaints about it, but it did slow down a couple of times when running multiple applications simultaneously. Sometimes I regret not spending a little more money on 16GB of RAM. Unfortunately, the MacBook Neo doesn’t have that option. 8GB should be sufficient for now if you don’t use the laptop intensively, but it could become an issue in the long run.

There is no fast charging function.

Unlike most other MacBooks, the Neo doesn’t support fast charging and ships with a 20W USB-C adapter. However, this should be enough to charge the 36.5 Wh battery, which is smaller than the 53.8 Wh battery in the MacBook Air m5.

What do you think at the moment?

You won’t find any Thunderbolt ports.

The MacBook Neo has two USB-C ports (one USB 3 and one USB 2), but neither supports Thunderbolt. This won’t be a problem for most users, but if you use any Thunderbolt-only accessories, such as docks or external displays, they won’t work with the MacBook Neo.

The Force Touch touchpad has been removed.

The MacBook Neo trackpad doesn’t support Force Touch technology. This means it’s not pressure-sensitive like other MacBook trackpads. It doesn’t support pressure-sensitive drawing, multi-touch gestures, or Force Click.

Other missing features

While I’ve already outlined the missing features that casual users will likely notice, there are a few more cut-down features that might be of particular interest to power users. Here are the remaining features missing from the MacBook Neo:

  • Central platform for the front camera

  • Widescreen color (P3) display

  • Neural accelerators

  • Audio system with four speakers (Neo model has two speakers).

  • Three microphones in an array (Neo has a two-microphone array)

  • The 3.5mm jack does not support high-impedance headphones.

  • Wi-Fi 7

  • Dynamic head tracking support for AirPods

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