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Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5) vs Apple MacBook Neo 13-inch A18 Pro

Researched, not hands-on tested.How we review ›

all judged against laptops at a similar price

The Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5) scores 7.3/10 overall, ahead of the Apple MacBook Neo 13-inch A18 Pro at 4.7/10.

The Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5) leads on performance, memory and storage, display, battery life, ports and linux support.

They score the same on keyboard and build.

The biggest difference is ports, where the Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5) scores 8/10 to the Apple MacBook Neo 13-inch A18 Pro's 3/10.

Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5)

Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5)

7.3/10verdict: buy

The MacBook Pro 14-inch with M5 is for buyers who are happy to work on macOS and want a sharp screen and long battery life. It suits people who will pick the right memory size on day one, since memory is set at purchase. It is a weaker fit for anyone who needs native Linux or sustained heavy compute.

Typically about £1,599 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details

MacBook Neo, 13-inch, A18 Pro chip

Apple MacBook Neo 13-inch A18 Pro

4.7/10verdict: skip

The MacBook Neo is for people who want a light, 13-inch macOS laptop with a sharp screen and a well-regarded keyboard and trackpad. It suits everyday work, writing and terminal sessions more than containers, VMs or long builds. Buyers who need many ports, more than 8GB of memory or Linux should look elsewhere.

Typically about £649 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK (opens in a new tab, affiliate link)

Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Details

Scores, criterion by criterion

CriterionWeightApple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5)Apple MacBook Neo 13-inch A18 Pro
Performance25%7/105/10
Memory and storage20%6/102/10
Display15%9/107/10
Battery life15%9/106/10
Keyboard and build10%7/107/10
Ports10%8/103/10
Linux support5%3/102/10
Overall7.3/104.7/10

Specifications

SpecApple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5)Apple MacBook Neo 13-inch A18 Pro
CPUApple M5, 10-core CPU (4 performance, 6 efficiency), 10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine, 153GB/s memory bandwidthApple A18 Pro with 6-core CPU (2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores), 5-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine
Memory16GB, 24GB or 32GB unified memory, set at purchase8GB unified memory
Storage512GB or 1TB SSD, configurable to 1TB, 2TB or 4TB256GB SSD or 512GB SSD options
Display14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR, 3024 × 1964 at 254 ppi, 1,000,000:1 contrast, 1,600 nits peak HDR, P3 wide colour, True Tone, ProMotion up to 120Hz13.0-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit IPS display, 2408-by-1506 native resolution at 219 pixels per inch, 500 nits brightness, 1 billion colours, sRGB
Battery72.4 Wh lithium-polymer; Apple rates up to 24 hours video streamingBuilt-in 36.5-watt-hour lithium-ion battery; up to 16 hours video streaming and up to 11 hours wireless web (Apple ratings)
PortsSDXC card slot, HDMI, 3.5 mm headphone jack, MagSafe 3, three Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) portsOne USB 3 (USB-C) port with charging, DisplayPort and USB 3 up to 10Gb/s; one USB 2 (USB-C) port with charging and USB 2 up to 480Mb/s; 3.5 mm headphone jack
Weight1.55 kg (3.4 lb)2.7 pounds (1.23 kg)
Operating systemmacOSmacOS

Strengths and weaknesses

Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5)

  • + Very long battery life in reviewer video tests
  • + Sharp 3024 × 1964, 120Hz display
  • + HDMI, SD slot and three Thunderbolt 4 ports
  • − Memory is set at purchase, up to 32GB
  • − Single fan may struggle under sustained heavy loads
  • − Small generational change from the M4 model

Skip it if:

  • Buyers who want Linux as the main operating system
  • Anyone running sustained heavy compute for hours
  • Owners of the M4 model looking for a big upgrade
Read the full Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5) review ›

Apple MacBook Neo 13-inch A18 Pro

  • + Sharp 2408-by-1506 display at 219 pixels per inch
  • + Owners praise build, keyboard and trackpad
  • + Light at 1.23 kg
  • − Only 8GB of memory, and owners say it limits headroom
  • − Just two USB-C ports, one limited to USB 2
  • − Keyboard has no backlight

Skip it if:

  • Developers who run several VMs or many containers at once
  • Anyone who needs Linux certified or reported working on the hardware
  • Buyers who want Thunderbolt, HDMI, USB-A or an SD slot built in
Read the full Apple MacBook Neo 13-inch A18 Pro review ›

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