- MacBook Neo may be covered by the AppleCare+ scheme
- Its repair prices are much lower than for any other Mac
- Only the Mac mini’s monthly AppleCare+ membership fees are lower
Apple’s MacBook Neo “the best budget laptop you can buy,” according to our MacBook Neo review. And with its starting price of just $599 / £599 / AU$899, you certainly don’t want to splash out on expensive repairs. Fortunately, Apple allows you to keep potential costs down by using its AppleCare+ insurance plan, which has some of the lowest repair fees for any Mac.
Head over to the AppleCare+ website and you’ll see prices for various MacBook Neo repair options (see table below). Battery service is free, while both screen damage and external case damage cost $49 / £39 / AU$79 to fix. Other accidental damage is more expensive at $149 / £109 / AU$249.
These fees are much lower than what you would pay Apple if you didn’t have AppleCare+ coverage. Repairing or replacing the MacBook Neo’s battery outside of AppleCare+ costs $149 /£149 / AU$259 (as opposed to nothing under AppleCare+). Apple says it will need to inspect your laptop for other damage before giving you a “personal estimate,” but you can be sure that any work will cost more than the service charges under AppleCare+.
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Compared to other current MacBooks, MacBook Neo’s AppleCare+ pricing is more affordable. Repairing screen damage and external case damage in the M5 MacBook Air and M5 Pro/M5 Max MacBook Pro will cost you $99 /£79 /AU$149.
For other accidental damage, you’re looking at $299 / £229 / AU$429 for both devices. In other words, repairing the MacBook Neo will cost half as much as fixing the same problem in both the latest MacBook Air and the latest MacBook Pro.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
MacBook Neo (A18 Pro) |
MacBook Air (M5) |
MacBook Pro (M5/M5 Pro/M5 Max) |
Mac mini (M4) |
|
Battery service |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
– |
|
Screen damage |
$49 /£39 / AU$79 |
$99 / £79 / AU$149 |
$99 /£79 /AU$149 |
– |
|
Damage to outer casing |
$49 / £39 / AU$79 |
$99 / £79 / AU$149 |
$99 / £79 / AU$149 |
$99 / £79 / AU$149 |
|
Other accidental damages |
$149 / £109 / AU$249 |
$299 / £229 / AU$429 |
$299 / £229 / AU$429 |
$299 / £229 / AU$429 |
Is AppleCare+ worth it for the MacBook Neo?
MacBook Neo repair costs are lower than any other Mac – desktop or laptop. The iMac, Mac Studio and Mac Pro all have the same prices as the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. Even the Mac mini, Apple’s most affordable desktop, costs the same.
The one area where the MacBook Neo can set you back a bit more is the price of the AppleCare+ subscription itself. For the MacBook Neo, you’ll pay $4.99 a month (there’s no monthly option for the UK or Australia) or $49.99 / £49.99 a year (Australia doesn’t yet have AppleCare+ pricing for the MacBook Neo).
Alternatively, you can pay a one-time fee of $139 in the US, which gives you three years of coverage. That’s cheaper than AppleCare+ cover for all other Macs except the Mac mini, which costs $3.49 per month (again, no monthly option yet for UK or Australia) or $34.99 / £34.99 / AU$59.99 per year.
Of course, there’s still the question of whether AppleCare+ is actually worth it for a laptop that costs just $599 / £599 / AU$899. After all, five years of AppleCare+ coverage for the MacBook Neo would cost you $250 / £250 when paid annually. Add that to the price of the laptop and you’re looking at paying $850 / £850 in total. In our book, that means most people probably don’t need it.
Still, if you’re considering buying the MacBook Neo in the first place, you might not be able to afford to just buy a new one if it breaks or something goes wrong. That would make avoiding AppleCare+ (or an alternative third-party insurance) risky and potentially very expensive.
Ultimately, you need to decide whether AppleCare+ is right for you based on your own circumstances. But it’s reassuring to know that if you want to cover a MacBook Neo, it’s offered at a much more affordable price than almost any other Mac.
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