The new MacBook Neo is Apple’s first move in the budget laptop space, and for $599, it’s hard to argue with the value. But tucked into the fine print are a few quirks worth knowing before you pull the trigger.
One of those quirks is that despite featuring two USB ports, only one of them supports output to an external display. Thankfully, Apple has also built in a solution that stops users from plugging the monitor into the wrong port.
Two ports, but not equal
The MacBook Neo’s two USB-C ports are not the same. The first port supports USB 3 with DisplayPort output, and transfer speeds up to 10Gb/s, while the second port runs on USB 2 and tops out at a much slower 480Mb/s. More importantly, that second port does not support external displays at all.
Apple reportedly told John Gruber at Daring Fireball that getting two USB ports on the Neo was a significant engineering achievement, given that it runs on the A18 Pro SoC. The second port, being USB 2, was a trade-off Apple had to make just to include a second port at all.
macOS has your back
Here’s where Apple added a smart little safety net. If you accidentally plug a monitor into the wrong port, macOS will pop up a notification telling you to switch to the other one. It’s a small but thoughtful touch that saves you the frustration of wondering why your display isn’t working.
One more display limitation to know about
The MacBook Neo supports only one external display, with a maximum resolution of 4K at 60Hz. If you were hoping to run Apple’s Studio Display or any 5K monitor, you’ll be disappointed. It’s highly unlikely that the target audience for the MacBook Neo will use a 5K monitor, but it’s still worth pointing out.
What it means for MacBook Neo buyers
If you need a reliable, well-built laptop for everyday tasks and the occasional external monitor, the MacBook Neo delivers. Just make sure you’re plugging into the right port, and thankfully, macOS will remind you if you don’t.
Also, note that you’ll want to plug your charger into the second port and keep the first port free for data. That might go against your instinct, but remember that the first port supports faster data transfer speeds.