- The MacBook Neo may be covered by the AppleCare+ program
- Its repair prices are much lower than any other Mac
- Only Mac mini’s AppleCare+ monthly membership fee is lower
Apple’s MacBook Neo is “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 definitely don’t want to get yourself into expensive repairs. Fortunately, Apple offers you the opportunity to reduce potential costs with its AppleCare+ insurance program, which offers some of the lowest repair costs of any Mac.
Head over to the AppleCare+ website and you’ll see prices for different repair options for the MacBook Neo (see table below). Battery servicing is free, while damage to the screen and external casing costs $49 / £39 / AU$79 to repair. 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 battery outside of AppleCare+ costs $149 / £149 / AU$259 (compared to nothing under AppleCare+). Apple says it will need to inspect your laptop for other damage before giving you a “personalized estimate,” but you can rest assured that any work will cost more than AppleCare+’s service fee.
Article continues below
Compared to other current MacBooks, the MacBook Neo’s AppleCare+ prices are more affordable. Repairing damage to the screen and external casing of the MacBook Air M5 and MacBook Pro M5 Pro/M5 Max 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 on 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 maintenance |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
– |
|
Screen damage |
$49 / £39 / AU$79 |
$99 / £79 / AU$149 |
$99 / £79 / AU$149 |
– |
|
Damage to external housing |
$49 / £39 / AU$79 |
$99 / £79 / AU$149 |
$99 / £79 / AU$149 |
$99 / £79 / AU$149 |
|
Other accidental damage |
$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 are all priced the same as the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. Even the Mac mini, Apple’s most affordable desktop computer, costs the same.
The only area where the MacBook Neo might cost you a little more is the cost of the AppleCare+ subscription itself. For the MacBook Neo, you’ll pay $4.99 per month (there’s no monthly option for the UK or Australia) or $49.99/£49.99 per year (Australia doesn’t yet have AppleCare+ pricing for the MacBook Neo).
Alternatively, you can pay a one-time fee of $139 in the United States, which entitles you to three years of coverage. That’s cheaper than AppleCare+ coverage for all other Macs except the Mac mini, which costs $3.49 per month (again, no monthly option for the UK or Australia yet) or $34.99/£34.99/AU$59.99 per year.
Of course, the question remains whether AppleCare+ is actually worth it for a laptop that only costs $599 / £599 / AU$899. After all, five years of AppleCare+ coverage for the MacBook Neo would cost you $250/£250 when paying annually. Add that to the cost of the laptop and you’re looking at paying $850/£850 in total. In our book, that means most people probably won’t need it.
Still, if you’re planning to buy the MacBook Neo first, you may not be able to afford to buy a new one if it breaks or something goes wrong. This would make it risky and potentially very expensive to avoid AppleCare+ (or another liability insurance policy).
Ultimately, you need to decide whether AppleCare+ is right for you based on your own situation. But it’s reassuring to know that if you want to cover a MacBook Neo, it comes at a much more affordable price than almost any other Mac.
Follow TechRadar on Google News And add us as your favorite source to get our news, reviews and expert opinions in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can too follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form and receive regular updates from us on WhatsApp Also.
