Does the MacBook Neo have a notch?
No. The MacBook Neo, Apple's 13-inch laptop from March 2026, has its 1080p camera in the bezel above the screen, and the screen is a plain rectangle with no notch. Notch apps can still run on it: several say they work on any Mac, and Crest draws a small black pill at the top centre of the screen instead and opens from there. We have not had a MacBook Neo to test any of them on, Crest included, and this page says so wherever it matters.
Last updated: October 2026
Written by the developer of Crest, a Mac notch app, on 6 October 2026. The MacBook Neo facts come from Apple's tech specs page and Apple's announcement, read that day. What Crest does on a screen without a notch comes from its source code and from a 16-inch MacBook Pro (Mac16,7) on macOS 27.0.1 set to a resolution that reports no notch. It was not tested on a MacBook Neo. Other apps are described from their own sites, read the same day.
What Apple says about the MacBook Neo
Apple announced the MacBook Neo on 4 March 2026, at $599, or $499 for education, and it went on sale on 11 March with macOS Tahoe. Its tech specs page lists a 13.0-inch Liquid Retina display at 2408 by 1506 pixels and 219 pixels per inch, 500 nits, "rounded corners at the top", and a 1080p FaceTime HD camera. Neither page mentions a notch or a camera housing.
The resolution tells the same story. 2408 by 1506 is exactly 16 by 10. Every MacBook with a notch has extra rows of pixels on top of a 16 by 10 picture for the strip around the camera: the 13-inch MacBook Air is 2560 by 1664, which is taller than 16 by 10. Apple's article on running apps below the camera area covers only the MacBook Air with Liquid Retina display and the MacBook Pro with Liquid Retina XDR display. The full list of notched models, with their resolutions, is on MacBook notch dimensions by model.
What a notch app does on a screen without a notch
A notch app asks macOS where the notch is. On a screen without one, macOS answers that there is none, and the app has to decide what to draw. Crest draws a small black pill at the top centre of the screen (196 by 32 points in its source) and opens the same panel from it.
Crest's pill on a screen that reports no notch. Captured on a MacBook Pro set to a resolution that stops below the camera, not on a MacBook Neo.
Two details matter on a small screen like the Neo's, where the app menus can reach the middle of the menu bar. Crest's source sorts screens by their shape: a built-in 16 by 10 screen, as the Neo's is, counts as a Mac without a notch, so the spot under the pill belongs to the menu bar. While nothing is showing, clicks there go through to the menus underneath, and Crest waits about a third of a second before it peeks, so a pointer on its way to a menu does not open it. Again: this is what the code does, not something we watched on a Neo.
Other notch apps on a Mac without a notch
- SuperIsland is free and open source, and its site says "Works on any Mac".
- MediaMate needs macOS 13 or later, and its page says "All macs are supported". It replaces the volume and brightness pop-ups and can sit in the notch or float.
- Alcove is $14.99 and needs macOS 15 or later. Its home page does not say how it behaves without a notch.
- The Boring Notch is free and open source; its README describes it for MacBooks with a notch.
- NotchNook: its page at lo.cafe/notchnook answered 404 on 6 October 2026, and lo.cafe's home page says people have lost access to the app. See NotchNook alternatives.
None of these were tested on a MacBook Neo. If you have one and try them, we would like to hear what you found.
If you want a Dynamic Island on a MacBook Neo
The pill is the Dynamic Island idea without the hardware hole: music, timers and alerts in a small black shape at the top of the screen that grows when you point at it. Dynamic Island for Mac covers the options. Crest runs on macOS 14 or later, which includes the macOS the Neo shipped with. It installs and opens with no account; Now Playing, the Shelf and the Clipboard are free for good.
Download Crest to try the pill on any Mac without a notch. Free tier, no account · 7-day Pro trial, no card · macOS 14 or later
FAQ
Does the MacBook Neo have a notch?
No. Its 1080p camera sits in the bezel above a 2408 by 1506 screen, which is exactly 16 by 10. Apple's tech specs page mentions rounded top corners and no notch or camera housing.
Do notch apps work on the MacBook Neo?
Several do. SuperIsland and MediaMate say on their own sites that they run on any Mac, and Crest draws a small pill at the top of the screen on a Mac without a notch. We have not tested any of them on a MacBook Neo.
Does NotchNook work on the MacBook Neo?
We could not check. On 6 October 2026 NotchNook's page at lo.cafe answered 404, and lo.cafe's home page says people have lost access to the app.
Can I get a Dynamic Island on a MacBook Neo?
Yes, as a pill at the top of the screen: Crest, SuperIsland and MediaMate all run on Macs without a notch. It is drawn by software, so it can sit over the middle of the menu bar; Crest lets clicks through to the menus there while nothing is showing.
Which MacBooks have a notch?
Every 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro since 2021 and every MacBook Air since the 2022 M2 model. The MacBook Neo does not. The full list is on the notch dimensions page.
Try Crest free
Download it with no account. Now Playing, the Shelf, the Clipboard and window snapping are free for good, and signing in gives you 7 days of Pro with no card. Pro, with Take and Minutes, is $24.99 once, on 2 Macs, or $2.99 a month.
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Keep reading: Menu bar icons behind the notch · Hide the notch · Notch dimensions by model · Crest vs TopNotch · Dynamic Island for Mac · Facts and prices · Crest overview