IsleIsle Dynamic Island on MacBook Air
A Dynamic Island on MacBook Air, Pro and Neo: which Macs have a notch
A notch app needs a notch, mostly. Here is which MacBooks have one, and what a Dynamic Island looks like on the ones that don’t.
Which MacBooks have a notch
As of October 2026. Sources: MacBook Air (Apple silicon) and MacBook Neo on Wikipedia.
| Model | Notch | What Isle shows |
|---|---|---|
| MacBook Air M1 (2020) | No | A pill at the top of the screen |
| MacBook Air M2 or later 13 and 15 inch: M2, M3, M4, M5 | Yes | The island, in the notch |
| MacBook Pro 14 and 16 inch 2021 or later | Yes | The island, in the notch |
| MacBook Pro 13 inch M1, M2 | No | A pill at the top of the screen |
| MacBook Neo (2026) | No, a flat top edge | A pill at the top of the screen |
| External displays and iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio | No | A pill at the top of the screen |
The MacBook Neo, released in March 2026 with an A18 Pro chip, is the first MacBook without a notch since the 13-inch MacBook Pro. It ships with macOS 26.
On a MacBook Air with a notch
Every MacBook Air since the M2 has the same notch as the MacBook Pro, so a notch app works the same on both. With Isle, the notch becomes the island: hover the middle and it opens into a hub with your music, AI usage limits, a timer, a file shelf with AirDrop and more. See every feature.
The Air’s screen is smaller than a 16-inch Pro’s, and the island takes the same space at the top. Every module can be turned off in Settings, so it only shows what you use.
On a MacBook Neo, an M1 Air or any Mac without a notch
No notch doesn’t mean no island. On these Macs, Islet, Isle’s mascot, waits in a small pill at the top of the screen, the height of the menu bar. Hover it and the whole island appears, the same one a notch would show. Move away and it shrinks back.
The same goes for an external display next to a MacBook. Isle follows one rule: on a Mac with a notch, everything lives in the notch; on a screen without one, in the pill.
Before you install anything
- Check your macOS. Isle requires macOS 26 or later. Every Mac in the table above can run it; the MacBook Neo ships with it.
- Check what you want in the notch. Music and a file shelf are in most notch apps. If you use Claude Code or Codex, look for AI usage limits.
- Comparing apps? See NotchNook vs boring.notch vs Alcove or five notch apps compared.
Questions
Does the notch make the MacBook Air worse for a notch app?
No. The Air’s notch is the same shape as the Pro’s, and a notch app uses it the same way.
Is there a Dynamic Island for MacBook for free?
boring.notch is free and open source, for macOS 14 and later. Isle has a 3-day free trial with every feature, then costs US$ 14.99 once for up to 3 Macs.
Try Isle free for 3 days
Every feature works for 3 days, no account needed. Then US$ 14.99 once, for up to 3 Macs. Requires macOS 26.