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Waiting is inexpensive MacBook Daily work and entertainment are over. Apple on Wednesday announced the lower-cost MacBook Neo, which is sure to be a hit with those who want a MacBook but for whom spending $1,000 or more for a MacBook Air was beyond their reach. The new MacBook Neo starts at $599 (£599, AU$899), and you can get it for $499 with Apple’s education discount.
Along with cheap Chromebooks and Windows laptops, the MacBook Neo doesn’t rely on the Apple M-series processor, which powers Apple’s newly announced devices MacBook Air and MacBook Pro Models. Instead, it uses the A18 Pro chip found in iPhone 16 Pro From 2024. The A18 Pro has a six-core CPU (two performance cores and four efficiency cores) and a five-core GPU. Compare that to the M5 chip that powers the new MacBook Air: The M5 has a 10-core CPU (four performance cores that Apple now calls “super cores” and six efficiency cores) and an eight- or 10-core GPU.
No matter which color you choose, the MacBook Neo features an all-aluminum chassis.
Read more: Everything Apple announced this week, from the iPhone 17E to the MacBook Neo
Coming in at a lower price, the MacBook Neo has a 13-inch display that’s slightly smaller than the 13.6-inch display found on the smallest MacBook Air. However, the size is a pleasant surprise given that rumors were pointing to a 12-inch display for Apple’s budget MacBook. It’s a Liquid Retina display that should look crystal clear, with a resolution of 2408 x 1506 pixels. It’s rated at 500 nits of brightness, so you should be able to use it outside and still see what’s on the screen.
The MacBook Neo has a 13-inch display, which is slightly smaller than the 13.6-inch MacBook Air.
Not surprisingly, the base MacBook Neo limits you to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of solid-state storage, which is half the memory and storage that Apple offers on the base MacBook Air.
You can’t upgrade the memory, but you can double the storage capacity to 512GB, a $100 upgrade that also adds Apple’s Touch ID to the keyboard. That’s it for the new upgrades.
You can upgrade to a 512GB SSD that also includes a Touch ID keyboard, but the MacBook Neo doesn’t offer a backlit keyboard.
Color isn’t too expensive because Apple offers the MacBook Neo in a range of colors: blush (pink), citrus (yellow), and indigo (dark blue) in addition to the base silver. The color options are more muted than the bright hues I was hoping to see.
Ports are minimal and disappointing. Instead of the fast Thunderbolt 4 ports found on the MacBook Air, the Neo offers a pair of slower USB-C ports. You get a 10Gbps USB 3 port and a 480Mbps USB 2 port, as well as a headphone jack.
The MacBook Neo only offers three ports: two USB-C ports and a headphone jack.
Another sacrifice you have to make with the Neo is sure to disappoint students who put off homework until the wee hours of the night: the keyboard doesn’t have a backlight.
You can Pre-order the MacBook Neo nowShipping will begin next Wednesday, March 11.
Watch this: New MacBooks with M5, M5 Pro and M5 Max chips arrive
Live experience with MacBook Neo
CNET was in Apple launch event For Neo in New York, we spent some time using the latest MacBook. It feels quite premium compared to a lot of the Windows competition at its price. The all-aluminum body is lightweight yet durable, and is sure to withstand daily use for school or office work. All four color options look great, and the keyboards and MacOS elements are color-matched.
For traditionalists on a budget, the MacBook Neo comes in a basic silver finish.
We’ve seen demos of the A18 Pro chip’s performance, and it was very fast at executing tasks, which isn’t really surprising. If you’re a heavy multitasker, looking to do demanding photo or video editing, graphics-intensive gaming or use local LLM, you’ll want to step up to the Air or Pro.
But if your main goal is to do the things you normally do on an iPhone, including working with photos, videos, and mobile gaming, but with a larger screen, a full keyboard and trackpad, and the availability of a MacOS app, this is your MacBook.
Like the premium Chromebook, the Neo seems like a particularly good choice for school and home/small office users. If you are an iPhone user, the Neo definitely has the advantage because you are able to use iPhone mirroring with the Neo. The devices complement each other in a way that you simply don’t get with a Windows laptop or Chromebook.