Apple's New MacBook Neo Shocks with $599 Price and iPhone Chip Power

Numerous leaks have been confirmed: Apple has indeed introduced the first budget MacBook Neo laptop.

What is known

The presentation took place simultaneously in New York, London, and Shanghai, and Neo itself became one of the most discussed novelties of the company due to its low price and unusual architecture for a Mac.

Right to the point: the novelty from Apple costs only $599, which is an incredibly attractive offer.

For the first time, an Apple laptop uses a mobile processor A18 Pro, previously used in the iPhone 16 Pro. The chip includes two high-performance and six energy-efficient cores, a 5-core GPU, and a 16-core neural engine. According to Apple, this configuration provides up to 50% higher performance in everyday tasks compared to mainstream laptops on Intel Core Ultra 5, as well as a two-fold increase in speed in local AI operations.

MacBook Neo features a 13” Liquid Retina display (IPS) with a resolution of 2408×1506 pixels and a peak brightness of 500 nits. Unlike older models, the screen lacks the characteristic camera notch and operates at 60 Hz. The device is available in four colors — Silver, Blush, Citrus, and Indigo — and weighs only 0.9 kg, making it one of the lightest Apple laptops.

The basic version is equipped with 8 GB of unified memory and a 256 GB drive, while the 512 GB model additionally gets Touch ID.

The computer supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 6 and has USB-C 2.0, USB-C 3.0, and an audio jack ports.

To keep costs down, Apple made a number of compromises: the laptop does not support True Tone, the keyboard is not backlit, and USB-C ports operate at different speeds depending on the configuration. Nevertheless, the declared battery life reaches 16 hours, which remains a strong point of the device.

MacBook Neo is positioned as a laptop for students, schoolchildren, and users who need a lightweight and inexpensive computer for everyday tasks, work, and study. Essentially, it is Apple's attempt to enter the mass segment, previously dominated by Chromebooks and budget Windows laptops. Given the price, bright colors, and long battery life, Neo could become one of the company's most popular devices in 2026.

Source: Apple