Hello, Windows. Apple has released the affordable MacBook Neo, and its price will surprise you.
The wait is over: the MacBook Neo is official. Apple unveiled its new affordable laptop, powered by an iPhone chip, capping off a week of announcements that also included the iPhone 17e, iPad Air M4, MacBook Air M5, MacBook Pro M5 and M5 Max, as well as the updated Studio Display.
At a special event held in London, New York, and Shanghai, Apple unveiled the MacBook Neo. This device features the A18 Pro chip used in the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, representing a significant leap forward from Apple Silicon's M-series processors.
This affordable laptop is available in a range of vibrant colors, starting at $599. Available colors include silver, light pink, lime yellow, and navy blue.
As rumored, the MacBook Neo was designed to meet the basic needs of non-professional users, such as students. According to Apple, the A18 Pro chip provides sufficient performance for most everyday tasks. It features a six-core CPU, a five-core GPU, a ten-core Neural Engine, and hardware-accelerated ray tracing.
The MacBook Neo features an SoC derived from iPhone processors and promises all-day battery life. Specifically, the advertised battery life is up to 16 hours, enough for all-day use. And of course, it runs macOS and supports Apple Intelligence features.
The MacBook Neo is now available: Say goodbye to Chromebooks and cheap Windows laptops.
The MacBook Neo features a durable aluminum chassis and a 13-inch IPS display with a resolution of 2408 x 1506 pixels and 500 nits of brightness. It's powered by an A18 Pro processor and comes with 8GB of RAM and is available in two storage options: 256GB or 512GB.
Contrary to previous rumors, the MacBook Neo does not have a MagSafe charging port. It offers only two USB-C ports: one USB 3 with DisplayPort support and the other USB. 2. Both ports can be used for charging, but the difference in data transfer speeds is significant. The first supports speeds up to 10 Gbps, while the second is limited to 480 Mbps. A 3.5 mm headphone jack completes the connectivity options. For wireless connectivity, the device is compatible with Bluetooth 6.0 and Wi-Fi 6e.
One of the odd details, given the nature of Apple products, is that the 256GB model does not include Touch ID on the keyboard. Therefore, those who want to use this feature must purchase the 512GB model, which costs $100 more.
In addition to this feature, the MacBook Neo features a multi-touch trackpad, a Full HD (1080p) camera, two microphones, and two speakers that support spatial audio and Dolby Atmos technology.
The new MacBook Air is now available for pre-order, with deliveries scheduled to begin next Wednesday, March 11.