Apple has announced the MacBook Neo, a new 13-inch laptop powered by Apple silicon that starts at just $599. It is the company’s lowest-priced MacBook to date, offering an aluminum design, Liquid Retina display, and up to 16 hours of battery life at a price that competes with many budget Windows laptops and Chromebooks.
It’s been a big week for Apple, which has launched the iPhone 17e, iPad Air with M4, and new Macs, including the MacBook Air with M5.
The new MacBook Neo features a durable aluminum enclosure and weighs 2.7 pounds, making it easy to carry in a backpack. It comes in four colors: blush, indigo, silver, and citrus. The design carries through to the color-matched Magic Keyboard and wallpapers.
MacBook Neo: Small but mighty
The 13-inch Liquid Retina display has a 2408 x 1506 resolution and reaches 500 nits of brightness. It supports 1 billion colors and includes an anti-reflective coating for more comfortable viewing in different lighting conditions. Apple says the panel offers higher resolution and brightness than most PCs in this price range.
At its core is the A18 Pro chip, which Apple claims is up to 50 percent faster for everyday tasks compared to the bestselling PC with Intel Core Ultra 5. For on-device AI workloads, it can be up to 3x faster, and up to 2x faster for tasks like photo editing.
The chip includes a 5-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine. The laptop runs without a fan, so operates silently.
Battery life is rated at up to 16 hours on a single charge, which puts it in line with longer-lasting ultraportables and well ahead of many lower-cost laptops that often require more frequent charging.
The MacBook Neo includes a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, dual microphones with directional beamforming, and dual side-firing speakers with Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos support. It also features a large Multi-Touch trackpad and a Magic Keyboard, with Touch ID available for secure login and Apple Pay authentication.
Connectivity includes two USB-C ports, both of which support charging, along with a headphone jack. Wireless support includes Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 6.
The laptop runs macOS Tahoe, with built-in apps such as Safari, Messages, Photos, and FaceTime. It supports Apple Intelligence features and integrates with iPhone via tools like Handoff, Universal Clipboard, and iPhone Mirroring.
Apple says the MacBook Neo contains 60 percent recycled content, including 90 percent recycled aluminum and 100 percent recycled cobalt in the battery.
Starting at $599, or $499 for education customers, the MacBook Neo enters a price bracket typically dominated by entry-level Windows laptops and Chromebooks. It offers a full macOS experience at a cost closer to budget PCs, which could make it an appealing alternative for students and first-time Mac users.
Preorders start today, with shipping from March 11.
What do you think about the MacBook Neo? Let us know in the comments.
