MacBook Neo arrives with A18 Pro chip, $599 starting price | Infinium-tech

Pro > Air > Neo, this is the updated hierarchy in Apple’s laptop lineup. After months of leaks and rumors, Cupertino finally announced its first “budget MacBook” in more than a decade. And the rumors were right, as it comes with an iPhone chipset, fun colors, and a starting price of $599/€699.

You’re getting great specs including a 13-inch Liquid Retina IPS LCD with 2,408 x 1,506px resolution, 60Hz refresh rate, and 3:2 aspect ratio. The panel is rated at 500 nits peak brightness, and you get a 1080p FaceTime HD camera.

Apple’s Magic Keyboard is also here, though without backlighting. Touch ID is reserved for the version with 512GB of storage. All versions get the same multi-touch trackpad. The chassis is made of 90% recycled aluminium, and the entire laptop weighs 1.23 kg.

MacBook Neo gets Magic Keyboard and side-firing speakers

The speakers are located on the sides and support spatial audio and Dolby Atmos. The laptop is also equipped with a dual-mic array with directional beamforming.

Apple went with the A18 Pro chipset, which will debut on the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max in 2024. It is coupled with 8GB of integrated memory and 256 or 512GB of storage. According to Apple, the MacBook Neo is up to 50% faster at web browsing, and up to 3x faster when running on-device AI workloads, compared to a Windows laptop equipped with Intel’s Core Ultra 5 processor.

In terms of I/O, you get 2x USB-C ports of which 1x offers USB 3 speeds and DisplayPort capability, while the other is slower USB 2-rated. Both USBs are connected to a 3.5mm headphone jack. Wireless is covered by Wi-Fi 6e (802.11ax) and Bluetooth 6. On the software side, the MacBook Neo runs regular macOS 26 Tahoe with Apple Intelligence.

Apple has also packed a 36.5Wh lithium-ion battery, rated for up to 16 hours of video streaming or 11 hours of web browsing.

The MacBook Neo comes in Silver, Blush, Citrus yellow and Indigo colors. it begins $599/€699/£599/₹69,900 For 8/256GB trim and goes till $699/€799/£699/₹79,900 For 512GB storage.

macbook neo color options

With the introduction of Aadhaar model, education prices are even more affordable $499/€599/£499/₹59,900.

The MacBook Neo is now on pre-order and will be available from March 11th.