Apple has introduced the MacBook Neo, a $599 entry-level laptop powered by the A18 Pro chip, the same processor it shipped inside the iPhone 16 two years ago. The machine represents Apple’s most affordable laptop offering and fills a price gap that older M-series MacBooks previously occupied.
The Neo ships with a 13-inch display running at 2408 x 1506 resolution and comes with 8GB of RAM, which cannot be upgraded. Storage options are 256GB or 512GB. The laptop includes a Magic Keyboard, a multi-touch trackpad, a 1080p camera, a headphone jack, and two USB-C ports, one USB 3 and one USB 2.
What You Give Up at $599
The price comes with real limitations. Neither model includes Thunderbolt ports or MagSafe charging. The Neo ships with a 20W charger and does not support fast-charging, unlike Apple’s pricier MacBook Air line.
Touch ID is available only on the 512GB model. Buyers opting for the base 256GB configuration do not get the fingerprint sensor at all. These are deliberate cuts, not oversights, and they draw a clear line between the Neo and everything else Apple sells.
On the audio side, the laptop gains new side-firing speakers with support for spatial audio and Dolby Atmos. Four color options are available: silver, indigo, blush, and citrus, each paired with a color-matched keyboard.
Where It Sits in Apple’s Lineup
Apple announced this week that the cheapest M5 MacBook Air will start at $1,099 with 512GB of storage, a $100 increase over its predecessor’s starting price. That widens the gap between the Neo and the Air to $500, giving Apple a cleaner segmentation across its laptop range than it has had in years.
The $599 price point places the MacBook Neo in direct competition with Windows and ChromeOS devices that have historically dominated the sub-$700 laptop market. Apple has rarely competed in this segment with new hardware, typically relying on discounted older models to cover that ground.
The A18 Pro Trade-Off
Using a two-year-old iPhone chip keeps costs down while still delivering Apple Silicon performance. The A18 Pro is a capable processor by any measure, and for everyday tasks, the gap between it and a current M-series chip may be negligible for the target buyer.
What the chip choice signals is a deliberate product strategy. Apple is not cannibalizing the Air; it’s building a floor beneath it. The Neo exists to pull in buyers who would otherwise choose a Chromebook or a budget Windows machine, not to satisfy users who want a pro-grade Apple laptop at a discount.
- Starting price: $599
- Chip: A18 Pro
- Display: 13-inch, 2408 x 1506
- RAM: 8GB (not upgradeable)
- Storage: 256GB or 512GB
- Touch ID: 512GB model only
- Charger: 20W (no fast-charging)
- Colors: silver, indigo, blush, citrus
Photo by AltumCode on Unsplash
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