Apple's New MacBook Neo Is Really Cheap (And Powered By An iPhone Chip)

Marking the finale of its week of product announcements, Apple revealed its new MacBook Neo on Wednesday morning. The company held "experiences" in New York, Shanghai, and London to showcase the laptop to select media members and influencers. Starting at $599, this is the cheapest MacBook that Apple has ever released, and even though it lacks several features you'd find on more expensive models, it seems the company really got this product right.

Powered by the A18 Pro chip — the same chip that powers the iPhone 16 Pro – this is the first time Apple has put an iPhone processor in a computer. The company previously went the other way around by adding Mac chips to the iPad, but this is the first time we've seen the A-series chip make the leap from a mobile device. The MacBook Neo also features 8GB of RAM, up to 512GB of storage, and a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID support. This MacBook is available in silver, blush, citrus, and indigo colors, and only comes in a 13-inch option.

"We're incredibly excited to introduce MacBook Neo, which delivers the magic of the Mac at a breakthrough price," said John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Engineering. "Built from the ground up to be more affordable for even more people, it features a durable aluminum design in four beautiful colors; a brilliant Liquid Retina display; Apple silicon-powered performance; all-day battery life; a high-quality camera, mics, and speakers; a magic Keyboard and Multi-Touch trackpad."

At a first sight, the MacBook Neo looks a lot like an iPad with a keyboard, and it makes sense why: Apple is offering the same colors of the base model tablet. Besides that, it seems the 13-inch display is similar to the one you'll find on the iPad, as it doesn't feature DCI-P3, which boosts the range of colors on the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air.

Made out of aluminum and weighing 2.7 pounds, Apple claims this computer is up to 50% faster for web browsing, and up to 3x faster for on-device AI workloads compared to the "bestselling PC with the latest shipping Intel Core Ultra 5." Computers featuring that chip can cost around the same price, but Apple is claiming its laptop can outperform them.

Other features users should know about include the 1080p FaceTime camera, 16-hour battery life, dual mics with directional beamforming, dual side-firing speakers that support Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos, and two USB-C ports (one of which is a USB 3 port that supports speeds up to 10Gb/s and the other being a USB 2 port with speeds up to 480Mb/s). Unlike the other releases of this week, this MacBook doesn't use Apple's N1 chip for connectivity, but it supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 6.

For years, Apple has touted the MacBook Air or an iPad with a Magic Keyboard as its best options for students and consumers on a budget. However, this is the first time the company has introduced an affordable laptop that can compete with cheaper Windows laptops and Chromebooks. Even though the iPad is an increasingly capable productivity device, and iPadOS 26 unlocks additional functionality, the Mac operating system is always going to be better for work and school.

At the moment, there are still plenty of unanswered questions about the MacBook Neo, including how it will perform in real life. However, from what the company has shared, it seems this might be the best Apple laptop for casual users and those wanting to give macOS a try for the first time.

Preorders for the MacBook Neo are now open, and the laptop officially launches next week, on March 11. The company is also offering a $100 discount for education (starting at $499), the ability to trade in an old computer for credit, and AppleCare plans for this device.