(Credit: Brian Westover/PCMag)
Apple's big week of March announcements has been heavily MacBook-focused, and it's finishing with the $599 MacBook Neo, a new lower-cost alternative to the MacBook Air with M5.
Apple has made this possible by using a mobile chipset to power the laptop, the A18 Pro processor produced by the brand itself, paired with 8GB of RAM. There's no option for higher specs here, so you're limited to this amount of power.
The A18 Pro first debuted on the iPhone 16 Pro, but was later usurped by the A19 Pro in the iPhone 17 Pro series. It may not be the latest Apple mobile chipset, but it delivers impressive overall performance.
"It’s up to 50% faster for everyday tasks like web browsing, and up to 3x faster when running on-device AI workloads like applying advanced effects to photos, compared to the bestselling PC with the latest shipping Intel Core Ultra 5," Apple says.
(Credit: Brian Westover/PCMag)There’s a 13-inch Liquid Retina display featuring a 2,408-by-1,504 resolution, up to 500 nits of brightness, and support for a billion colors. There's no larger-screen option for the Neo, with this size matching other MacBooks and the brand's top-end iPad Pro.
We don't yet know how big the battery is, but Apple says it'll last for up to 16 hours on a single charge. There's no MagSafe charging here, and charging is limited to 20W, which means it takes a lot longer than other MacBook models.
You've got two USB-C ports (one is USB 3, the other USB 2), plus a 3.5mm headphone jack. There's a Full HD FaceTime selfie camera built into the bezel along the top of the display, plus the laptop features dual mics with dual side-firing speakers for audio. The camera doesn't feature Center Stage, so it won't follow you around as you move.
You get a choice of new fun colors, with Apple trying to emulate its Mac shades. Those are blush, indigo, citrus, and silver. Every model comes with a rounded corner aluminum design that Apple says is "built to last." There's a Multi-Touch Trackpad working alongside Apple's Magic Keyboard, but this version lacks backlighting, which may make it more difficult to use in the dark.
(Credit: Brian Westover/PCMag)Touch ID fingerprint authentication is only available on the top-end model, which comes with 512GB of storage. The basic model with 256GB of storage costs $599, while the 512GB model is still reasonably priced at $699. That's it, though; you can't customize this laptop much beyond storage and color choices.
You can preorder today, and shipping begins on Wednesday, March 11. That's the same day you'll receive a new iPhone 17e, iPad, or other new Macs if you've preordered.
For more, check out PCMag's hands on with the MacBook Neo and our contributor's thoughts on why he's buying one.