It’s been a wild week of Apple announcements, and the company isn’t slowing down. On Wednesday, it unveiled the MacBook Neo, an all-new, more affordable entrant in the company’s laptop line.
Starting at $799 in Canada, the MacBook Neo runs on the A18 Pro chip that launched in the iPhone 16 Pro in 2024, and Apple claims it’s 50 per cent faster “for everyday tasks” than “the bestselling PC with the latest shipping Intel Core Ultra 5.” Apple also touted the A18 Pro’s aptitude for AI, claiming the Neo was up to three times faster for on-device AI workloads. The A18 Pro features an integrated five-core GPU, and the Neo is fanless for silent operation.
Further, it has a 13-inch Liquid Retina display, up to 16 hours of battery life, a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, dual mics, dual side-firing speakers with Spatial Audio, a colour-matched Magic Keyboard, and more, all packed into an aluminum chassis. The Neo comes in four colours: blush, indigo, silver, and a yellow option Apple calls citrus. Interestingly, Apple offers two versions of the Neo, one with a Touch ID sensor and one without.
Plus, it runs full macOS Tahoe, which means access to all the same desktop-class apps you’d have on any other MacBook. You get the same in-box apps like Safari and Photos, access to the same App Store, and more. It’s also got the same Continuity features, making Neo a great companion for your iPhone.
The display sports a 2,408 x 1,506 pixel resolution and up to 500 nits of brightness, which Apple says is brighter and higher resolution than most PC laptops in the same price range. The display also sports an anti-reflective coating to improve viewing in various lighting conditions.
Apple included two USB-C ports and a 3.5mm audio jack on the MacBook Neo, and the laptop also offers Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 6 for wireless connections.
Finally, Apple touted the environmental aspects, calling Neo its “lowest-carbon MacBook.” Neo uses 60 per cent recycled content — the most of any Apple product — including 90 per cent recycled aluminum and 100 per cent recycled cobalt. Moreover, Apple used a more efficient material forming process that uses 50 per cent less aluminum compared to traditional machining methods.
When it comes to pricing, Apple only offers two configurations of the MacBook Neo. The base model costs $799 and comes with 256GB of storage, but doesn’t have Touch ID. For $999, you can get Touch ID and double the storage to 512GB. There’s no option to upgrade your storage further.
The MacBook Neo is available for pre-order now, with full availability starting March 11.
Images credit: Apple
