The Most Affordable Mac Ever: Apple Announces MacBook Neo with an iPhone Processor

During its spring event, Apple announced a fundamentally new laptop model — the MacBook Neo. The device becomes the most affordable option in the company's lineup. Instead of the proprietary M-series chips, the MacBook Neo is powered by the mobile A18 Pro — the same processor used in the iPhone 16 Pro. According to Apple, this approach allows it to deliver a 50-percent advantage in everyday tasks over Windows competitors running Intel Core Ultra 5 processors. The company also promises three times the speed in on-device AI computations.

Otherwise, it's a classic thin laptop: it weighs 1.23 kg with a thickness of 12.7 mm, and the chassis is made of aluminum. The device features a 13-inch Liquid Retina IPS display with a 2408×1506 resolution and a peak brightness of 500 nits. The laptop also comes with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB or 512GB solid-state drive. Powering it is a 36.5 watt-hour battery, which the manufacturer claims is enough for 16 hours of video playback.

Due to the use of the smartphone processor and the absence of fans, the laptop runs completely silently. Ports are few: two USB-C (one operates at 3.0 standard, the second at 2.0) and a standard headphone jack.

The base versions of the MacBook Neo face an unexpected limitation. In the configuration with a 256GB drive, the Touch ID fingerprint scanner is absent. Owners will have to rely on standard password entry for unlocking and authentication. To get Touch ID, you'll need to pay an extra $100 for the version with increased storage.

Pre-orders for the MacBook Neo are already open, and the laptop will go on sale March 11th. The 8/256GB version will cost $599, while the 512GB storage version comes in at $699.

So, what do you think of Apple's new price segment? Are you considering the MacBook Neo as your main work machine, or are Windows systems still the better option? Share your thoughts in the comments.