Apple Has Brought Back the Small Laptop with the MacBook Neo
Apple has brought back the small laptop with the MacBook Neo priced at $599. Announced at the Special Apple Experience in New York on March 4 2026 it’s meant to be a cheaper option compared to the updated MacBook Air and Pro which now use the M5 chip. The MacBook Neo is made to be easy to carry around but to keep the cost down some of the parts aren't as powerful.
Unlike the more expensive models with the M5 series the MacBook Neo has an A18 Pro chip which was first used in the iPhone 16 Pro series. But it’s been changed a bit for this laptop
- Processor 6 CPU cores and 5 GPU cores
- AI Engine 16 cores for AI stuff
- Memory 8 GB of memory with a speed of 60 GB/s
- GPU note It doesn't have as many GPU cores as the newest iPhones
The MacBook Neo has a 13 inch screen that looks good with a resolution of 2408 x 1506 pixels. The screen can get pretty bright up to 500 nits and refreshes at the usual 60 Hz. It’s about the same size as a small MacBook Air but thinner
- Size 297.5 x 206.4 x 12.7 mm
- Weight 1.23 kg
- Other Details It doesn’t have a MagSafe port instead it uses two Type C ports for charging and connecting things (one USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0)
To make it thin Apple used a smaller battery in the MacBook Neo at 36.5 Wh. That means it lasts around 11 hours if you’re just browsing the web which isn’t as long as the current MacBook Air and Pro. Also in the US it comes with a 20W charger so it charges slower.
The MacBook Neo comes in four colors Blush Citrus Indigo and Silver. There are two main versions
- Basic ($599) Comes with 256 GB of storage. Doesn’t have Touch ID
- Better ($699) Comes with 512 GB of storage and Touch ID built into the power button
Both have 8 GB of memory. You can order them now and they start shipping on March 11 2026.
