Over a decade after it came out with the compact 12-inch MacBook, Apple's taking another stab at an entry-level laptop with the all-new MacBook Neo. Powered by a processor borrowed from a previous-generation iPhone, it's meant for people who mostly get things done in their browser and with basic productivity apps, sort of like a Chromebook.

That means it'll likely be a good choice for students and even seniors with a limited set of tasks to tackle in front of a screen. At US$599, it's priced significantly lower price than the latest $1,099 MacBook Air we saw yesterday; students can also have $100 knocked off when buying it from Apple.

The 13-inch Neo is built around an A18 Pro chip, which featured in 2024's iPhone 16 Pro – but while it gets the same 6-core CPU, it gets only 5 GPU cores (as opposed to 6 in the phone). This is paired with 8 GB of unified memory, either 256 GB or 512 GB of SSD storage, and a Liquid Retina display.

Unlike other MacBooks, this one skips the notch, but retains a 1080p webcam. You'll find two USB-C ports on the left side; both support charging via the included 20-W adapter, but one does USB 3.0 transfer speeds, and the other is a USB 2.0 port that's better suited for plugging in peripherals. You can drive one external display up to 4K at 60 Hz, and have the laptop screen on simultaneously.

There's a 3.5-mm headphone jack, as well as dual side-firing speakers. The 36.5-Wh battery promises up to 16 hours of use on a single charge – just a couple of hours less than the MacBook Air. For connectivity, there's Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 6 which should be good enough for a few years into the future.

All this comes together in an aluminum chassis weighing 2.7 lb (1.23 kg), which is the same as the 13-inch MacBook Air. That's nice to see at this price point, as many Windows-based laptops in this segment are mostly made of plastic.

Besides less power than its more expensive siblings, the Neo also misses out on a MagSafe charging port and Thunderbolt connectivity, and most people will honestly be just fine without them. My only gripe is that the Touch ID fingerprint sensor, which allows for snappier logins and secure payments, can only be had with the 512-GB upgrade that costs an extra $100. A lot of folks could likely get by with less storage, but Touch ID is pretty much an essential quality-of-life feature that Apple should've included with the base model.

Still, the MacBook Neo could be a compelling alternative to a new iPad for some folks. I could easily travel with this when I only need to be available for work occasionally, and also have a decent-sized screen to stream shows in my hotel room at the end of the day. Of course, the base iPad is a lot cheaper at $329 to start, but once you tack on a keyboard-equipped case for that laptop-like form factor, it creeps up closer to the Neo's asking price. Either way, you now have two good options for lo-fi computing from Apple.

What I'm particularly excited about with the Neo is that it lets you get your hands on a new Apple product at a lower entry point than the MacBook Air. I've lived with a bunch of these over several years alongside loads of Windows and Android devices that have come and gone. Most of the latter haven't come close to matching Apple's build quality, battery health over time, and longevity. Innovation may have suffered at Apple under Tim Cook – as the company's mostly been iterating on its greatest hits for the last decade – but its manufacturing game is still on point.

The MacBook Neo comes in four colorways, including a cheeky Citrus that's unlike anything Apple's put out before. You can pre-order one now, and it'll become available from March 11. Find it on Apple's site.

Source: Apple