- Apple's finally made its more affordable MacBook official
- It's powered by Apple's A18 Pro chip
- This new MacBook starts at $599 / £599
After countless rumors, Apple has finally made its new entry-level MacBook Neo official. The iPhone 17e and iPad Air with M4 might have kicked off Apple's week of launches, but this new $599 / £599 MacBook will likely be the one that gets folks talking.
As expected, this MacBook doesn’t feature an M-series chip from Apple but is instead powered by an A18 Pro chip. Yes, Apple-made silicon that first debuted in an iPhone is now inside a Mac and running macOS.
It most closely resembles Apple’s classic wedge-design MacBook Air — a look I’m still pretty fond of — and this laptop comes in a range of four sweet colors (blush, indigo, silver, and a "fresh new citrus"). The invites for the March 4, 2026, Apple Experience were likely hinting at these colors.
The MacBook Neo comes with two USB-C ports, a 1080p FaceTime HD camera and a headphone jack. The screen is a 13-inch Liquid Retina display with 500 nits of brightness and Apple is claiming a 16-hour battery life, only two less than the new MacBook Air. The MacBook Neo also has a Multi-Touch Trackpad and the Magic Keyboard, although unlike the MacBook Air this one isn't backlit.
The $599 / £599 / AU$899 version comes with 256GB storage and 8GB RAM and no Touch ID (with a lock button instead), while the $699 / £699 / AU$1,099 version has 512GB storage with 8GB RAM and Touch ID.
So what's missing?
The MacBook Neo packs in a lot for its $599 / £599 / AU$899 base price tag, so what corners has Apple had to cut?
Firstly, that cheaper model has no Touch ID on the keyboard — that only comes with the $699 / £699 / AU$1,099 512GB version. There also aren't any 1TB or higher storage options, just the 256GB and 512GB options.
The absence of a backlit keyboard could be one of the bigger practical limitations, making it harder for students (its main target market) to type away late in the evenings. There's also no MagSafe charging and no Apple N1 chip (which is now standard on Apple's latest MacBooks), which means you only get Wi-Fi 6E.
Elsewhere, the 1080p FaceTime camera doesn't have Center Stage, so it can't pan around to follow you as you move, and in the UK and Europe the laptop also won't ship with a charger or cable.
Still, while these are all nice-to-haves, the MacBook Neo certainly has its charms, particularly in those bright colors, and it's likely to a strong Chromebook rival at that $599 / £599 / AU$899 starting price. Considering it starts at $499 for education, we can see this being a popular laptop in 2026.
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