For the first time in years, Apple has introduced a new MacBook in its laptop lineup. It’s the MacBook Neo, a colorful, lower-power computer that runs on the A18 Pro chip. It’s the cheapest MacBook on the market, with a starting price of $599. Apple is pitching it to students and people who mostly use their computers for non-demanding tasks like email, web browsing, and media streaming. MacBook Neo is available for preorder now starting at $599 (see it at Amazon). It ships starting March 11.
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The $599 option comes with 256GB of storage, but you can bump it up to 512GB and get TouchID for an extra $100. I’d recommend doing that, because I use TouchID a lot during any given day, and extra storage is always nice, particularly if you plan on playing games.
The A18 Pro chip was previously used in the iPhone 16. This is the first time Apple has made a Mac that runs on an iPhone chip. For years, every MacBook Apple has released has been powered by the company’s M-series chips (you can preorder an M5 MacBook Air if you need more power).
MacBook Neo has a 13-inch Liquid Retina display and a 1080p FaceTime camera. It has two USB-C ports and a headphone jack, plus speakers on either side for spatial audio. The A18 Pro chip is powerful enough to run AI tasks and video games, at least non-power-hungry ones. So apps like ChatGPT and Canva will work just fine. Apple says it can run up to 16 hours on a single charge.
Perhaps to give it more appeal to the youths, this is the most colorful MacBook in the lineup. It comes in silver, indigo, blush (pink), and citrus (yellow). The colors aren’t as bold as the iMacs, but they’re not far off, particularly citrus. Color options of the other MacBooks have been relatively reined-in for years, so it’s nice to see some vibrancy added back to the group.
In other Apple news, you can also preorder a new iPhone 17e, the lowest-priced iPhone in the lineup.
Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN’s board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Bluesky.
