At $599, the MacBook Neo Is a Technicolor Dream

3 min read

As a tech expert who keeps tabs on Apple rumors, I’ve been hearing gossip about a budget-friendly laptop for quite some time now. My nerdy colleagues didn’t want to believe it. “No way,” they said. “That’s not Apple’s modus operandi.” But here we are.

The iPhone maker unleashed the MacBook Neo this week (shipping March 11)—which, dare I say, is actually cheap.

At $599, the MacBook Neo shakes up the entry-level-laptop market long dominated by Chromebooks and budget Windows machines. And now Apple has entered the chat with a fierce new competitor. Here’s everything you need to know about Apple’s brand-new, cost-conscious laptop.

The MacBook Neo is powered by the same chipset that juices up the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max: the A18 Pro. That might raise some eyebrows, but after benchmarking iPhones since 2020, I’ve consistently found that Apple’s chips deliver far more power than the devices typically need. In fact, I’ve often argued that Apple’s Pro and Pro Max iPhone chips are almost overkill, with performance that starts to brush up against that of entry-level laptops.

As long as you have basic, simple needs for your workflow and you want to tap into the Apple ecosystem, the MacBook Neo should be fine.

I want to emphasize that the MacBook Neo is for basic workflows only. There’s only 8GB of RAM in this laptop, which is a bit meager (i.e., don’t think you can run the likes of Final Cut Pro, CapCut, and other RAM-heavy apps without putting a lot of pressure on the Neo).

If your daily routine mostly involves streaming, writing papers, browsing the Internet, and occasionally hopping on iMessage or FaceTime, the MacBook Neo should suit you just fine. Speaking of FaceTime, the Neo comes with a 1080p camera for calls.

The budget-friendly MacBook starts with 256GB of storage, which is enough for users who aren’t storing large creative projects and only keep a modest collection of photos, videos, and files.

The MacBook Neo is wrapped in an aluminum chassis, and it’s pretty lightweight too. It’s less than three pounds, 2.7 pounds to be exact, and 0.5 inches thick. (For reference, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is 0.35 inches thick.)

All the available MacBook Neo colors from left to right: silver, blush, citrus, indigo.

If you, like me, prefer a more subdued hue, the Neo comes in silver and indigo. If you want something a bit different from Apple’s usual aesthetic, grab the blush and citrus colorways, which are more striking.

The MacBook Neo sports a 13-inch display, so this laptop may feel cramped if you prefer larger, more spacious laptops. However, for students who need something light and portable while hopping from class to class, it’s a convenient size.

The MacBook Neo is targeting the education sector with its cost-conscious, student-friendly pricing.

The panel sports a 2408 × 1506-pixel display, which is crisp enough for typical tasks like watching videos, working on documents, and surfing the web.

As expected, Apple also made some compromises with the Neo’s port selection. Instead of Thunderbolt 4, which is found on the MacBook Air, the Neo relies on standard USB-C ports. That means slower maximum data-transfer speeds and fewer expansion possibilities. For most people, this won’t matter much, but users who rely on fast external drives, docking stations, or multiple monitors may notice the limitation.

According to Apple, the MacBook Neo offers up to 16 hours of battery life. If that estimate holds up in real-world testing (we’ll get on that), it’s impressive for a $599 laptop. Back when I regularly tested sub-$1,000 laptops, including Chromebooks and budget Windows machines, hitting even ten hours was considered a good result.

If your workday or class schedule runs about eight hours, the Neo could realistically last close to two days before needing a recharge.

If you’re the type to skip buying a pricey new MacBook in favor of grabbing a cheaper, older model—likely refurbished, from a third-party retailer—you’re Apple’s target consumer here. If you’re a student who has been using Chromebooks and Windows laptops, you’re also in Apple’s crosshairs for the Neo.

If you ask me, Apple made the right call in rolling out this new $600 MacBook. No, it’s not for users who have more intensive workflows, but it’s ideal for anyone who wants a bare-bones MacBook without shelling out $1,000-plus.

The MacBook Neo is available for preorder now and will start shipping March 11. If you’re curious about the other products the Cupertino-based tech giant launched this week, peruse our roundup of Apple’s new launches.

Shop the MacBook Neo