Apple surprises with the launch of the MacBook Neo: a compact MacBook that stands out primarily due to its highly competitive entry-level price of 699 euros.
Apple enters the budget laptop segment with the MacBook Neo. This is a full-fledged laptop, entirely within Apple’s design language, available at a starting price of 699 euros. With this, Apple is bringing an atypically well-priced device to the market, alongside the previously launched new MacBook Air and Pro.
Higher-class display panel
For that price, you get a device crafted from aluminum, equipped with a 13-inch screen. Apple doesn’t cut corners here, providing an IPS panel with a resolution of 2,408 x 1,506 pixels and sRGB support.
The panel is therefore sharper than average for this price range, and the brightness of 500 nits is also excellent. We are happy to overlook the bulky bezels in exchange.
Specifications of a lightweight iPhone
The MacBook Neo is equipped with a modest 8 GB of RAM. While this wouldn’t be enough for a smooth Windows laptop, Apple can get away with it because macOS works seamlessly in tandem with their in-house processor. This allows the manufacturer to keep the price down, though exuberant multitasking won’t be one of its strengths.
The CPU is also designed for rather light use. Apple hasn’t put a PC chip under the hood, but instead relies on its A18 Pro. The manufacturer introduced this processor in late 2024 with the iPhone 16 Plus in mind. The processor contains two performance cores and four efficiency cores, based on the ARM architecture. A light GPU and NPU are also present.
The lightweight chip in the MacBook Neo does have the necessary multimedia capabilities on board. Support for H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and AV1 is built-in.
Furthermore, this laptop has a storage capacity of 256 GB. If you want a larger SSD, you can pay an extra 100 euros for a device with 512 GB capacity.
Small but brave battery
The battery capacity is almost laughable: 36.5 Wh is very little indeed. Again, this doesn’t have to be a disaster: since Apple opted for lightweight hardware, the strain on the battery is theoretically very manageable. In any case, Apple claims the laptop can last a full workday.
“Wireless web surfing” should be possible for up to eleven hours without recharging, and video streaming for up to sixteen hours. The main question will be whether the battery capacity is sufficient to support the IPS screen at adequate brightness for long periods, and what the autonomy is at high brightness.
Port confusion
Apple further reduces the price of the MacBook Neo by being extremely stingy with the port selection. This is where a potential point of frustration lies for future buyers. The laptop has two USB-C connections on board, but one of those connections hides the old USB 2 standard (480 Mbps). You cannot use it to connect a monitor, but you can connect a slow hard drive (as the maximum transfer speed is 60 MB/s) or peripherals.
Behind the second USB-C connection is a USB 3 port (10 Gbps). This port does not support Thunderbolt, so be careful with the peripherals you wish to connect. You can connect an external screen via DisplayPort 1.4 over USB. This allows you (with a suitable cable) to connect a compatible display with a maximum 4K resolution at 60 Hz. Apple’s new Studio Display has a 5K resolution and is therefore not compatible. Both devices are in different price brackets, however, so that likely won’t be an issue.
Know what you want to connect
It is important to know which port serves which purpose on this laptop and to carefully check what you want to connect. Because USB-C always looks the same, regardless of the actual port technology behind it, this can lead to confusion. A 3.5 mm jack is also present, by the way.
A charger is not included in the box, but a cable is. This isn’t a disaster: the laptop supports USB-C Power Delivery and can charge as soon as it’s connected to a compatible charger with a minimum output of 20 watts. This means that even an older phone charger is technically sufficient.
Apple still equips the MacBook Neo with a very decent webcam. 1080p is a higher resolution than what we find on many business laptops.
For lighter tasks
You have to look past Apple’s claims regarding the power of this device. 8 GB of RAM and an A18 Pro are sufficient to support browsing, media, and office work. Photo editing is also possible via an app, but don’t expect to buy a MacBook for 699 euros that supports the entire Adobe suite at lightning speed.
The lightweight hardware has one final advantage: the MacBook Neo stays cool without a fan. This device is therefore whisper-quiet. The whole thing doesn’t weigh much either: at 1.23 kg, it is definitely very portable.
A bold attempt
Apple is attempting here to do what Microsoft hasn’t quite managed yet. The manufacturer is going all-in on the entry-level segment with a laptop that feels premium where it counts. Whether 8 GB of RAM and an A18 Pro are truly enough to deliver the experience Apple customers expect remains to be seen. On paper, this device seems well-balanced for its target audience.
The Apple MacBook Neo is available immediately with a suggested retail price of 699 euros incl. VAT. VAT.