For years, if you wanted a brand-new Apple laptop but only had a budget of $600, your only option was to buy a refurbished older model or settle for an iPad with a clunky keyboard case. That era officially ended this week. On March 11, 2026, Apple officially released the MacBook Neo in stores. With a starting price of $599 (and just $499 for students), it is the most affordable laptop Apple has ever made. It is explicitly designed to obliterate the premium Chromebook and budget Windows laptop market. So here is the MacBook Neo review.
But to hit that magical $599 price point, Apple had to make some fascinating—and slightly controversial—engineering choices. Here is our hands-on review after using the Neo for the last few days.
1. MacBook Neo review – The Brains: An iPhone Chip in a Mac?
The biggest shock of the Neo isn’t its price; it’s the silicon inside. Instead of an M-series chip (like the M3 or M4), the MacBook Neo is powered by the A18 Pro—literally the exact same processor used in last year’s iPhone 16 Pro models.
- The Performance: You might think a phone chip would struggle to run a desktop OS, but you would be wrong. In early Geekbench testing, the A18 Pro’s single-core performance actually beats the M1 and M2 MacBook Airs.
- The Reality: For 90% of people—those writing essays, browsing Safari with 15 tabs open, and watching Netflix—the Neo feels lightning fast. However, because it only has 5 GPU cores and a lower multi-core score, do not buy this if you are a professional 4K video editor or a heavy gamer.
2. Design and Build: Premium Aluminum, Fun Colors
If you expected a cheap plastic netbook, think again. The Neo features a classic, premium aluminum chassis.
- The Colors: It comes in four vibrant, youthful colors: Silver, Blush (Pink), Indigo (Blue), and a highly debated Citrus (a striking yellow/lime green). It even features a color-matched keyboard.
- The Display: It rocks a 13-inch Liquid Retina display with 500 nits of brightness. Interestingly, there is no notch! Instead, Apple opted for slightly thicker, uniform black bezels around the entire screen.
3. The Compromises: Where Apple Cut Costs
To sell a Mac for $599, Apple had to trim the fat. Here is what you are giving up compared to a MacBook Air:
- The Port Situation: You only get two USB-C ports and a headphone jack. There is no MagSafe charging. More frustratingly, only one of those ports supports high-speed USB 3 data transfer and video output; the other is limited to slow USB 2 speeds.
- The Trackpad: The Neo uses a traditional mechanical trackpad that actually clicks down, rather than the haptic-feedback “Magic Trackpads” Apple has used for the last decade. Honestly, it still feels fantastic, but it is a noticeable downgrade.
- The RAM: You are locked into 8GB of unified memory. You cannot upgrade it.
- Other Missing Features: There is no ambient light sensor (auto-brightness is finicky), no fast charging, and the 1080p webcam lacks the “Center Stage” tracking feature.
4. Battery Life
Because the A18 Pro is a low-wattage mobile chip, the Neo doesn’t need a cooling fan—it runs completely silent. This extreme efficiency also means the smaller 36.5Wh battery still easily pushes out up to 16 hours of video streaming. It will comfortably survive a full day of university lectures without needing a charger.
Verdict
Is the MacBook Neo a “watered-down” Mac? Yes. But is it worth $599? Absolutely. By repurposing an incredibly powerful iPhone chip, Apple has created a budget laptop that runs a full, desktop-grade version of macOS (macOS Tahoe) with zero lag for everyday tasks. If you are a student, a casual user, or just someone who wants to enter the Apple ecosystem without spending over $1,000, the Neo is an absolute game-changer.