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MacBook Neo Hands-On: Apple's $599 Laptop with A18 Pro Chip

Canopy Hardware
Apple MacBook Neo laptop hands-on photo showing the new $599 entry-level Mac with A18 Pro chip

Apple introduced the MacBook Neo starting at $599, the company's first Mac priced below $1,000 to be actively sold through its own retail channels, breaking from over 20 years of $1,000+ entry-level Mac pricing. The Neo uses an Apple A18 Pro chip (previously an iPhone chip), ships with 256GB storage and no Touch ID at the base tier, and $699 with Touch ID and 512GB. While lower-specced than the M3 or M4 MacBook Air on raw compute, its pricing is positioned to attract first-time Mac buyers and developers in education or budget-constrained settings.

Key Takeaways

  • MacBook Neo starts at $599 (256GB, no Touch ID) and $699 (512GB, Touch ID); education pricing is $100 less — first sub-$1,000 Mac sold in Apple retail
  • Powered by Apple A18 Pro chip (same as iPhone 16 Pro) rather than the M-series desktop silicon used in MacBook Air and Pro
  • Hands-on at Ars Technica notes premium build quality; full review forthcoming — M3/M4 MacBook Airs may still offer better performance per dollar at discounted prices

Original source: Ars Technica