Apple presents MacBook Neo: colored aluminum design, A18 Pro chip, 13-inch Liquid Retina display and starting price of 699 euros.
Apple is once again trying to move the bar. With the new MacBook Neo, presented in Cupertino, the company introduces what could become the most accessible and perhaps also the most surprising MacBook in recent years. The starting price is 699 euros, a figure that significantly changes the entry point into the Mac world, but it is not the only striking element.
In fact, the Neo focuses on a mix that Apple has rarely proposed so explicitly: colorful design, premium materials, proprietary chip and all-day battery life, all in a computer designed for a new generation of users. It’s not simply a cheaper Mac. It is a Mac designed to be chosen even by those who, until now, had remained outside the Apple ecosystem.
“MacBook Neo offers all the magic of the Mac at a revolutionary price,” explained John Ternus, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering. “It’s a laptop that only Apple could create: a sturdy aluminum design, a brilliant Liquid Retina display, high performance and the battery life to accompany users throughout the day.”
A MacBook designed to get noticed
The first thing that catches the eye is the aesthetics. The MacBook Neo maintains the aluminum body typical of Apple laptops but introduces a bolder color palette. Alongside the classic silver come pastel pink, indigo and a new citrus yellow, colors that mark a small turning point in the visual language of the Mac line.
The result is a laptop that appears lighter and more contemporary, designed for an audience accustomed to customizing their devices. Apple openly talks about the most colorful MacBook ever made, with a coordinated Magic Keyboard and new wallpapers designed to dialogue with the shades of the body.
The computer weighs 1.23 kilograms, a choice that makes it easy to transport between university, office and daily mobility.
The 13-inch Liquid Retina display
On the visual front, Apple brings one of the most popular elements of its laptops to the Neo: the Liquid Retina display. The 13-inch screen offers a resolution of 2408×1506, brightness up to 500 nits and support for one billion colors.
The panel is brighter and more defined than most laptops in the same price range and includes an anti-reflective coating, designed to improve readability even in brightly lit environments. Whether watching a movie, editing photographs or participating in a video call, the screen is one of the elements that define the device experience.
The heart of the MacBook Neo is the A18 Pro chip
The real technical innovation, however, is inside. The MacBook Neo is powered by the A18 Pro chip, an Apple-designed processor that promises high performance in everyday tasks while maintaining high power efficiency.
Web browsing, streaming, working on documents, light photo editing or using artificial intelligence tools are the scenarios the Neo was designed for. According to Apple, the laptop can be up to 50% faster at everyday tasks than the best-selling PC with Intel Core Ultra 5 processor and up to three times faster at AI operations performed directly on the device.
The integrated five-core GPU handles the graphics, while the 16-core Neural Engine supports Apple Intelligence features, including automatic text summaries, intelligent image editing and in-app writing tools.
The MacBook Neo is also completely fanless, making it silent even under load.
A whole day of autonomy
One of the strongest points of the new laptop is the battery. Thanks to the efficiency of the Apple chip, the Neo offers up to 16 hours of battery life on a single charge, a result that makes it suitable for a full day of work or study without the need for power.
It’s an element that Apple continues to consider central to its strategy: a computer designed to be used everywhere, from the university classroom to a coffee shop.
Keyboard, trackpad and audio
The laptop integrates the Magic Keyboard, the Apple keyboard appreciated for its precision and comfort when typing. Next to this we find a large Multi-Touch trackpad, which allows you to navigate the interface with natural gestures and very fluid control.
The 1080p FaceTime HD camera improves the quality of video calls, while the two microphones with directional beamforming reduce background noise during meetings and conferences.
The audio system includes two speakers with support for spatial audio and Dolby Atmos, meant to deliver more immersive sound when watching movies or listening to music.
macOS Tahoe and iPhone integration
The new MacBook Neo arrives with macOS Tahoe, the latest version of Apple’s operating system. The software includes stock apps like Safari, Messages, Photos, and FaceTime, but it also integrates Apple Intelligence features, including auto-typing tools and real-time translation.
For those who already own an iPhone, the Neo takes advantage of all the features of the Apple ecosystem. With Handoff you can start a task on your Mac and continue it on your phone, while Shared Clipboard lets you copy and paste content between different devices.
The cheapest MacBook ever launched by Apple
The real breaking point, however, remains the price. With a starting price of 699 euros – 599 euros for the Education sector – the MacBook Neo becomes the cheapest MacBook ever launched by Apple.
Pre-orders are already open on the company’s online store, while availability in stores and the first deliveries are scheduled for March 11th.
For Apple it’s more than a new laptop. It is an attempt to expand the Mac ecosystem to millions of new users, bringing proprietary design, software and chips to a market segment that until now had remained almost entirely the territory of Windows PCs.
