After months of rumors, Apple finally launched its first budget laptop, the MacBook Neo.
The MacBook Neo was apparently made for students and as an entryway to the Apple ecosystem. This one is powered by an A18 Pro chip, the same one used on the iPhone 16 Pro series in 2024. It only has 8GB of RAM and comes in 256GB and 512GB storage options.
There’s also a Touch ID fingerprint scanner, but it’s exclusive to the 512GB option.
A highlight of the Neo is the vibrant colors, which really speak to the market it’s for. It is available in Citrus, Indigo, Blush, and Silver. Sadly, no black.
There’s a decent 13-inch Liquid Retina IPS display, with only a 60Hz refresh rate, and 3:2 aspect ratio. A 1080p FaceTime webcam is on top.
There’s also the Apple Magic Keyboard, which lacks backlighting. There’s also a clicky multi-touch trackpad without the Force Touch haptic feedback that the rest of the MacBook line-up has.
Apple also highlighted its build, which is made of 90% recycled aluminum. It only weighs 1.23kg. You’d be able to enjoy all the benefits of using macOS 26, including the AI suite from Apple Intelligence.
For connectivity, we have WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 6.0, 1x USB-C 2.0, and 1x USB-C 3.0 with DisplayPort. The 36.5Wh Li-Ion battery promises up to 16 hours of video streaming or 11 hours of web browsing.
The MacBook Neo is now listed on the Apple Philippines website with a price of Php39,990 for the 256GB model and Php46,990 for the 512GB/Touch ID option.
MacBook Neo Specs
- macOS Tahoe, Apple Intelligence
- 13-inch Liquid Retina IPS display, 2408 x 1506 pixel resolution, ~218ppi
- 500-nit peak brightness, sRGB
- 60Hz refresh rate
- HDR10+, Dolby Vision
- A18 Pro chip, 6-core CPU
- 8GB RAM
- 5-core GPU, Hardware-accelerated ray tracing
- 16-core NPU
- 256GB/512GB SSD storage
- Magic Keyboard
- Touch ID (512GB only)
- 1060p FaceTime HD webcam
- Stereo speakers, Spatial Audio
- Dual-mic Array
- WiFi 6E
- Bluetooth 6.0
- 1x USB-C 3.0 (Charging, DisplayPort up to 4K@60Gz, up to 10Gbps)
- 1x USB-C (Charging, up to 480Mbps)
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- Weight: 29.75 x 20.64 x 1.27cm
- Weight: 1.23kg
- Colors: Indigo, Citrus, Blush, Silver
- 36.5Wh battery, up to 16 hours of video streaming, up to 11 hours of web browsing
- 20W USB-C charging