 | |
 Citrus (foreground) and Blush (background) devices on display in a retail setting | |
| Developer | Apple |
|---|---|
Product family | MacBook |
| Type | Laptop |
| Released | March 11, 2026 (2026-03-11) |
| macOS | |
| CPU | Apple A18 Pro |
| Memory | 8 GB (LPDDR5X-7500) |
| Storage | 256 or 512 GB SSD |
| Display | 13-inch, 2408 × 1506 Liquid Retina IPS (219 ppi, 500 nits) |
| Input | Magic keyboard, mechanical multi-touch touchpad |
| Camera | 1080p FaceTime HD |
| Connectivity |
|
| Power | 36.5 Wh lithium‑ion battery |
| Dimensions | 0.5 × 11.71 × 8.12 in (13 × 297 × 206 mm) |
| Weight | 2.7 lb (1.22 kg) |
| Related | |
| Website | apple |
The MacBook Neo is a laptop in the MacBook family developed by Apple. It is the first Mac to use an A-series chip previously used only in the iPhone and iPad, rather than the M-series used in other Apple silicon Macs. Announced on March 4, 2026, and released on March 11, 2026, it is positioned as the entry-level model in the MacBook lineup, below the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. As of 2026, it is Apple's lowest-priced laptop.
Overview
Apple introduced the MacBook Neo as part of its March 2026 product launches on March 4, 2026.1 It has been posited that the strategy behind the MacBook Neo is as an entry-level laptop aimed at mainstream users and students.23 According to an Apple marketing executive, the name "MacBook Neo" was chosen to feel fun, friendly, and fresh.4
The MacBook Neo is the lowest priced laptop that Apple has ever sold. At launch, the MacBook Neo sold with a starting price of US$599 or US$499 for those who qualify for education pricing, such as college students and school staff of all grade levels.5 Pre-orders began at launch, with general release beginning on March 11, 2026.26 The starting price was later increased by US$100 on June 25, 2026, amid global memory shortages.78
The MacBook Neo's name and model identifier (A3404) were accidentally revealed a day early by Apple when regulatory documents for the MacBook Neo were published on Apple's website.910
Specifications
Design
The MacBook Neo features an aluminum body design like the MacBook Air models,11 a Liquid Retina display with black, uniform bezels. It is the first MacBook to have a notchless display since the 13-inch MacBook Pro in 2022. The Neo is available in four colors: Silver, Blush, Citrus, and Indigo.12 The keyboard and feet are color-matched to the chassis.13
| Color | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Silver | ||
| Blush | Light pink | |
| Citrus | Golden yellow | |
| Indigo | Dark blue |
Hardware
The MacBook Neo features a 13-inch Liquid Retina display with a resolution of 2408 × 1506 and a pixel density of 219 ppi. It includes two USB-C ports (one USB 10Gbps port with support for DisplayPort 1.4 and one USB 2.0 port), a 3.5 mm audio jack, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 6.6
The computer uses the Apple A18 Pro, a system on a chip (SoC), previously introduced in the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max.12 It includes 8 GB of unified memory shared by a six-core CPU (two performance cores and four efficiency cores) and a five-core GPU. The MacBook Neo is the first publicly available Mac to use an A-series processor rather than an M-series processor since the transition to Apple silicon.a1
The MacBook Neo supports one external 4K display at 60 Hz, including the Studio Display at a scaled resolution.15
The 256 GB base model lacks Touch ID and uses a standard lock button in place of the fingerprint sensor. Touch ID is included on the 512 GB model.12
The A18 Pro's low power consumption allows the MacBook Neo to use a passive, fanless cooling system.16
Performance
Early performance tests done by Digital Trends show that the MacBook Neo outperforms the M1 MacBook Air with Geekbench 6 results, scoring 3,461 points in single-core and 8,668 points in multi-core tests, with a Metal score of 31,286 points in graphics benchmarks.17 The MacBook Neo also outperforms the M3 iPad Air in single-core tests.17
The photographer and video editor Tyler Stalman tested the MacBook Neo during professional workflows and concluded that "Editing 4K video on this computer is totally fine, even with every other app running."18
Technical specifications
| Model | MacBook Neo | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic info | Hardware string | Mac17,5 | ||
| Model number | A3404 | |||
| Part number | MHFA4, MHFH4, MHFD4, MHFF4 | MHFC4, MHFJ4, MHFE4, MHFG4 | ||
| Date | Announced | March 4, 2026 | ||
| Released | March 11, 2026 | |||
| Discontinued | In production | |||
| Unsupported | Supported | |||
| Operating system | Initial | macOS Tahoe 26.3.219 | ||
| Latest | macOS Tahoe 26.5.2 | |||
| MSRP | US$699i | US$799i | ||
| Dimensions | Height | 0.5 in (13 mm) | ||
| Width | 11.71 in (297 mm) | |||
| Depth | 8.12 in (206 mm) | |||
| Weight | 2.7 lb (1.22 kg) | |||
| Secure authentication | Touch ID | No | Yes | |
| Display | Size | Diagonal | 13 in (330 mm) | |
| Vertical-by-horizontal | 11.02 by 6.89 in (280 by 175 mm) | |||
| Resolution | Vertical-by-horizontal | 2408 × 1506 | ||
| Density | 219 ppi | |||
| Aspect ratio | 16:10 | |||
| Scaled resolution support | Yes | |||
| Technology | Liquid Retina with IPS | |||
| Backlight | LED | |||
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | |||
| Max. brightness | 500 nits | |||
| Contrast ratio (typical) | 1,400:1 | |||
| Color | Full sRGB | Yes | ||
| Wide color (P3) | No | |||
| Color depth | 10-bit (FRC) with 1 billion colors | |||
| True Tone | No | |||
| Night shift | Yes | |||
| Performance | Cooling system | Aluminum heat dissipator without fan | ||
| Chip | Chip name | Apple A18 Pro | ||
| Technology node | 3 nm (N3E) | |||
| Architecture | ARM64 | |||
| Total CPU cores | 6 | |||
| High-performance cores | 2 × 4.04 GHz | |||
| Energy-efficiency cores | 4 × 2.42 GHz | |||
| Total GPU cores | 5 | |||
| GPU family | Apple GPU Family 9 | |||
| Hardware-accelerated ray tracing | Yes | |||
| Neural accelerators in GPU | No | |||
| Metal support | Metal 4 | |||
| Neural Engine | 16-core (35 TOPS INT8) | |||
| Media Engine | Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW AV1 decode | |||
| Apple Intelligence | Yes (except in mainland China and European Union) | |||
| Unified memory | Memory type | LPDDR5X-7500 (3750 MHz) | ||
| Memory bus width | 64-bit | |||
| Memory bandwidth | 60 GB/s | |||
| Memory size | 8 GB | |||
| Storage | Storage type | NAND Flash driven by NVMe-based controller that communicates over a PCIe connection | ||
| Storage speed | 1.6 GB/s (read) | |||
| Storage size | 256 GB | 512 GB | ||
| Connector | HDMI | No | ||
| SD card slot | No | |||
| USB-C | 1 × USB-C port supporting USB 10Gbps and DisplayPort 1.4, 1 × USB-C port supporting USB 2.0 | |||
| Speed | 10 Gbit/s (USB 3.2 Gen 2×1) 480 Mbit/s (USB 2.0) | |||
| External display | 1 × 4K at 60 Hz | |||
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6E (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax) | ||
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 6 | |||
| Keyboard | Type | Magic Keyboard | ||
| Number of keys | 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) | |||
| Arrow keys | Inverted-T arrangement | |||
| Function keys | Full-height | |||
| Backlit keyboard | No | |||
| Trackpad | Type | Mechanical Multi-Touch | ||
| Force Touch | No | |||
| Haptic Touch | No | |||
| Camera | Resolution | 1080p | ||
| Center Stage and Desk View | No | |||
| Audio | Speakers | 2 | ||
| Force-cancelling woofers | No | |||
| Wide stereo sound | No | |||
| Dolby Atmos playback | Yes | |||
| Dolby Atmos with built-in speakers | Yes | |||
| Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking | No | |||
| Microphone | Dual-mic array with directional beamforming, Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum modes | |||
| 3.5 mm jack | Yes | |||
| Power | Battery | 36.5 W·h | ||
| Power adapter | 20 W USB-Cii | |||
| Fast charge capability | Up to 35 Wiii | |||
- The MSRP was increased by $100 on June 25, 2026
- Not included in Europe
- Maximum charging rate of 35 watts, but does not meet Apple's definition of fast charging.20
Repairability
A report by iFixit found that the MacBook Neo is Apple's most repairable laptop in 14 years, highlighted with a screwed-down battery tray, lack of parts pairing, screwed-down keyboard, and modular ports and speakers.21
Timeline
| Timeline of portable Macintoshes |
|---|
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Notes
Notes
- The first Mac to use an A-series SoC was the Developer Transition Kit, which used the Apple A12Z Bionic and was available only to developers during the transition to Apple silicon.14
References
References
- "Say hello to MacBook Neo". Apple Newsroom (Press release). Apple Inc. March 4, 2026. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
- Larsen, Luke (March 4, 2026). "The Colorful MacBook Neo Is Apple's Cheapest Laptop Ever". Wired. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
- Owen, Malcolm (March 4, 2026). "MacBook Neo is Apple's new entry-level notebook". AppleInsider. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
- Ulanoff, Lance (March 4, 2026). "Apple is ready to fulfill your MacBook Neo desires — on demand, the name and more". TechRadar. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
- Haslam, Karen (July 14, 2025). "Students can save $$$ at Apple's Education Store, here's how". Macworld. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
- Faulkner, Cameron (March 4, 2026). "Here's where you can preorder Apple's budget-friendly MacBook Neo". The Verge. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
- Rossignol, Joe (June 25, 2026). "Apple Just Raised the Price of the MacBook Neo". MacRumors. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- Charlton, Hartley (June 25, 2026). "Apple Just Increased Prices on MacBooks, iPads, and More". MacRumors. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- Rossignol, Joe (March 3, 2026). "Apple Accidentally Leaks 'MacBook Neo'". MacRumors. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
- Price, David (March 3, 2026). "Whoops! Apple accidentally reveals 'MacBook Neo'". Macworld. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
- Hardawar, Devindra; Ingraham, Nathan (March 4, 2026). "The $599 MacBook Neo is Apple's cheapest Mac laptop yet". Engadget. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
- Charlton, Hartley (March 4, 2026). "Apple Announces $599 'MacBook Neo' With A18 Pro Chip". MacRumors. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
- Cunningham, Andrew (March 4, 2026). "The $599 MacBook Neo is Apple's long-awaited colorful, lower-cost MacBook". Ars Technica. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
- Welch, Chris (June 22, 2020). "Apple announces Mac mini powered by its own chips for developers". The Verge. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
- Hardwick, Tim (March 5, 2026). "MacBook Neo Compatible With New Studio Displays, But There's a Catch". MacRumors. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
- Osthoff, Andreas (March 11, 2026). "Apple's MacBook Neo has arrived – Our initial impressions of the $599 MacBook". NotebookCheck. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
- Vivek, Vikhyaat (March 6, 2026). "Apple's budget MacBook Neo is already outrunning the M1 MacBook Air in early tests". Digital Trends. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
- Mendes, Marcus (March 10, 2026). "Photographer Tyler Stalman tests the MacBook Neo with pro photo and video workflows". 9to5Mac. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
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- Hall, Zac (March 10, 2026). "Apple releases macOS 26.3.2 software update for MacBook Neo". 9to5Mac. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
- Clover, Juli (March 10, 2026). "MacBook Neo Will Have Day One Software Update". MacRumors. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
- Loyola, Roman (March 11, 2026). "Can MacBook Neo charge faster with a better power adapter? It's complicated". Macworld. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
- Chamberlain, Elizabeth (March 13, 2026). "MacBook Neo Is the Most Repairable MacBook in 14 Years". iFixit. Retrieved March 17, 2026.