Apple is back with the ‘cheap’ MacBook. This time it’s really cheap

Five devices in three days. That was Apple’s plan for this week, a plan that culminates with the new MacBook Neo. This is a new attempt by the company to bite into the cheap laptop segment and, although we know that ‘cheap’ does not mean the same for us as it does for Apple, in this case… it is true.

Next, we go with all the features of a MacBook Neo that targets a very specific segment and that does not come with an M processor, but with that of the iPhone 16 Pro. Yes, we have not missed the mark with the iPhone model.

MacBook Neo technical data sheet

Laptop body, iPhone 16 Pro heart

The design of the MacBook Neo is very reminiscent of the MacBook Air with the latest redesign. At least, on the outside, with those very rounded corners and a somewhat more robust finish. On the sides there are only two ports (two USB-C that do not go at the same speed, but can be used interchangeably for charging) and the two speakers.

The body is made of aluminum, the keyboard has good-sized keys and the trackpad is as large as usual, but the pronounced bezels return on the screen. If the iPhone 17e maintains the traditional notch, the cheap MacBook has not switched to the notch of its older brothers. The screen has a maximum brightness of 500 nits (which is not too much, but enough for indoors) and the resolution yields a density of 219 pixels per inch.

On the outside it looks like a MacBook but the trick is that on the inside it’s not a MacBook: it’s an iPhone. In your file in the web From Apple, the company does not dwell much on the processor either. It simply says that it is enough for daily tasks. What tasks? Emails, video calls, surfing the Internet… and puts many practical cases in the classroom.

We are looking at a MacBook for students or for mobility with up to 16 hours of autonomy. And, again, it is thanks to the fact that its SoC is that of a mobile phone. This is the Apple A18 Pro, the same one that ‘fit’ the iPhone 16 Pro. It is a more than enough chip for daily tasks, for somewhat more demanding tasks such as occasionally editing a video, for consuming content and even for games.

But, even if it has a mobile SoC, the system is MacOS, with everything that this implies in terms of productivity, functionality and the interconnection that we are already accustomed to with the iPhone. The iPad is sure to watch with jealousy that an Apple A18 Pro can handle macOS while he rides up to an M5 with iPadOS.

MacBook Neo launch and price

The MacBook Neo will hit the market on March 11. You can book now and will arrive at two prices:

• 256 GB capacity with Magic Keyboard for 699 euros.
• 512 GB capacity with Magic Keyboard with Touch ID for 799 euros.

And, like its brothers, it will not include a power adapter.

In development…