Apple today revealed a brand-new Mac called the MacBook Neo. The new computer has a 13” screen and an A18 Pro chipset, and it starts at $599. Let’s dig into the details.
The fanless Neo comes in silver, indigo, blush, and citrus colors, which extend to the keyboard in lighter shades. The screen is a 2408 × 1506 Liquid Retina display with a modest 500 nits of brightness and an anti-reflective coating. The A18 Pro chip that powers the Neo has six CPU cores, five GPU cores, and a 16-core Neural Engine. As for memory, the only option is 8GB.
Other features include:
- a 1080p FaceTime camera
- dual beamforming microphones
- side-firing speakers
- Touch ID in the 512GB model
- two USB-C ports (one USB-C 3.0 and the other USB-C 2.0)
- Wi-Fi 6e
- Bluetooth 6
- a headphone jack
According to Apple, the Neo can deliver up to 16 hours of battery life, but it does not include MagSafe charging. Apple claims superior performance to Intel Core Ultra 5 PCs but offers no comparisons to any other device in its own product lineup, so further testing will be needed to see how the Neo stacks up to iPads and other Macs.
In terms of configurations, there are just two options. The first is a MacBook Neo with 256GB of SSD storage and no Touch ID for $599. The other configuration has 512GB of storage and Touch ID and costs $699. Education customers can purchase the Neo for $100 less. The new MacBook Neo can be preordered today. Deliveries and in-store availability begin March 11.
