Apple unveils all-new MacBook Neo series laptop

It is powered by Apple A18 Pro, which features a 6‑core CPU with two performance cores and four efficiency cores. It also comes paired with a 5‑core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine.

As rumoured, Apple on Wednesday (March 4) launched the all-new MacBook Neo series.

MacBook Neo comes in vibrant colour options similar to Apple's iPhone 5C. But, unlike the latter, which came with a plastic-based enclosure, the Neo series laptop features a sturdy aluminium casing.

It sports a 13-inch LED-backlit Liquid Retina display (2408x1506p) with IPS technology, 500 nits peak brightness, supports one billion colours, sRGB colour and pixel density of 219 ppi (pixels per inch). It also features the trademark Magic Keyboard, found in premium MacBook models. It promises to offer a precise and comfortable typing experience. And, it also comes with the large Multi-Touch trackpad and supports tap, pinch, swipe and click gestures.

For security, Apple has incorporated TouchID, and like any Apple product, MacBook Neo features state-of-the-art user privacy controls across apps and the system.

For communication, it features a full HD 1080p FaceTime HD camera, which promises to provide a clear and crisp appearance on video calls. Also, it houses two side-firing speakers to deliver immersive sound, and dual microphones, which can isolate and enhance the user's voice for crystal clarity during calls.

As far as connectivity is concerned, it features two USB-C ports and a headphone jack in addition to Bluetooth 6.0 and Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax).

Apple MacBook Neo.

Under the hood, MacBook Neo houses the Apple A18 Pro chipset same as the iPhone 16 Pro series. It features a 6‑core CPU with two performance cores and four efficiency cores. It also comes paired with a 5‑core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine. It supports 60GB/s memory bandwidth and Hardware-accelerated ray tracing, which promises immerssive gaming experience.

MacBook Neo comes packed with all the right configurations to be able to run all productivity tools and also generative Artificial Intelligence (gen AI)-based apps and Apple Intelligence features. And, thanks to macOS Tahoe, it is well optimised to work with iPhone and iPad. With the Handoff feature, users can start a task on MacBook Neo and continue it on iPhone, while Universal Clipboard allows users to copy and paste content between devices.

With iPhone Mirroring, users can view and interact with their iPhone directly on MacBook Neo, and users switching to Mac for the first time can use iPhone to conveniently and securely transfer settings, files, photos, passwords, and more.

It features a built-in 36.5‑watt‑hour lithium‑ion battery, and with a full charge, it can deliver 16 hours of battery life. The company offers a 20W USB-C power adapter and a USB-C Charge Cable (1.5 m).

Apple MacBook Neo.

Like all Apple products, the MacBook Neo is also eco-friendly. It features 60 percent recycled content (in terms of weight)— the highest percentage of any Apple product. This includes 90 percent recycled aluminium overall and 100 percent recycled cobalt in the battery. The enclosure is manufactured with a material-efficient forming process that uses 50 percent less aluminium compared to traditional machining methods. MacBook Neo is manufactured with 45 percent renewable electricity, like wind and solar, across the supply chain. Additionally, the paper packaging is 100 percent fiber-based and can be easily recycled.

The branding 'Neo' seems apt literally, as it means 'new' and sounds cool too, for a fresh entry-level laptop. It is available in vibrant colour options -- citrus (lemon yellow), blush (light pink), indigo (dark blue) and silver (greyish white), which are sure find good traction among students.

The new MacBook Neo comes in two configurations-- 8GB RAM + 256GB and 8GB RAM + 512GB storage-- for Rs 69,900 and Rs 79,900, respectively.

In India, it is available for pre-order on Apple's official website and authorised retail outlets and is scheduled to hit stores next week on March 11.

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