Apple has finally announced its long-rumoured low-cost MacBook, called the MacBook Neo, in India and across the globe. Priced at Rs 69,900 in India and USD 599 in the US, the device becomes the most affordable MacBook in the company’s current lineup, lowering the entry point to macOS well below the MacBook Air. The laptop keeps the familiar MacBook design language. It uses an aluminium body, weighs about 2.7 pounds, and comes in four colours: blush, indigo, silver, and citrus.
For years, Apple has largely stayed out of the Rs 50,000 – Rs 70,000 laptop segment, a space dominated by Windows machines from brands such as HP, Dell, Lenovo, ASUS, and Acer. These laptops are widely used by students and first-time buyers because of their lower prices. With the Neo, Apple is trying to offer a Mac that sits closer to those devices in terms of cost.
The biggest reason Apple can do that this time is the chip inside. Instead of the M-series processors used in most recent Macs, the Neo runs on the A18 Pro, the same processor introduced in the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Because Apple already manufactures this chip in large numbers for its smartphones, using it in a laptop likely helps bring the price down while still relying on Apple silicon.
On the front is a 13-inch Liquid Retina display with a 2408 x 1506 resolution and brightness of up to 500 nits, along with support for one billion colours. Apple says the display is designed to handle everyday work and media viewing comfortably. Inside, the A18 Pro includes a 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine. Apple expects the laptop to handle common tasks such as browsing, office apps, streaming video, and light photo editing without difficulty. Battery life is rated at up to 16 hours, and the laptop runs without a cooling fan, meaning it operates silently.
According to the company, the MacBook Neo can be up to 50 percent faster for everyday tasks than a typical PC running Intel’s Core Ultra 5 processor, and up to three times faster for certain on-device AI workloads. Actual performance will vary depending on the systems being compared.
To keep the price down, Apple has opted for fairly modest base specifications. The MacBook Neo comes with 8GB of unified memory and 256GB of SSD storage, with a 512GB configuration also available. The memory cannot be upgraded. That setup should be sufficient for typical daily use, and keeps the Neo positioned below the MacBook Air in Apple’s lineup.
Other hardware features remain familiar. The Neo includes Apple’s Magic Keyboard, a large Multi-Touch trackpad, and Touch ID for unlocking the device or confirming purchases. For video calls, it features a 1080p FaceTime HD camera along with dual microphones. Audio comes through dual side-firing speakers with Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos support. Connectivity includes two USB-C ports, a headphone jack, and wireless support for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 6.
The laptop runs macOS Tahoe, Apple’s latest operating system for Macs. Like other Macs, it integrates closely with the iPhone through features such as Handoff, Universal Clipboard, and iPhone Mirroring, allowing users to move tasks between devices.
At Rs 69,900, the MacBook Neo enters one of the busiest parts of the laptop market. Many models in this range now ship with Intel Core Ultra or AMD Ryzen AI processors, often paired with 16GB of RAM. Thin-and-light devices like the ASUS Vivobook series, Moto Book 60 Pro, and Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Metal focus on battery life and displays, while entry-level gaming laptops such as the ASUS TUF Gaming A15, Lenovo LOQ 15, and HP Victus 15 offer dedicated graphics for heavier workloads. Against those machines, Apple appears to be positioning the Neo as a simpler option aimed at everyday computing and tight integration with the Apple ecosystem.
The MacBook Neo is available to pre-order now, with shipments beginning on March 11th.
