In early March 2026, Apple made a surprise announcement of the MacBook Neo, the company’s most affordable PC in its product portfolio.Since then, due to unprecedented flash storage chipset crunch-induced inflation, it ha…

In early March 2026, Apple made a surprise announcement of the MacBook Neo, the company’s most affordable PC in its product portfolio.Since then, due to unprecedented flash storage chipset crunch-induced inflation, it has seen a Rs 10,000 price hike, pushing the starting price from Rs 69,900 to Rs 79,900. I have been using the device for close to three months; here are my thoughts on Apple’s MacBook Neo PC.Design, build quality and displayThough it is the least expensive Apple PC, the company has not compromised on build quality. It features a sturdy aluminium enclosure. Probably the lesson learnt from iPhone 5C, which by way featured a polycarbonate-based rear panel.Apple MacBook Neo.It flaunts a matte finish and rounded corners to offer a good grip for the fingers to hold the laptop firmly while moving around the home, office or at college. Weighing just 1.23 kg, it is not too heavy.Apple MacBook Neo.It is available in — citrus (lemon yellow), blush (light pink), indigo (dark blue) and silver (greyish white)– colours, very thoughtful of Apple in choosing such vibrant colours, and I have no doubt it will find good traction among youths; by the way, it has already proved in India, with Apple registering record shipments. And, it will continue to do so till the next iteration for sure.Apple MacBook Neo. Apple has incorporated a standard 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).Apple MacBook Neo.It is good for consuming multimedia content, reading news and working for hours on a stretch indoors and outdoors, provided the brightness is put to the max.It has a Magic Keyboard with 78 (ANSI) or 79 (ISO) keys, including the option of 12 full-height function keys. I use a regular keyboard on a desktop for work purposes, so I did struggle to type smoothly on MacBook Neo. But after a couple of days, the muscle memory kicked in, and I finally felt comfortable. I found it more helpful when put in the compact space of a economy class seating during the flight. I was able to type at normal speed without any hassle.However, the keys are not backlit, which takes a bit of the shine out of MacBook Neo.The Multi-Touch trackpad works like a charm and offers precise cursor control and support for gestures. It should be noted that 256GB doesn’t come with Touch ID security. Only the 512GB model has it.Apple MacBook Neo.The laptop also features a full HD 1080p FaceTime HD camera with an advanced image signal processor with computational video. It manages to stream high-quality video in a well-lit environment. Also, it supports Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum microphone modes for enhanced voice clarity in audio and video calls.It has dual speakers tuned with Dolby Atmos; the audio output is really good for a laptop in such a compact form factor.It also features a 3.5mm audio jack for an improved listening experience, particularly when playing Spatial Audio compatible videos and music.Apple MacBook Neo.Apple MacBook Neo.Connectivity-wise, it has just two ports– one USB 3 Type-C port (with up to 10Gbps data transfer speed) and one USB 2 Type-C port (with 480MBps data transfer speed). The former can be used to connect an external display with 4K native resolution at 60hz.It also supports Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) and Bluetooth 6.0 for stable wireless connectivity between compatible devices.Ecofriendly laptopLike most of the Apple products, MacBook Neo is made with repurposed materials from old devices.It features 60 per cent recycled content (in terms of weight)— the highest percentage of any Apple product. This includes 90 per cent recycled aluminium overall and 100 per cent recycled cobalt in the battery. TThe enclosure is manufactured with a material-efficient forming process that uses 50 per cent less aluminium compared to traditional machining methods.Apple MacBook Neo.MacBook Neo is manufactured with 45 per cent renewable electricity, like wind and solar, across the supply chain. Additionally, the paper packaging is 100 per cent fibre-based and can be easily recycled.PerformanceUnlike the conventional MacBook Air and Pro, which come with Apple M silicon, the Neo is powered by the Apple A18 Pro chipset, the same as the iPhone 16 Pro series. This is one of the primary reasons why the device costs so much less.That said, MacBook Neo is a very capable PC, if not better than any of its rival brands in its price range.The A18 Pro 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 an immersive gaming experience.It is more than enough for any of the generative Artificial Intelligence applications, small-scale photo or short video editing projects, and productivity tools to create presentations for work or for school projects. Also, supports several gaming titles on Apple Arcade.Apple MacBook Neo.It also boasts of Media Engine to smooth video playback on the MacBook Neo. It supports Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW, Video decode engine, Video encode engine, ProRes encode and decode engine, and AV1 decode.Besides smooth performance, Apple devices are known for user privacy and security. The MacBook Neo too is fully protected against cyber threats. Apple silicons come with advanced Secure Enclave. It can generate, store, and protect encryption keys as well as biometric data from criminals.It powers critical functions, such as secure boot, which helps ensure a known-good version of the OS from Apple loads at startup; data protection to encrypt user data on the device; components that help protect the device passcode; and integrity protection measures built deep into the code execution architecture, making MacBook Neo almost uncrackable for criminals.macOS 26 (Tahoe) on the PC delivers a refreshing user experience. The lively Liquid Glass UI is pleasant to the eyes and more enjoyable to operate the MacBook Neo for hours on end.The new UI design extends to all aspects of software, from the smallest elements users interact with every day – such as buttons, switches, sliders, text, and media controls – to larger elements, including tab bars and sidebars for moving through apps. It also extends to the Lock Screen, Home Screen, notifications, Control Centre, and more.With the Continuity feature, users can instantly make phone calls. It will also have iPhone-like tabs such as favourites, recent calls and voicemails – in addition to a call screening feature and Hold Assist.With the upcoming macOS 27 (Golden Gate), the user experience will get even better. Apple will be bringing improved Siri 2.0, Journal app and Live Activities.WWDC 2026 Highlights: Siri 2.0, Apple Intelligence and moreLive Activities from a user’s nearby iPhone will now appear in the menu bar on their Mac computer’s screen, so the device owner can stay on top of things happening in real-time, such as an upcoming cab ride, flight status, or live sports score via iPhone screen mirroring.It houses a 36.5‑watt‑hour lithium‑ion cell. Like any of the MacBooks, the Neo delivers good battery life.With full control over hardware and software, Apple succeeds in delivering smooth performance on a low-cost PC. Some PCs costing close to a lakh struggle to run with multiple tabs on the Chrome browser. You won’t find such lag-like issues with the MacBook Neo. it can easily last a full day of work.In the retail package, the company offers a 20W USB-C power adapter and a USB-C Charge Cable (1.5 m).Apple MacBook Neo.Final thoughtsThough MacBook Neo is considerably cheaper than Air and Pro models, Apple has not compromised on build quality and premium design. It is the same for performance; the A18 Pro, though underpowered compared to M-series silicon, delivers good on smooth performance in day-to-day usage and long battery life. The branding ‘Neo’ seems very apt literally, as it means ‘new’ and sounds cool too, for a fresh entry-level laptop.As noted in the headline, it is a really good option for students looking for their first laptop and also serves as a gateway to the Apple ecosystem.Even for regular users, MacBook Neo is a capable PC for home use. Given how expensive the computer (& smartphone prices have risen over the last several months. But, despite the Rs 10,000 hike, it is a worthy investment compared to rival brands with 8GB RAM.It is available in two variants, 8GB RAM + 256GB and 8GB RAM + 512GB storage– for Rs 79,900 and Rs 89,900, respectively, same as the price range of the iPhone 17 seriesApple unveils all-new Mac Mini, Mac Studio with next-gen M6, M5 siliconsGet the latest news on new launches, gadget reviews, apps, cybersecurity, and more on personal technology only on DH Tech

Source: Deccan Herald