The MacBook Neo is the cheapest way to buy a Mac laptop in 2026. Starting at $599, it is aimed at students, first-time Mac buyers, and casual users who mainly browse the web, stream video, join video calls, and work in basic apps.
Despite its lower price, it still looks and feels like a MacBook, with an all-aluminum design and a lightweight chassis.
Who is MacBook Neo for?
The MacBook Neo is best for people whose computing needs are simple: web browsing, email, documents, streaming, and schoolwork.
Why we recommend MacBook Neo
- Lowest price in the lineup
- Light and portable
- Quiet fanless design
- Good battery life
- Fast enough for basic everyday use
Sizes
The MacBook Neo comes in just one size:
- 13-inch MacBook Neo, 13-inch screen
Display
Like the MacBook Air the MacBook Neo offers a Liquid Retina display with max 500 nits brightness, but that’s where the similarities end. The display is slightly smaller than the display on the 13-inch MacBook Air, offering 2,408 by 1,506 pixels compared to 2,560 by 1,664 pixels. It also lacks the wide color P3 and True Tone technology of the other MacBooks, offering only sRGB color.
Performance
The MacBook Neo is powered by the A18 Pro chip – the same processor first introduced with the iPhone 16 Pro. While it is a mobile-class chip, its performance is optimized for a laptop environment, offering a highly responsive experience for everyday productivity. In our tests it proved faster than the M3 in single-core, while equal to the M1 when it came to multi-core performance and graphics.
Battery life
The budget-friendly MacBook Neo provides a modest but sufficient “all-day” battery for general productivity. In our tests it was slightly under Apple’s claimed 16 hours video playback. While this is the lowest battery life in the current Mac lineup, it it competitive against Windows laptops at the same $599 price point.
Other specs
You get two two USB-C ports, but these are not identical in capability, one being USB 3 and the other USB 2. See MacBook Neo ports explained. The MacBook Neo only supports one external display with a resolution of up to 4K at 60Hz.
- 8GB RAM
- 256GB or 512GB SSD
Price
- Starts at $599/£599
- Education pricing starts at $499/£499
What to know before buying
The Neo makes several trade-offs to achieve its low price, including the absence of a backlit keyboard, a limited selection of ports, and no Touch ID on the base model. It also features a lower-quality display compared to the Air and Pro, offers less memory with a maximum of 8GB RAM, and delivers lower sustained performance than M-series MacBooks. For many buyers, the $699 model represents better value, as it includes Touch ID and additional storage.
Alternatives
The MacBook Neo is the best budget MacBook, but it is best suited to light workloads. If you can spend more, the MacBook Air remains the better long-term buy for most people.
Another option, if a low price is your top priority, is a refurbished MacBook. Look out for clearance deals on older Apple silicon MacBooks, but avoid the older Intel-based models.
