MacBook Neo, Apple’s most affordable laptop to date, launched on March 4, 2026, with a starting price of SAR 2,799 and SAR 2,399 for education customers. The device features the A18 Pro chip, a 13-inch Liquid Retina display, and up to 16 hours of battery life. Pre-orders opened the same day, with general availability set for Wednesday, March 11.
Design and Display
MacBook Neo features an aluminum enclosure available in four colors: blush, indigo, silver, and citrus. The laptop weighs 2.7 pounds and includes soft, rounded corners. Color matching extends to the Magic Keyboard, which ships in lighter shades of each color alongside new wallpapers.
The 13-inch Liquid Retina display delivers a 2408-by-1506 resolution with 500 nits of brightness and support for 1 billion colors. An anti-reflective coating provides comfortable viewing across varied lighting conditions. Apple said the display is brighter and higher in resolution than most PC laptops in the same price range.
MacBook Neo Performance and A18 Pro Chip
The A18 Pro chip powers MacBook Neo with a 6-core CPU, a 5-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine. Apple said the laptop is up to 50 percent faster for everyday tasks such as web browsing compared to the bestselling PC with the latest shipping Intel Core Ultra 5, based on Speedometer 3.1 benchmark testing conducted in January and February 2026.
For on-device artificial intelligence workloads, Apple said MacBook Neo is up to 3x faster than the same Intel-based competitor, tested using Adobe Photoshop 2026 filters including super zoom, depth blur, and photo restoration. For photo editing tasks, it is up to 2x faster, based on Affinity v3.0.3.4027 benchmark results. The laptop runs without a fan, producing no operational noise.
Camera, Audio, and Connectivity
MacBook Neo includes a 1080p FaceTime HD camera with optimized image processing. Dual microphones with directional beamforming reduce background noise during calls. Dual side-firing speakers support Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos for music, video, and app playback.
Connectivity options include two USB-C ports — USB 3 on the left and USB 2 on the right — with external display support limited to the left port. The device also includes a headphone jack, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 6. Both USB-C ports support charging.
Software: macOS Tahoe and Apple Intelligence
MacBook Neo ships with macOS Tahoe, which includes built-in apps such as Safari, Messages, Photos, and FaceTime. Apple Intelligence features — including Writing Tools and Live Translation — are integrated across the operating system. Apple Intelligence is available in beta and supports 17 languages at launch, though availability varies by region.
Continuity features connect MacBook Neo with iPhone through Handoff, Universal Clipboard, and iPhone Mirroring. Users switching from other platforms can transfer settings, files, photos, and passwords from iPhone directly to the new laptop.
“Built from the ground up to be more affordable for even more people, MacBook Neo is a laptop only Apple could create. It features a durable aluminum design in four beautiful colors; a brilliant Liquid Retina display; Apple silicon-powered performance; all-day battery life; a high-quality camera, mics, and speakers; a Magic Keyboard and Multi-Touch trackpad; and the intuitive and powerful features of macOS. There is simply no other laptop like it.”
John Ternus, Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, Apple
Environmental Specifications
Apple said MacBook Neo is its lowest-carbon MacBook to date. The device contains 60 percent recycled content by mass — the highest percentage of any Apple product — including 90 percent recycled aluminum overall and 100 percent recycled cobalt in the battery. The enclosure manufacturing process uses 50 percent less aluminum than traditional machining methods.
Additionally, 45 percent renewable electricity powers the supply chain during manufacturing. The retail packaging is 100 percent fiber-based. Apple stated the product supports its goal of achieving carbon neutrality across its entire footprint by 2030.
Pricing and Availability
MacBook Neo starts at SAR 2,799 for standard customers and SAR 2,399 for education customers. Pre-orders opened on March 4, 2026. The laptop becomes available in stores and online on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. The base configuration includes 8GB of unified memory and a 256GB SSD.
