The MacBook Neo is Apple’s first budget laptop, and it only costs £599

The all-new budget laptop comes with an A18 Pro processor, a chip found on the iPhone 16 Pro The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission. Why trust us?ExtrasIndyBestTechLaptops & TabletsThe MacBook Neo is Apple’s first budget laptop, and it only costs £599The all-new budget laptop comes with an A18 Pro processor, a chip found on the iPhone 16 ProAlex Lee Senior tech critic Wednesday 04 March 2026 15:40 GMTBookmarkBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popoveropen image in galleryStudents can get it for even less than the official starting price (Apple/The Independent )Apple’s three-day launch bonanza has wrapped up with what might be the most exciting announcement of the lot. After unveiling the iPhone 17e on Monday and refreshing the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro on Tuesday, the tech giant has just introduced its first-ever low-cost laptop, giving people a cheaper way into the MacBook ecosystem for the first time.Called the MacBook Neo, Apple’s all-new budget laptop starts at just £599, making it the cheapest MacBook Apple has ever released. It boasts a 13in Liquid Retina display and most interestingly, unlike the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, it rocks an A18 Pro chip. This chip is also found in the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Available to pre-order now, the MacBook Neo will begin shipping on Wednesday 11 March, and if you’re a student, you can pick it up for even less. Here’s everything you need to know about the MacBook Neo. Apple MacBook Neo UK price and release date open image in gallery(Apple)The Apple MacBook Neo starts at £599 in the UK, making it the most affordable MacBook Apple has ever released. Students can pick it up for even less, with education prices starting at just £499. Like many budget Apple devices, Apple’s given the MacBook Neo a pop of colour. The MacBook Neo comes in four colours – blush, indigo, silver and citrus, and starts with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. You can pre-order the laptop now, and it’ll go on sale on 11 March. Pre-order now How does the MacBook Neo differ to the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro?open image in gallery(Apple)The MacBook Neo offers students and budget-conscious users a more accessible way into macOS. It features an aluminium construction, a 13in Liquid Retina display and weighs just over 1.2kg, making it easy to carry around. The biggest difference is the processor. Instead of using an M-series chip, the MacBook Neo runs on the A18 Pro processor. While it’s still powerful enough for general use, including browsing, streaming, writing or a spot of photo editing, it won’t be quite as capable when it comes to heavy-duty creative work that the Air and Pro can handle. That said, the A18 Pro boasts a 16-core neural engine, so it will work with Apple Intelligence features and on-device AI. You get two USB-C ports and a headphone jack, although only one of the USB-C ports supports connecting an external display. The MacBook Air and MacBook Pro offer faster Thunderbolt ports and support for multiple external monitors. Still, you pretty much get the core Mac experience. The MacBook Neo lasts for up to 16 hours on a single charge and features a fan-less design like the MacBook Air. Apple says it also comes with a 1080p FaceTime camera, magic keyboard and a large multi-touch trackpad. There’s also support for wifi 6e and Bluetooth 6. The MacBook Neo comes in two configurations. The cheapest model comes with 256GB of internal storage. The second configuration comes with 512GB of internal storage and adds Touch ID, so you can unlock your laptop with your fingerprint. The higher-storage configuration costs £699. I’ve also rounded up the best iPhone 17e pre-order deals More aboutAppleMacBook AirMacBook ProMacBookindybest