Apple Inc. (AAPL  ) on Wednesday launched the MacBook Neo - its most affordable laptop to date - at a starting price of $599, or $499 for education customers. Pre-orders opened on Wednesday. Units ship and hit Apple Store shelves starting, March 11.

What Is the MacBook Neo?

The MacBook Neo is a brand-new 13-inch laptop built around Apple's A18 Pro chip - the same processor found in the iPhone 16 Pro lineup. It features:

  • 13-inch Liquid Retina display - 2408×1506 resolution, 500 nits brightness, 1 billion colors
  • Up to 16 hours of battery life on a single charge
  • 1080p FaceTime high-definition camera with dual beamforming microphones
  • Dual side-firing speakers with Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos support
  • Magic Keyboard with Touch ID on select models
  • Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 6
  • Two USB-C ports and a headphone jack
  • Colors: blush, indigo, silver, and citrus
  • Weight: 2.7 pounds
The device runs macOS Tahoe and ships with Apple Intelligence built in.

Performance Claims: How Fast Is the A18 Pro Here?

Apple says January-February tests comparing preproduction MacBook Neo units to Intel Core Ultra 5 PCs showed major speed gains.

It claims MacBook Neo is up to 50% faster for everyday tasks, up to 3 times faster for on-device AI features like advanced photo effects, and up to 2 times faster for photo editing based on Affinity benchmarks.

"Built from the ground up to be more affordable for even more people, MacBook Neo is a laptop only Apple could create" Apple's Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering John Ternus said.

MacBook Neo's Green Credentials

Apple says MacBook Neo is its lowest-carbon MacBook yet, made with 60% recycled content - including 90% recycled aluminum and 100% recycled cobalt - and produced using 45% renewable energy. Packaging is fully fiber-based.

The company aims to be carbon neutral across its entire footprint by 2030.

AAPL Price Action: Apple shares were down 0.46% at $262.54 at the time of publication on Wednesday, according to Benzinga Pro data.