After months of speculation, Apple has officially unveiled its first “budget MacBook”, or I should say “Rahmah MacBook”, in more than a decade — and yes, the leaks were largely accurate. Meet the new MacBook Neo, a colorful, lightweight notebook powered by an iPhone-class chip and carrying a starting price below RM3,000.
For RM2,499, you’re getting a surprisingly solid hardware package. Up front is a 13-inch Liquid Retina IPS LCD with a 2,408 x 1,506 resolution, 60Hz refresh rate, and a 3:2 aspect ratio. The panel reaches up to 500 nits peak brightness, and sitting above it is a 1080p FaceTime HD camera for video calls.
Apple includes its Magic Keyboard here, although it skips backlighting on this model. Touch ID is only available on the higher 512GB storage variant. All configurations feature the same multi-touch trackpad, though it lacks the Force Touch haptic feedback found on more premium MacBooks. The chassis is constructed from 90% recycled aluminum, and the entire device weighs just 1.23kg — keeping things light and portable.
Audio is handled by side-positioned speakers with support for spatial audio and Dolby Atmos. There’s also a dual-microphone array with directional beamforming for clearer voice pickup during calls and recordings.
Under the hood, Apple has opted for the A18 Pro chip — the same processor that debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro lineup in 2024. It’s paired with 8GB of unified memory and either 256GB or 512GB of storage. Apple claims the MacBook Neo is up to 50% faster at web browsing and as much as 3x faster in on-device AI workloads compared to Windows laptops powered by Intel’s Core Ultra 5 processor.
Port selection is minimal but functional. You get two USB-C ports — one offering USB 3 speeds with DisplayPort support, while the second runs at USB 2 speeds. There’s also a 3.5mm headphone jack. For wireless connectivity, the laptop supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 6.
On the software side, the MacBook Neo runs macOS 26 Tahoe with Apple Intelligence built in, giving users access to the latest AI-driven features across the system.
Powering everything is a 36.5Wh lithium-ion battery, rated for up to 16 hours of video streaming or 11 hours of web browsing — respectable numbers for an entry-level Mac.
The MacBook Neo will be arriving in Malaysia soon, offered in Silver, Blush (pink), Citrus (yellow), and Indigo (blue). Pricing starts at RM2,499 for the 8GB + 256GB configuration and goes up to RM2,899 for the 512GB model.
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