Apple is developing an updated MacBook Neo featuring more memory, an upgraded A19 Pro chip, and additional color options as part of a wide-ranging refresh of its entire Mac lineup, according to a Bloomberg News report by Mark Gurman.
The original MacBook Neo, Apple’s budget-friendly entry-level laptop launched in March 2026, quickly became a huge hit. It debuted at $599 (as low as $499 with education pricing) before rising to a $699 starting price amid industry-wide memory cost pressures. Powered by the A18 Pro chip (the first Mac to use an A-series processor typically found in iPhones and iPads), it offered 8GB of unified memory, a 13-inch Liquid Retina display, and vibrant finishes including Silver, Blush, Citrus, and Indigo. Strong demand led to initial sell-outs, and it has been praised for bringing accessible Mac performance and Apple Intelligence features to a lower price point.
The next-generation Neo will address some of the original’s constraints by increasing unified memory — reports indicate a jump to 12GB — and switching to the A19 Pro chip (already used in recent iPhone models). Extra color options will expand on the fun, marketing-friendly palette that helped the first Neo stand out. These upgrades could help offset the recent price increase by delivering better performance and longevity, particularly for AI-related tasks.
This Neo update forms part of a much larger Mac pipeline. Gurman’s reporting indicates Apple plans new versions of nearly every Mac it sells over the next couple of years, driven by surging demand for AI-capable machines. Key elements include:
• An entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro with the new M6 chip expected this fall (2026).
• Long-awaited iMac refreshes also targeted for fall 2026.
• High-end 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros featuring OLED displays and touchscreens, powered by M5 Pro and Max chips, eyed for late 2026 or early 2027.
• A MacBook Air refresh that could include its first major redesign in over four years.
• Updated Mac mini models testing M5 Pro and M6 chips, plus Mac Studio variants with M5 Max and Ultra (or later M7 chips), though memory supply constraints tied to the broader AI boom may affect timing.
Industry observers note that ongoing global memory shortages exacerbated by AI server demand have already driven price increases across Apple’s lineup and could influence both availability and pricing of the new models. Apple has also been exploring ways to sustain sales momentum, including a new leasing program.
MacDailyNews Take: The MacBook Neo’s success showed Apple’s willingness to expand downward in the laptop market while defending premium margins higher up. An improved Neo with more memory and a newer chip would further strengthen that position, especially if it retains a competitive price relative to crappy Windows alternatives. Exact release timing for the updated Neo remains unspecified in the reports, but it fits into Apple’s broader push to modernize the Mac range for an AI-driven era.
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Neo 2 would be perfect with a backlit keyboard!
Please, Apple, do it!
I get the downvote – a backlit keyboard adds cost, costs the Neo is trying to cut.
And you can just turn on a light in your room, or use some other small table lamp.
I’m certainly glad my MacBook Air has a backlit keyboard, and it was one of the things I dinged cheap Surface laptops about, no backlit keyboard on the cheapest model.
From memory, the keyboard for the 11th-gen iPad keyboard case doesn’t have a backlight either,
Need a Neo Desktop
Apple should keep current A18 Pro Neo going until about the one-year point. It’s popular, even at $100 higher price, and updating it to A19 Pro means more RAM per unit for higher price or lower profit margin. Also, doing it so soon means annoying all the new-to-Apple customers gained by Neo. Instead, what Apple should release for Fall is the desktop equivalent of MacBook Neo, the Mac nano, with a variant of tiny Neo logic board. A19 Pro, 12GB RAM, 256GB SSD, $499 ($599 for 512GB). Put it in casing like Apple TV box. It replaces the canceled base M4 Mac mini config in Mac lineup, without getting hogged up by the A.I. people. It’ll be a hit with the “casual” majority of customers who made Neo so popular. BYO keyboard, mouse, display, and external storage for even lower price.
I loved the current article, but I think the most important update would be a MagSafe 3 power connector. If Apples core customer is school children, then suppling a USB-C power connector is crazy. The way children handle some device’s warrant’s a MacSafe 3 connector. How about a MagSafe3 connector on ALL APPLE products, IMHO.