New Apple MacBook Neo Debuts at 99,800 Yen with A18 Pro Chip
Apple announces the MacBook Neo, a budget-friendly laptop featuring the A18 Pro chip, 13-inch Liquid Retina display, and 18-hour battery.
On March 14, 2026 (JST), Apple officially announced the 'MacBook Neo,' a new entry-level laptop in its lineup. The price in Japan starts at 99,800 yen (including tax). Pre-orders began the same day on Apple's official website and in Apple Store locations, with shipping scheduled to start on Friday, March 21.
The laptop features a 13-inch Liquid Retina display with a resolution of 2560x1664 pixels (227 ppi) and a peak brightness of 500 nits. It comes in three colors—Starlight, Midnight, and Space Gray—and weighs approximately 1.24 kg, making it highly portable. With a thickness of just 11.3 mm, it maintains a thin profile that easily fits in bags without being a burden.
At its core is the Apple Silicon 'A18 Pro' chip, which was also used in the iPhone 16 series. With an 8-core CPU and 6-core GPU configuration, Apple states that CPU performance has increased by up to 40% and GPU performance by up to 50% compared to the previous-generation M1 chip. It comes standard with 8GB of unified memory and a 256GB SSD, with options to upgrade up to 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD.
For AI, the laptop fully supports Apple's proprietary 'Apple Intelligence' framework. This includes 'Writing Tools' for generating, summarizing, and proofreading text, 'Priority Notifications' with smart prioritization and summary features, and advanced Siri operations using natural language. Because these AI tasks are processed on-device, they are designed with privacy in mind. It also continues to support seamless integration with iPhone and iPad, such as 'iPhone Mirroring' and 'Universal Clipboard.'
Connectivity includes a MagSafe 3 charging port and two USB-C (Thunderbolt 4) ports. A 3.5mm headphone jack is also present, and the device supports video output to an external display at up to 4K resolution. The keyboard is a backlit Magic Keyboard featuring Touch ID for biometric login. The battery life is claimed by Apple to be up to 18 hours, providing ample power for a full day of use.
Introducing an Apple laptop priced under 100,000 yen appears to be a strategic move targeted at students and young professionals. By entering a price range that directly competes with Windows laptops and Chromebooks, Apple aims to capture demand in education and enterprise fleet replacements. On the same day, Apple announced the expansion of its discount programs for educational institutions using the MacBook Neo, drawing attention across the industry.