Apple is working on a revised MacBook Neo with a newer iPhone-class chip and more memory, according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman. For buyers, the useful part is plain enough: Apple’s cheapest laptop may get less cramped, especially for people who bought the current 8GB model and then discovered macOS still likes breathing room.
Gurman reports that the updated Neo would use Apple’s A19 Pro processor. That chip is currently used in the iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air, according to the report. The present MacBook Neo uses the A18 Pro, the chip Apple first put in the iPhone 16 Pro.
The chip move matters because it may bring a memory bump. Gurman says the new model could ship with 12GB of RAM, up from 8GB in the original Neo. That is not a workstation spec, and nobody should pretend it is, but it would give Apple’s low-end Mac more headroom for browser tabs, background apps, and Apple’s own increasingly memory-hungry software stack.
The same report says Apple is also considering new colors for the Neo line. Analyst Tim Culpan previously reported that Apple had been in talks to increase MacBook Neo production, after strong demand for the budget machine.
More memory may not mean the same price
The awkward part is cost. The Verge has reported that component shortages are pressuring PC memory prices, and the Neo is exactly the kind of product where a few dollars in bill-of-materials cost become a pricing argument inside Apple. The Verge also reported that Apple raised prices on nearly all of its devices last month.
One possible outcome, according to earlier reporting cited by The Verge, is that Apple could drop the cheapest 256GB MacBook Neo configuration. That would let Apple advertise a refreshed model with better baseline specs while quietly moving the entry price higher. Elegant, if your definition of elegance includes charging people more.
None of these reported Neo changes are official. Apple has not presented a spec sheet, a launch date, or pricing for the updated model in Gurman’s report. The safest reading is that Apple is testing a predictable second pass at a popular low-cost Mac, and the memory market may decide how generous that second pass feels.
OLED Mac updates are also in the pipeline
Gurman also reports that Apple is preparing new iMacs with OLED displays. The iMac line was last refreshed in 2024, according to the report.
Other Mac updates are reportedly coming as well: an M6 MacBook Pro, OLED touchscreen MacBooks expected late this year or early next year, and a redesigned base 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M7 chip planned for next year. Those details remain reports, not confirmed launch plans.
The shape of Apple’s Mac roadmap is familiar: move newer chips down the stack, reserve flashier displays for pricier machines, and keep the entry-level model just attractive enough to pull buyers out of the Windows aisle. The Neo’s next test is whether Apple can improve the cheapest Mac without making it meaningfully less cheap.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.
