Give your team the phones they actually want to use — from the latest iPhones to Samsung, Google Pixel, and Fairphone devices. One monthly payment, no upfront costs, and complete flexibility to upgrade or scale. Built for security, manageability, and modern work.
The MacBook Neo delivers lightweight portability with fast A18 performance, making it ideal for hybrid and mobile workforces. Its bright Retina display, all-day battery life, and built-in security give businesses a reliable, high-performance device for everyday creative, analytical, and collaborative tasks – wherever work happens. With 256GB or 512GB storage options, and a bundle of 5 available for teams, it's an affordable way to equip your workforce without comprising on reliability.
Fast M5 performance for everyday creative, analytical, and collaborative workloads
The MacBook Neo offers a lower-cost entry point into Apple’s business hardware lineup. However, its capped RAM options and absence of certain higher-end features, such as additional ports, may make it less suitable for some roles. Read our full guide where we break down exactly which teams it suits and when you’re better off stepping up to the MacBook Air.
Why is the Apple MacBook Neo cheaper than other MacBook models?
The MacBook Neo uses the A18 Pro chip – originally designed for iPhones – rather than a Mac-specific M-series chip and drops features like MagSafe charging and Thunderbolt ports to hit its £699 starting price. It still runs full macOS and supports Apple Intelligence, making it a genuine budget Mac rather than a stripped-down alternative.
Does the Apple MacBook Neo support Apple Intelligence?
Yes, the MacBook Neo is built for Apple Intelligence and ships with it enabled out of the box, despite its lower price point.
Does the Apple MacBook Neo have touch ID?
Touch ID is included with most MacBook Neo configurations, though the entry-level base model omits it. Buyers who want fingerprint sign-in should check the specific configurations before ordering.
What ports are available on the Apple MacBook Neo?
The MacBook Neo features two USB-C ports rather than Thunderbolt. One supports USB 3 speeds of up to 10Gb/s and doubles as the display output, while the other is limited to USB 2 speeds of up to 480Mb/s and is best used to charging or low-speed accessories. It also includes a 3.5mm headphone jack, but lacks a MagSafe charging port.
Apple MacBook Neo: Apple Performance at a Lower Monthly Cost
Apple’s most affordable laptop in over a decade — the MacBook Neo — is designed to make Mac ownership more accessible than ever before. This guide breaks down what the Neo offers, who it’s perfect for, who it isn’t right for, and how it compares to older MacBook Air models.
The MacBook Neo is Apple’s new entry‑level MacBook, powered by the A18 Pro chip, the same generation of silicon used in the iPhone 16 series.
The Neo features a 13-inch Liquid Retina display with 500 nits brightness and support for one billion colours — making it vibrant enough for study, shopping, streaming and casual creative work.
The machine comes in four colours, Silver, Blush, Citrus and Indigo, giving it the most playful and consumer-friendly aesthetic in Apple’s lineup.
Specs & Features
A18 Pro Chip. The A18 Pro offers a 6‑core CPU, 5‑core GPU and a 16‑core Neural Engine, giving the Neo enough power for email, schoolwork, office apps, browsing, video calls, streaming and light creative tasks. It also supports Apple Intelligence features.
8GB RAM (Fixed) & 256GB/512GB SSD. The Neo comes with 8GB unified memory and either 256GB or 512GB SSD, with Touch ID available only on the 512GB model. It’s ideal for students and everyday users, though not suited to heavy multitasking or pro workflows.
Strong Battery Life. The Neo delivers up to 16 hours of video playback, allowing all‑day working or studying without needing the charger.
Lightweight With a Premium Aluminium Build. At 2.7 pounds (1.23kg), the Neo weighs the same as a 13-inch MacBook Air and keeps Apple’s signature durable aluminium chassis.
Connectivity. The MacBook Neo includes two USB‑C ports (one USB 3 and one USB 2), plus a headphone jack.
The MacBook Neo is the most accessible way to enter the Mac ecosystem, combining a colourful design, excellent battery life and capable everyday performance — all at a breakthrough price. It’s not a replacement for the MacBook Air or Pro if you need serious power, but for students and everyday users, it delivers outstanding value.
Lighter and more portable. The MacBook Air remains Apple’s lightest, most portable laptop, available in both 13‑inch and 15‑inch sizes. It’s ideal for users who value portability above everything else.
Now powered by M5 chips. The new MacBook Air models are equipped with Apple’s M5 processor, featuring a 10‑core CPU and up to a 10‑core GPU with Neural Accelerators in each core. This delivers up to 4× faster AI performance compared to the M4 Air, along with stronger graphics and multitasking capabilities.
Considerable upgrades. Apple has doubled the base storage and RAM for the M5 Air. Models now start at 16GB unified memory and a 512GB SSD, with configurations available up to 32GB RAM and 4TB SSD. The SSD also delivers 2× faster read/write speeds than the previous generation.
Long battery life. Despite the performance boost, the M5 Air still delivers up to 18 hours of video playback and up to 15 hours of wireless web use, ideal for long working days without needing to plug in.
More affordable than it looks. While the starting price has increased to $1,099, the M5 Air now includes 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD as standard, making it better value than the previous M4 generation, which required upgrades to reach similar specs.
Great for on‑the‑go professionals. With its silent fanless design, lightweight build, long battery life, and faster AI‑ready performance, the M5 MacBook Air is perfect for students, frequent travellers, hybrid workers, and professionals prioritising portability.
Larger screens. The MacBook Pro is available in 14‑inch and 16‑inch sizes, offering larger displays and more workspace than the MacBook Air.
M5, M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. The latest MacBook Pro models now use Apple’s M5 chip family, including M5 Pro and M5 Max, which deliver major gains in CPU and GPU performance, AI acceleration, and memory bandwidth compared to previous generations.
Increased upgrades. MacBook Pro supports far higher configurations than the Air, with options up to 128GB unified memory and up to 8TB SSD depending on the model.
Longer battery life. Battery performance remains strong, with the 14- and 16‑inch models lasting up to 16-22 hours.
Higher cost. Due to its enhanced performance, the MacBook Pro generally comes at a higher price compared to the MacBook Air.
Great for high-end creatives. MacBook Pro is ideal for creatives, developers, and professionals who need reliable, high‑spec performance for demanding tasks such as video editing, 3D rendering and software development.
Smaller 13-inch size. MacBook Neo comes in a single 13-inch form factor, offering a compact and lightweight design similar in footprint to the MacBook Air, but positioned as Apple’s most accessible laptop.
A18 Pro chip. Unlike the Air and Pro models, the MacBook Neo uses Apple’s A18 Pro chip — the same architecture used in the latest iPhone — delivering fast performance for everyday tasks, studying and light creative work, while keeping costs low.
More limited upgrades. To maintain its lower price point, MacBook Neo offers more modest upgrade options, with 8GB unified memory and 256GB or 512GB SSD configurations. Touch ID is only available on the 512GB model.
Long battery life. Despite its entry-level positioning, MacBook Neo provides up to 16 hours of battery life, making it highly capable for school, work, and travel.
Most affordable MacBook. Neo is Apple’s most affordable laptop ever, designed to compete directly with Chromebooks and entry-level Windows devices. A 512GB version with Touch ID is available for an increased price.
Great for students and first‑time Mac users.MacBook Neo is ideal for students, families, and new Mac owners who want a reliable Apple laptop for everyday work, studying, web browsing, and entertainment — all at a price far below the Air and Pro ranges.
Apple now offer three ranges of laptop: the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and the new MacBook Neo.
MacBook Pro models come in 14″ and 16″ sizes and remain the best choice for creative professionals and users with demanding, data‑intensive workloads, thanks to the power of the M5, M5 Pro and M5 Max chips.
MacBook Air is available in 13″ and 15″ sizes and is ideal for on‑the‑go professionals and everyday use, now offering the M5 chip, long battery life, and a lightweight, portable design.
MacBook Neo sits below the Air as Apple’s most affordable laptop, featuring a 13″ display and the A18 Pro chip. It’s designed for students, families, and first‑time Mac users who need a reliable everyday laptop at a much lower price point.
Shepherd MDM is HardSoft’s proprietary Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution, designed specifically for Apple devices and tailored to meet the needs of small to medium-sized businesses.
What Is Shepherd MDM?
Shepherd is a cloud-based MDM system that allows businesses to:
Shepherd MDM is a robust, affordable, and user-friendly solution for businesses managing Apple devices. Its seamless integration with Apple Business Manager and rich feature set make it an ideal choice for SMEs looking to enhance security, streamline operations, and future-proof their IT infrastructure.
For more detailed guidance, explore the full blog series linked throughout this guide.
