He MacBook Neo It has become one of the most popular computers in Apple thanks to a launch price much lower than that of the Macbook Airthe next most economical in its catalog. The company is already working on its successor and would be willing to improve one of its most discussed points. The next model could incorporate 12 GB of unified memory, compared to the current 8 GB, which would mean an increase of 50% in the midst of the global RAM and NAND memory crisis.
The analyst and former Bloomberg journalist Tim Culpan already announced in April, through its Culpium newsletter, that Apple was preparing a MacBook Neo with 12 GB of RAM and an A19 Pro chip. Mark Gurman has now supported this data in Bloomberg and adds that the company is also studying launching the laptop in new colors.
The current model uses a version of the A18 Pro with a six-core CPU, a five-core GPU and 8 GB of unified memory. This processor initially appeared in the iPhone 16 Proalthough in the Apple smartphone the GPU has six cores and not five.
Binned processors for MacBook Neo
His successor would make the leap to A19 Pro of the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max. The chip has a six-core CPU, divided between two high-performance and four efficiency cores, a six-core GPU with neural accelerators and a 16-core Neural Engine. It also offers hardware accelerated ray tracing. Culpan believes that the next MacBook Neo will use a ‘binned’ version with five cores in the GPUso it would maintain the same quantity as the current model.
This term refers to when a processor, due to a manufacturing defect, does not meet the specifications for the product it was intended for, but can be reused as a cut-out version; in this case, with a GPU core disabled. This is what Apple has done with the first MacBook Neo, reuse A18 Pro chips that were not completely functional enough to be used in an iPhone 16 Pro and that otherwise would not have had a commercial outlet. In this way, the company also the manufacturing of a specific chip for the Neo is saved.
A19 Pro vs A18 Pro
Despite cutting one core from the GPU, the power increase would be noticeable. In tests of Geekbench made by Tom’s Guide, the iPhone 17 Pro Max got 3,871 points with a core and 9,968 with everyone. These results represent improvements in the 14% and the 20%respectively, compared to iPhone 16 Pro Max equipped with the A18 Pro. The final performance on a MacBook will depend on the frequencies and cooling chosen by Apple.
Probable new price increase for Apple’s cheapest MacBook
The increase in RAM would come at a particularly difficult time for the industry. Building data centers for artificial intelligence has skyrocketed demand and price for memory and storage chips. Apple already raised the price of the MacBook Neo in June from $599 to $699 in the United States. In Spain it went from 699 to 799 euros without receiving any hardware improvement.
The next model will probably be even more expensive. In addition to the cost of adding more memory, Apple could remove the basic version with 256 GB of storage. The range would then begin with greater capacity and, predictably, with a higher entry price.
The plans revealed by Gurman go beyond the MacBook Neo. Apple also prepares new iMacthe first since the 2024 update, plus a MacBook Pro with chip M6. The expected ones MacBook with screen OLED touch screen would arrive at the end of 2026 or beginning of 2027. A redesign of the Basic 14-inch MacBook Prowhich would release the chip M7.