Apple's MacBook Neo's 2027 model will reportedly include the A19 Pro chip and 50% more memory

A new report by industry analyst Tim Culpan confirms what we've previously reported: Apple's affordable new MacBook Neo is a success. So much so that it has apparently surpassed Apple's expectations, and the company now finds itself in a bit of a weird spot about whether to boost production or let it sell out and focus on next year's refresh.

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The reason for this comes down to the MacBook Neo's unique design, in that it's powered by the same A18 Pro chip found in the previous generation's iPhone 16 Pro. According to sources close to the MacBook Neo's design, it uses leftover chips from the original A18 Pro production run, including some with defects, which is why it only features a 5-core GPU rather than the 6-core GPU in the iPhone 16 Pro.

And with that, the problem Apple is now facing is that it's going to run out of MacBook Neo laptops long before it can meet demand for the device. Tim Culpan notes that the original plan was to build around 5 to 6 million units, and if Apple wants to make more, it will need to make more A18 Pro chips, which are built on TSMC's 3nm N3E process. And yes, this popular node is basically sold out.

Apple has a close relationship with TSMC, so there's a good chance it could secure a deal to supply a certain number of wafers, delivering anywhere between 2.3 million and 7 million additional dies for the MacBook Neo production line. The report also notes that Apple can obtain materials such as aluminum and even costly memory at lower prices than the rest of the industry.

The only problem is that Apple would probably have to pay TSMC more for these chips, which might mean it could no longer sell an entry-level MacBook Neo for $599 USD. Tim Culpan adds that Apple could shift its focus to the more expensive $699 USD model that features double the internal storage (512GB), or bundle it with other services like iCloud and Apple TV+ to make a price increase more palatable to consumers.

Either way, it sounds like Apple is looking to maintain the MacBook Neo's sales momentum, as it's already planning to launch a 2027 model with the A19 Pro chip found in the iPhone 17 Pro. The big improvement is a 50% increase in memory, with the A19 Pro featuring 12GB of LPDDR5X memory compared to the 8GB in the current MacBook Neo.