The MacBook Neo isn’t even a year old and there’s already talk of its successor. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple plans to launch a second-generation MacBook Neo in the first half of 2027, as MacRumors reported on October 27. Keep in mind: this is a rumor, not an Apple announcement, but it comes from the source with the best track record on the company’s plans.
What would change in the MacBook Neo 2
Gurman had already reported the three main changes back in September:
- A19 Pro chip, the same one that debuted in the iPhone 17 Pro, instead of the current A18 Pro.
- 12GB of RAM instead of today’s 8GB.
- New colors, with no further details for now.
Nothing is known about the design, display, battery, or price. Anything else you read about the Neo 2 today is speculation.
Why the 12GB of RAM is the key
The current Neo arrived in March 2026 with the A18 Pro and 8GB of RAM, in four colors (Silver, Blush, Citrus, and Indigo). For studying, browsing, and office work it’s more than enough, but memory is its weak spot: with lots of tabs open, heavy apps, or Apple Intelligence features, 8GB is tight. Moving to 12GB is the change you’d notice most day to day and the one that would give it the most years of useful life. The chip upgrade, on the other hand, will be more of a generational bump.
What’s happened to its price
This is the part that worries me most. The Neo was born as the cheapest Mac ever and broke sales records, but it has kept getting more expensive since:
| Model (US) | At launch | Since June |
|---|---|---|
| 256GB | $599 | $699 |
In Europe, the increases were similar, and in some countries Apple has also cut the education discount. Apple attributes the increases to the shortage of memory chips, so a model with more RAM will have a hard time holding its price. There’s no information on how much the Neo 2 will cost; any figure you see right now is a guess.
My take: buy now or wait?
If you need a laptop now, the current Neo still does what it was designed for, and it’s worth watching for Black Friday deals. But if you can hold out a few months and plan to keep it for many years, I’d wait: the 12GB of RAM makes a difference in the long run. The big question is the price. If Apple raises it again, the Neo 2 would get too close to the MacBook Air and lose its appeal as “the cheap Mac.” For me, that’s where everything is at stake.
Sources: MacRumors (Oct. 27, 2026), MacRumors (Sept. 4, 2026), Apple. US prices as of November 1, 2026.
