Apple has announced a series of new products in early March 2026, headlined by the budget-friendly $599 MacBook Neo laptop with an A18 Pro chip and a 13-inch display, and the $599 iPhone 17E with MagSafe support, 256GB base storage, and a Ceramic Shield 2 display.
Other announcements include new iPad Air models with M4 chips, MacBook Pros and Airs with M5 series chips, and a refreshed Studio Display lineup. These products are set to launch on March 11th, with preorders already available for several items.
The main topics covered are the specifications and pricing of the new MacBook Neo and iPhone 17E, alongside the broader suite of updated Apple hardware including iPads, MacBooks, and displays.
Apple is kicking off March with a flurry of product announcements ahead of a “special Apple experience” on March 4th in New York City, London, and Shanghai.
All the news about Apple’s MacBook Neo, iPhone 17E, and more
Apple started on March 2nd by announcing the iPhone 17E. The new $599 phone has a lot of welcome additions over the iPhone 16E, like support for MagSafe charging, doubled base storage of 256GB, and a Ceramic Shield 2 display, all for the same starting price.
The same day, Apple also revealed a new iPad Air powered by an M4 chip, a bump up from the previous version’s M3 chip. March 3rd brought announcements of MacBook Pros with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the MacBook Air with an M5 chip, and a Studio Display refresh, including a new Mini LED-equipped XDR model. Wednesday morning has arrived with the details of the new MacBook Neo, a $599 laptop powered by an A18 Pro chip design that first launched with the iPhone 16.
Read on for all of our coverage of Apple’s March 2026 announcements.
Here’s where you can preorder Apple’s budget-friendly MacBook Neo
The MacBook Neo is Apple’s newest, most affordable laptop. Although the MacBook Air has been known to occasionally drop by a couple of hundred dollars — rendering it more on par with a host of midrange Windows laptops — the Neo will take things a step further when it launches at a competitive $599 on Wednesday, March 11th.
At first glance, the Neo is not that different from Apple’s other laptops, even if its four colors are divisive. It features an aluminum design, a 13-inch (2408 x 1506) display, two USB-C ports, a 3.5mm audio jack, and side-firing speakers. You also get a 1080p camera, a multi-touch trackpad, and a color-matched Magic Keyboard (the 512GB model also includes a TouchID sensor). That said, it lacks Thunderbolt ports and MagSafe, which come standard on the MacBook Air.
Read Article >- The Vergecast crew will be talking Apple live at 11AM ET.
We have new Macs, new iPhones, new iPads, new Studio Displays, and more to talk about, and for once Nilay and I are in the same place – so we’re going to hop on a stream and talk it all out live!
Tune in and hang with us for an hour or so on The Verge’s YouTube channel, starting at 11AM ET. (11… ish. Hopefully, New York City traffic doesn’t ruin this.) Come chat as we try to figure out whether 8GB of RAM is a complete deal-breaker for the MacBook Neo.
Where to preorder the new iPhone 17E before it hits stores on March 11th
Apple’s week of product announcements kicked off with the iPhone 17E, a phone designed for those who don’t want to spend north of $700 on their next upgrade. The iPhone 16E follow-up won’t officially launch until March 11th; however, preorders are now open at Best Buy and Apple’s online storefront, as well as carriers like T-Mobile.
Like last year’s budget option, the 6.1-inch 17E starts at $599. It checks more off our wishlist than the 16E, though, with an expanded 256GB of base storage and built-in magnets, rendering it compatible with an entire range of MagSafe accessories (including Qi2 chargers). What’s more, it’s powered by the same A19 chip found in the iPhone 17, which should allow for faster performance. Its Ceramic Shield 2 display is also as durable as the iPhone 17’s, so it won’t scratch as easily as previous models, and the phone offers a 48-megapixel “fusion” camera.
Read Article >iPhone 17e hands-on: nothing more, nothing less
Apple announced the $599 iPhone 17e earlier this week, and we just got a chance to play with one for a few minutes at the company’s “experience” for media in New York City.
The 17e is more or less exactly what you’d expect — a cheaper, simpler riff on the iPhone 17 that replaces the similarly stripped down iPhone 16e in Apple’s lineup. It comes in black, white, and pink, and the main compromise is really the display: it’s a very basic 6.1-inch display 60Hz screen that doesn’t have the Dynamic Island or ProMotion or anything. The only real upgrade to the screen is that is now has Apple’s Ceramic Shield 2 coating for improved scratch resistance and glare. It’s all fine for the entry-level phone — but at this point Apple has far more interesting displays elsewhere.
Read Article >Apple launches $599 MacBook Neo powered by an iPhone chip
Apple just announced a new entry-level MacBook that runs on the same A18 Pro chip that launched two years ago in its iPhone 16 lineup and starts at $599. The MacBook Neo features a 13-inch (2408 x 1506) display, 8GB of RAM, 256GB or 512GB of storage, a Magic Keyboard, multi-touch trackpad, 1080p camera, two USB-C ports (one USB 3 and one USB 2), a headphone jack, and new side-firing speakers with support for spatial audio and Dolby Atmos.
It’s available in four colors: silver, indigo, blush, and citrus, each with a color-matched keyboard.
Read Article >Our first hands-on look at Apple’s MacBook Neo
Here is the MacBook Neo, Apple’s new entry-level Mac laptop. Its colorful chassis options easily set it apart from current MacBook Air and Pro models. But the biggest difference is that inside the Neo is an A18 Pro iPhone chip instead of an M-series processor Apple typically uses in its laptops and recent desktops.
The first thing you notice, touching the device, is obviously the colors. They’re not quite as vibrant as the orange iPhone 17 Pro, but the blush and citrus colors (which are more like pink-ish and chartreuse-ish) do look pretty nice. Apple says the keyboards are color-matched, but the effect is pretty subtle on all but the blue — which is called indigo.
Read Article >Apple’s website leaks MacBook ‘Neo,’ which could be its new cheaper laptop
On Tuesday, during Apple’s weeklong product launch event, a listing for the “MacBook Neo (Model A3404)” appeared on a regulatory compliance page on Apple’s website under its lineup of 2026 MacBooks. First spotted by MacRumors, the listing appears to be an accident and has since been removed, but may have been a leaked reference to a rumored entry-level MacBook. Unfortunately, it didn’t include any additional details beyond the device’s name and model number.
Apple has reportedly been working on a budget-friendly MacBook priced under $1,000 and powered by an iPhone processor, rather than an M-series chip like the rest of the Mac lineup. It is also expected to have a smaller display, potentially bringing back the 12-inch display size Apple retired several years ago.
Read Article >Apple’s new Studio Display XDR adds a Mini LED upgrade
After a few years between updates, Apple has two new 5K monitor options, ranging from expensive to very expensive, with the 27-inch 5K Studio Display and Studio Display XDR. Both have 5,120 x 2,880 resolutions and 12MP Center Stage cameras embedded inside — we’ll be eager to see how much better those are this time around — three microphones, and six-speaker audio systems with support for spatial audio and “Hey Siri” built-in, plus two Thunderbolt 5 ports and two USB-C ports.
The XDR model adds new Mini LED backlighting with 2,304 dimming zones that increase its peak brightness, as well as provide improved contrast and black levels that should work well for HDR. There’s also support for adaptive sync that can adjust between 47Hz and 120Hz (if it’s connected to an M4 Mac or later, or the M5 iPad Pro), while the standard model is still 60Hz only. One other difference is that the XDR’s upstream port has support for up to 140W host charging, which is enough to fast-charge a 16-inch MacBook Pro, while the standard model tops out at 96W.
Read Article >Apple launches M5 Pro and M5 Max chips
Apple has just announced two new processors: the M5 Pro and M5 Max. The new chips will power the MacBook Pro it revealed on Tuesday, offering an 18-core CPU and a new “Fusion Architecture” that integrates two 3nm dies into a single system-on-a-chip (SoC).
The CPU’s 18-core setup includes six “super” cores and 12 new performance cores, which Apple says is “optimized to deliver greater power-efficient, multithreaded performance.” Apple notes that what were previously known as performance cores inside M5-equipped devices — like the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Apple Vision Pro — are now called super cores, representing a boost in performance.
Read Article >Apple announces M5 MacBook Air and updated MacBook Pro
Apple is launching an upgraded MacBook Air featuring the M5 chip along with new MacBook Pro models featuring the M5 Pro and M5 Max. Announced on Tuesday, the new Macs will all be available for preorder starting March 4th with availability in stores starting March 11th.
In addition to the M5 chip, the new MacBook Air includes 512GB of base storage, double what the M4 MacBook Air included. It has double the max storage, as well, with up to 4TB rather than 2TB. Apple says the SSD in the M5 MacBook Air is also faster, offering “2x faster read/write performance compared to the previous generation.” The M5 MacBook Air supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, as well. Unfortunately, it’s $100 more expensive than the base M4 MacBook Air, now starting at $1,099 for the 13-inch model or $1,299 for the 15-inch.
Read Article >Apple announces the iPhone 17E
Apple has taken the wraps off the iPhone 17E, its latest entry-level smartphone. The iPhone 17E starts at $599 with a higher 256GB of storage, and is available in black, white, and pink. The company revealed the new device as part of a series of announcements that kicked off this week.
Similar to the iPhone 16E, the iPhone 17E comes with a 6.1-inch display, but with a tougher Ceramic Shield 2 for better scratch resistance and reduced glare. It also offers more storage for the same starting price as its predecessor, which cost $599 for 128GB when it launched last year. The iPhone 17E adds an upgraded A19 processor and MagSafe charging with Qi2 support, allowing for wireless charging at up to 15W.
Read Article >Apple launches a new iPad Air with an upgraded M4 processor
After updating its mid-level tablets last year, Apple has announced a new version of the iPad Air today now powered by the company’s M4 processor. That’s the same processor found in the 7th-generation iPad Pro as well as MacBook Pro and Mac mini models that debuted in 2024.
The new iPad Air with M4 is “up to 30 percent faster than iPad Air with M3,” according to a press release from the company. It also features the Apple-designed N1 wireless networking chip upgrading the latest iPad Air with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread connectivity. The cellular versions of the new iPad Air also feature Apple’s C1X modem the company says “offers up to 50 percent faster cellular data performance” while also using up to 30 percent less energy than last year’s iPad Air with the M3 processor.
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