Apple’s just-announced MacBook Neo as well as the new M5 Pro/Max-equipped MacBook Pros, M4 iPad Air, M5 MacBook Air and iPhone 17e are now available for preorder. The new Studio Display and Studio Display XDR are also available to order starting Wednesday.
All devices will start shipping and hit retail stores starting March 11.
Apple has announced a slew of products since the beginning of this week. It started with the M4 iPad Air and iPhone 17e going official on Monday, March 2 and culminated Wednesday with the budget MacBook Neo.
MacBook Neo
Image: Apple
The MacBook Neo became Apple’s new entry-level laptop on Wednesday, designed to bring the Mac experience to a broader audience at a more aggressive price point. Starting at just $599, the MacBook Neo is angling to compete with low-cost Windows PCs and Chromebooks.
See also: Apple breaks the budget barrier with $599 MacBook Neo
The device is equipped with a 13-inch Liquid Retina display and a durable aluminum enclosure available in four distinct finishes: blush, indigo, silver and a vibrant new citrus color.
Under the hood, Apple opted for the A18 Pro chip rather than a more powerful M-series processor. This allows the MacBook Neo to deliver efficient performance for web browsing, watching video and similar jobs. And that’s while lasting up to 16 hours on a single charge.
Buy: Apple Store
M4 iPad Air
The iPad Air‘s refresh is all about the M4 chip and little else. The only other notable upgrade is the switch to Apple’s in-house N1 and C1X chips to handle Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and mobile connectivity.
Otherwise, there are no differences. Its price remains the same, too, starting from $599 for the 11-inch model and $799 for the 13-inch variant.
Buy: Apple store
iPhone 17e
Photo: Apple
The iPhone 17e builds on last year’s iPhone 16e and borrows some core components from the iPhone 17. It features a faster A19 chip and gains MagSafe support. The only other notable upgrade is the C1X modem, which promises faster mobile data speeds.
There are no design changes. Even the rear and front cameras remain the same.
Apple has also doubled the base storage to 256GB. Yet, the phone’s price remains unchanged, starting at $599.
Buy: Apple store
MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and Max chips
Image: Apple
Apple unveiled its newest MacBook Pros on Tuesday, March 3. The M5 Pro and Max chips steal all the limelight, delivering impressive performance gains. The new SoC features an up to 18-core CPU, with six super cores and 12 performance cores. On the Pro, you get a 20-core GPU, while the M5 Max packs a 40-core GPU.
With each GPU core getting a dedicated Neural Accelerator, the chips deliver serious speed boosts in AI tasks. Apple claims LLM prompt processing is up to four times faster, with image generation being 3.7x faster than M4 Pro MacBook Pro.
Besides a faster chip, Apple uses speedier NAND storage on its new MacBook Pros. They can now reach speeds of up to 14.5GB/s. Storage has been doubled across the board, with M5 Pro models coming with 1TB as standard and Max with 2TB.
Apple’s N1 chip also makes it over to its Pro laptop, handling Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The new laptops support Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, the latest connectivity standards.
Sadly, the M5 Pro and Max MacBook Pros carry a higher price tag, too. The 14-inch model is now $200 more expensive, with prices starting from $2,199 and $2,699 for the 14-inch and 16-inch variants. M5 Max models now start from $3,599 and $3,899, respectively.
Buy: Apple store
M5 MacBook Air
Alongside the MacBook Pros, Apple refreshed the MacBook Air with an M5 chip. With a 10-core GPU and up to 10-core GPU, it brings 4x faster AI processing compared to M4 MacBook Air. 3D rendering in apps like Blender should also be up to 1.5x faster.
Like the MacBook Pros, the M5 MacBook Air now uses an N1 chip to handle Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 connectivity. Storage has also received a boost, with speeds up to 2x faster and base capacity now starting at 512GB.
Buy: Apple store
Studio Display and Studio Display XDR
Image: Apple
The Studio Display XDR replaces the Pro Display XDR in Apple’s monitor lineup. It’s the company’s new flagship monitor, featuring a 120Hz 27-inch 5K mini-LED backlight Retina panel with over 2,000 dimming zones. It can hit 1,000 nits of SDR brightness and up to 2,000 nits of HDR brightness.
Other features include a 12MP Center Stage camera, a three-mic array and a six-speaker sound system. It also packs two Thunderbolt 5 ports, including one upstream port that can output 140W of power. There are also two USB-C ports for connecting your accessories.
The cheaper Studio Display is similar to the model it replaces. The only notable upgrades include a 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View support, a better six-speaker sound system that provides 30% deeper bass and Thunderbolt 5 support.
Pricing for the Studio Display starts at $1,599, while the Studio Display XDR costs $3,299. You can also add nano-texture glass on them at an extra cost.
Buy: Apple store
Rajesh has been writing about consumer technology for over a decade, with a strong focus on iPhones, Macs and Apple’s ecosystem. He enjoys digging into Apple software updates, hardware changes, and discovering new Mac apps that make work faster and more enjoyable.
