Apple recently officially released its latest entry-level notebook, MacBook Neo, which uses the same A18 Pro chip as the iPhone 16 Pro. This is also the first time Apple has used a smartphone chip in a computer.As for why the updated A19 Pro chip is not used, Apple CEO Cook’s statement earlier this year may have given the answer.
At Apple's fiscal year 2026 Q1 earnings conference, Cook hinted that the company could have shipped more iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max devices equipped with A19 Pro if supply constraints had not adversely affected sales.
Cook clearly stated at the time,The constraints stem from the tight production capacity of advanced process nodes: "The supply of advanced nodes on which our SoC production depends is limited, and the current supply chain flexibility is lower than normal."
This statement basically explains why the MacBook Neo ended up using the A18 Pro instead of the A19 Pro. If it is equipped with the latter, the biggest specification difference will be reflected in the memory capacity.
The A18 Pro uses the InFO-POP packaging process, which integrates the silicon chip and memory into a single package. Due to the design architecture, it can only provide 8GB of memory on the MacBook Neo and cannot be upgraded later.
The A19 Pro uses the same packaging process as the A18 Pro, but integrates 12GB LPDDR5X memory. If it can be equipped, it will undoubtedly greatly enhance the competitiveness of this cheap Mac.But faced with expensive packaging costs and tight production capacity, Apple had to make compromises.
However, there is still good news. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo pointed out that the successor of MacBook Neo has been planned to be released in 2027. By then, Apple will switch to TSMC's more advanced processes. The old process bottleneck is expected to be alleviated, creating conditions for entry-level models to be equipped with stronger chips.
