Explore the highlights of Apple’s latest powerhouse releases

The first week of March proved to be a milestone for Apple fans, as the tech giant signalled a serious commitment to India and other developing markets. In a rapid three-day blitz (March 2-4), Apple unveiled everything from a mid-range smartphone and budget MacBook to an M4-powered iPad Air and the high-end M5 Pro and Max MacBook Pros as well as Studio Display XDR. While opinions vary on the target audience for such a diverse line-up, we take a look at these new products.

iPhone 17e

Apple iPhone 17e

The iPhone 17e is the successor to Apple’s much touted replacement to its SE lineup -The 16e. The iPhone 17e has the latest-generation A19 processor and features the C1X cellular modem chip designed by Apple. The A19 chip is the same processor that was used in the regular iPhone 17 from last year — It also starts with 256 gigabytes of storage, double last year’s entry-level offering of 128 GB. The iPhone 17e starts at ₹64,900 for 256GB storage. 

MacBook Neo

With the MacBook Neo, Apple enters the entry-level computing space previously dominated by Chromebooks. By pairing a mobile-class chip with a full desktop OS, the Neo offers a streamlined, high-end experience for the education and home-use sectors.

The Neo features a 13-inch Liquid Retina display and is powered by the A18 Pro chip. Built of aluminium, the Neo is available in four colours: blush, indigo, silver and citrus and weighs 1.23 kg. Battery life is rated at up to 16 hours on a single charge. Connectivity includes two USB-C ports, a 3.5 mm headphone jack, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 6.

The laptop runs macOS Tahoe which is a surprise considering this is a mobile processor. It also supports Apple Intelligence features and integration with iPhone through Continuity features such as Handoff, Universal Clipboard and iPhone Mirroring.

iPad Air

The iPad Air features the M4 chip. Available in two sizes (11-inch and 13-inch) and four finishes (Space Grey, Blue, Purple and Starlight). Apple claims the M4-based iPad Air is up to 30 per cent faster than the M3 version and up to 2.3 times faster than the M1 model. The Air uses Apple’s N1 and C1X connectivity chips, adding support for Wi-Fi 7 and improved cellular connectivity. The iPad Air with M4 comes in at ₹64,900 for the 11-inch model and ₹84,900 for the 13-inch model. 

M5 Pro, M5 Max MacBook Pro 

The MacBook Pro’s get the new M5 Pro and M5 Max processors which Apple claims 5.4x faster video effects rendering in Blackmagic Davinci Resolve and 1.6x faster gaming performance with ray tracing in games such as Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition as compared to the M4. 

While nothing much has changed design wise in the M5 Pro and Max MacBook Pro’s, the base storage has been increased to 1TB as opposed to the 512 GB base level storage in the M4 and M5s. The 14‑inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro starts at ₹2,49,900 and the 16‑inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro starts at ₹2,99,900 with base 1 TB storage.

MacBook Air M5

Apple updated the MacBook Air with M5 processor and the Air comes in a thin, light and durable aluminium design with Liquid Retina display, 12MP Centre Stage camera, up to 18 hours of battery life, an immersive sound system with Spatial Audio and two Thunderbolt 4 ports. Prices start at ₹1,19,900 for the 13-inch and ₹1,44,900 for the 15-inch MacBook Air. 

The interesting part is that like the Pros, the Air’s base storage has been increased from 256 to 512 GB along with a slight price increase. However, at a time when storage and RAM prices are growing, the availability of a bigger storage base variant albeit at a slightly higher price than the previous versions is expectable.

Apple has laid out its most diverse roadmap for India and global markets to date, simultaneously targeting value-conscious students and high-end professionals. As these devices hit shelves on March 11, all eyes are on the market response across India and Asia to gauge the success of this multi-tier strategy.

Published on March 11, 2026