MacBook Neo hands-on: it doesn't feel budget, with an aluminum body and weighing 2.7 lbs like the Air, but it has a flimsy keyboard and no option above 8GB RAM

Devindra Hardawar /Engadget:

Engadget 2026-03-04 Devindra Hardawar

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@snazzylabs Quinn Nelson on x
MacBook Neo is the first laptop since 2018 in Apple's lineup without a Force Touch trackpad.
@raywongy Ray Wong on x
More hands-on with the $599 MacBook Neo [video]
@raywongy Ray Wong on x
Blush MacBook Neo. 16 hours of battery life. A18 Pro chip. Two USB-C ports [image]
@sdw Sebastiaan de With on x
I vividly remember getting my first MacBook and how much it inspired me to become a designer. Really cool to think about how many people who will get to know the Mac with MacBook Neo!
@stevemoser Steve Moser on x
Another small way the MacBook Neo was decontented besides slow ports: it doesn't have a Force Touch trackpad. [image]
@joannastern Joanna Stern on x
Corrected original tweet: Apple says it WILL match the color of UI on shipping units. [image]
@joannastern Joanna Stern on x
MacBook Neo. $599. SO Apple to match the menu color on these demo units to color of laptop. Although they tell me it won't ship that way. You'd have to do customize on your own via Settings. [image]
@mrwhosetheboss Arun Maini on x
This new $599 MacBook Neo is STUPIDLY good value for money: -Still made of aluminium (feels VERY solid) -13 inch Display that still looks great -Powered by A18 Pro chip (but still feels fast) -16 hour battery life -No TouchID on base model -No keyboard backlighting (this one [ima…
@aaronp613 Aaron on x
I wonder what the internet's reaction would have been today if the MacBook Neo name wasn't leaked by MacRumors yesterday
@chancehmiller Chance Miller on x
Here's MacBook Neo, which starts at $599 ... or an absolutely bonkers $499 for education. [image]
@aaronp613 Aaron on x
The pink MacBook Neo is going to be a best seller, I can already tell [image]
@mgsiegler M.G. Siegler on x
MacBook Neo is the *exact* same weight as MacBook Air (2.7 lbs)...
@9to5mac @9to5mac on x
MacBook Neo in the flesh #AppleLaunch [video]
@markgurman Mark Gurman on x
Hands on with the MacBook Neo, new iPhone 17e, new MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and Studio Displays https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@devindra Devindra Hardawar on bluesky
Here's my hands on with the MacBook Neo, it feels great! But 8GB RAM/256GB storage is going to be hard to live with www.engadget.com/computing/la...
@quinnypig.com Corey Quinn on bluesky
“We kept the keyboard shitty so you'd know it was a Macbook.” [embedded post]

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MacBook Neo hands-on: it doesn't feel budget, with an aluminum body and weighing 2.7 lbs like the Air, but it has a flimsy keyboard and no option above 8GB RAM

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