Apple is widely expected to bring touchscreen support to its Mac lineup later this year, marking a major shift for the company’s portable computers. But if you’re hoping Apple’s most affordable laptop—the MacBook Neo—will soon follow the same path, the latest reporting suggests you’ll be waiting a long time.
Recent information indicates the MacBook Neo likely won’t get a touchscreen for at least the next three years. The reason comes down to cost. Apple reportedly had to rethink and revise a big portion of the MacBook Neo’s internal components to hit its ultra-competitive $599 starting price, with an even lower $499 price targeted for education buyers. Adding a touch display would increase manufacturing costs, and that doesn’t fit the current strategy for Apple’s lowest-priced Mac.
There had been earlier talk that a MacBook Neo 2 could arrive in 2027, and that touchscreen functionality might be one of the headline upgrades. However, those expectations have cooled as production realities and display costs appear to be pushing touchscreen Mac plans toward higher-end models first.
So which Mac is most likely to get a touchscreen after the initial rollout? The MacBook Air is seen as the more logical next step, but even that may not happen soon. The MacBook Air’s next major display change—moving to OLED—reportedly isn’t expected within the next two years. If touchscreen capability is tied to that display transition, it pushes the timeline out further.
Instead, touchscreen support is now expected to debut at the premium end of the lineup, with the M6-generation MacBook Pro family described as the most likely long-term landing spot. Even then, it may be limited to the higher-tier configurations, such as models powered by M6 Pro and M6 Max chips.
For shoppers today, the MacBook Neo is still positioned as Apple’s budget-friendly entry point into macOS. It typically starts at $599 for a 256GB SSD configuration, with a 512GB version priced higher at around $699, while larger storage options exist in limited or modified forms depending on the seller.
The takeaway is simple: Apple is moving toward touchscreens on Macs, but the feature is expected to arrive first on more expensive MacBook models. For the MacBook Neo, keeping the price low appears to be the priority—and that means no touchscreen in the near future.
