Apple clearly did not want the MacBook Neo to feel cheap in the places users interact with the most, and Dave2D’s teardown makes that pretty obvious. Instead of carrying over the haptic Force Touch system Apple has used for years, the company built a completely different mechanical trackpad for its cheaper notebook, and the result is much smarter than most people probably expected.
Dave2D’s Teardown Reveals Apple’s Clever New Mechanical Trackpad Design, But The MacBook Neo Still Cannot Match Force Touch
Every Apple laptop since 2015 has used a haptic trackpad, which means that the clicks are simulated rather than physically produced by moving parts. The mechanism became one of the most praised parts of the MacBook experience as it felt consistent, precise, and reliable. On the MacBook Neo, though, Apple changed course and developed a new mechanical solution that specifically serves the lower-end model.
What makes the new mechanism interesting is that Apple did not just swap in the basic mechanical trackpad you would find on a lot of cheap Windows laptops. The YouTuber says that the new one still feels better than many of those systems, which is kind of wild when you remember this is supposed to be Apple’s budget MacBook, not some premium flagship trying to show off. This design choice also lines up with Apple’s broader positioning, where the MacBook Neo vs MacBook Air comparison shows how the company is separating budget and mainstream machines.
How Apple’s New Trackpad Design Actually Works Inside The MacBook Neo
The teardown shows that the trackpad floats above a backplate mounted into the chassis. In the middle of that plate is a small nub that presses against the button located behind the touch surface. The key detail here is that the button can be actuated or pressed no matter where the user clicks, which helps the system avoid the usual diving board behavior seen on many mechanical trackpads.
Apple did not just remove Force Touch to save money and call it a day, but seems to have engineered a mechanical system that still tries to preserve the premium feel. Moreover, the click feel of the MacBook is pretty similar to what users would expect, even on a machine that starts at a much lower price point than the rest of the lineup. That balance between cost and performance becomes clearer when you look at the MacBook Neo benchmark scores, where the A18 Pro shows where Apple chose to prioritize efficiency over raw power.
Why Force Touch Still Remains The Better MacBook Trackpad Experience
The teardown also reveals where the compromise starts to show. Dave2D notes that the cursor tracking is still excellent, so the MacBook Neo keeps the smoothness people expect from a Mac. The issue appears during faster clicking and dragging tasks, where the new system can occasionally miss movement in a way Apple’s haptic trackpads usually do not. The same trade-off shows up in real-world testing as well, where our MacBook Neo gaming performance coverage highlights similar limitations under sustained load.
If you are looking at the bigger picture, the MacBook Neo buying guide breaks down whether these compromises actually matter depending on how you plan to use the device.
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