I love the MacBook Neo and its wild colors — but Apple missed a big trick with the iPhone 17e

Bring me a Citrus iPhone!

13 Mar 2026, 15:37 · TechRadar

Features By Axel Metz published 13 March 2026

The MacBook Neo (left) and iPhone 17e (right) (Image credit: Apple)

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The MacBook Neo and iPhone 17e are cut from the same cloth. Both devices were announced at the same event on March 4, both represent the entry point into their respective product ecosystems, and both — remarkably — start at just $599 / £599 / AU$999.

We also know that iPhones work seamlessly with MacBooks, a fact that Apple’s typically glossy launch video for the Neo sought to remind audiences: “Best of all, Neo works like magic with your iPhone. You can start a chat on your Neo and continue on your iPhone. Or copy from one and paste straight to the other. You can even use your iPhone without holding your iPhone.” You get the idea — MacBook and iPhone: better together.

The MacBook Neo and iPhone 17e are the fun younger siblings of the best iPhones and best MacBooks, so my question to Apple is: why didn’t you make these two affordable, fun-loving devices available in the same colors?!

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In Apple’s world, more color typically equals greater affordability (remember the iPhone 5C?), and the company did at least soften the appeal of the iPhone 17e by offering it in — ahem — a rather lovely Soft Pink (the plain Black and White colors of the iPhone 16e also make a return).

The MacBook Neo, meanwhile, is available in Silver, Blush, Citrus, and Indigo. Three of those colors are exclusive to the Neo range, but none are similarly available on the iPhone 17e.

Bearing in mind that both products share a target market of cost-conscious (dare I say younger?) buyers, wouldn’t it have made sense for consumers to be able to pair their Citrus MacBook Neo with a Citrus iPhone 17e? Or pick up an Indigo version of both devices? Admittedly, Blush is a slightly darker shade of Soft Pink, and Silver is a slightly darker shade of White — but that’s about as close as you’ll get to a uniform MacBook Neo/iPhone 17e combo.

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