ICYMI: the week's 9 biggest tech news stories from Apple's MacBook Neo to launch to Xbox's new console tease

Date:
Sat, 07 Mar 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Description:
This week we went to MWC and were treated to some major Nothing and Apple launches including the Apple MacBook Neo.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Get the TechRadar Newsletter Sign up for
breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are
now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter
This week we went to MWC and were treated to some major Nothing and Apple launches including the Apple MacBook Neo.

There's a lot of news coming from the tech world this week, so we've had to bump or usual seven-story-long ICYMI to a whole nine articles, so we have no time to dilly-dally in this intro. When you've finished scrolling here check out our picks for the seven new movies and TV shows this weekend (March 6) . You may like Apple's big March event live the all new MacBook Neo has just been introduced, and we're there Why the new MacBook Neo is already the most important product of 2026 6 things Apple announced at its big March event from iPhones to MacBooks 9. We reviewed the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra (Image credit: Peter Hoffmann) Samsung pulled off a neat trick with its Galaxy S26 Ultra. Its not a reinvention and, at a glance, could be mistaken for the S25 Ultra. However, it made key updates to lenses, image processing, design, materials, and raw power that should please most Galaxy fans (all without raising the price). The new phone is also over-stuffed with AI, but certainly makes some of the best use of on-board Gemini. However, it's two other bits
of innovation that lift the S26 Ultra above all other Androids: Privacy Display and Super Steady Horizontal Hold. The former is the first smartphone hardware-based privacy screen, and the second, well, you have to try this gimbal in your smartphone to believe it. Read the full story: I tested the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, of course it's the best Android phone ever 8. ChatGPT was cancelled over its Pentagon deal (Image credit: Shutterstock) Could ChatGPT one day power autonomous killing machines? Thats the question many are asking after OpenAI signed a deal with the Pentagon after Anthropics Claude was labelled a supply chain risk for making that one of two red lines in its rejected version of a similar deal.

OpenAI claims that it shares Anthropics belief that AI shouldnt make the decision to kill a person, or be used for mass surveillance of US citizens, but leaks suggest its deal with the Pentagon is a little looser than Anthropics would have been with OpenAIs version saying the Pentagon must follow the law and its internal guidance, both of which could be changed by the US government and Pentagon officials in the future.

As a result users have abandoned ChatGPT in droves, and switched over to Anthropics AI in what appears to be a ringing endorsement of its AI ethics. Though as Anthropic is reportedly in talks to make a deal with the Pentagon after all well have to wait and see if it too makes compromises. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Read the full story: Anthropic CEO attacks OpenAI's US military announcement in leaked memo 7. Somehow Xbox returned (Image credit: Xbox) If you told us the Xbox Series X / S was the last proper Xbox console with future launches merely branded versions of other hardware like with the Xbox Meta Quest 3 and Asus Rog Xbox Ally X wed be inclined to believe you, but it seems a new Xbox is in fact in the works.

Three weeks after Asha Sharma replaced Phil Spencer as CEO of Xbox he teased new hardware codenamed Project Helix. He explained Project Helix will lead in performance and play your Xbox and PC games, suggesting itll be a PC console hybrid similar to Valves upcoming Steam Machine . This might also explain why Sony is abandoning its plans to release PlayStation games on PC; Xbox might not mind where you play its titles, but Sony clearly doesnt want you to enjoy its games on Xbox consoles.

Little else is known about Helix for now, but the fact its coming at all is enough for now. What to read next ICYMI: the week's 7 biggest tech news stories for February 14, 2026. Apple launches the MacBook Neo and it starts at a surprisingly low price Apple's MacBook Neo nails the netbook by being nothing like it Read the full story: The next Xbox is codenamed Project Helix 6. Nothing made great sequel headphones (Image credit: Nothing) Nothing just unveiled its second pair of headphones, and theyre something of a miracle.
The Nothing Headphone (a) are way cheaper than its first pair, the Headphone (1), yet are somehow a better pair of headphones. The sound is more expansive and fun, the battery life is so long that its basically the best of any headphones you can buy, and the design is way less divisive.

Despite all the improvements, they're half the price of the earlier
headphones in the UK, and are a third cheaper in the US. Theyre the platonic ideal of what you want from the follow-up to a product that was a bit of a miss, and might rank among the best headphones of the year. Read the full story: The Nothing Headphone (a) fix all the problems of the original 5. Nothing released a new budget-phone, and its a hit (Image credit: Nothing) We reviewed the Nothing Phone (4a), the latest budget-friendly device from one
of the most stylish tech brands around. In our four-star review, we raved about the (4a)s stand-out look, which includes a fancy new Glyph Bar and
array of attention-grabbing colorways.

This models more than just a pretty face, though. Its Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 processor delivers very solid performance indeed, and its streamlined
UI is a joy to use. The (4a) also packs a higher resolution, brighter
display, and larger battery than its predecessor. Its not quite perfect, though we had a few qualms about camera quality, and it would have been good to see wireless charging on-board. Read the full story: Nothing Phone (4a) review: a budget phone that stands out from the crowd 4. We saw the best of MWC (Image credit: Xiaomi / MWC / Honor) Another year, another Mobile World Congress; this years MWC was, as always, jam packed with mobile tech and we went through all of it to find the very best in show.

Honor, Nothing and Samsung impressed us with their smartphones, including the Honor Magic V6 a new thinnest-ever foldable and the Nothing Phone 4(a), which is still fun and affordable.

There were also some exciting concept designs which may never see the light
of day but are award-worthy nonetheless, like the Lenovo ThinkBook Modular PC Concept. For the full list of winners: TechRadar's MWC Awards 2026 presents our 12 winners 3. The mid-range iPhone 17e arrived to battle the Pixel 10a (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) It might lack the novelty and dazzle
of the MacBook Neo, but the iPhone 17e might just be the most spectacularly sensible thing Apple announced this week. The mid-range phone is a modest update, with an A19 chip, new C1X modem and MagSafe charging being the main upgrades from the 16e.

But those quality-of-life upgrades all support the main headline here the iPhone 17e costs the same as its predecessor, starting at $599 / 599 /
AU$999. Thats a pretty good deal for upgraders who dont mind missing out on
an ultra-wide camera, and makes this phone a strong rival for the slightly cheaper Google Pixel 10a . Read the full story: Apple announces the iPhone
17e here's what's new in the mid-range iPhone 2. The iPad Air, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro all got refreshes (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) It was a huge week for Apple launches and while the MacBook Neo was the only truly new release, we did also get spec bumps for three of its most popular products. The iPad Air M4 is effectively last years M3 model with a new chip (30% faster, apparently) and more modern connectivity including Wi-Fi 7.

And if youre in the market for a new MacBook, well done for waiting until March. The MacBook Air M5 now has Apples latest base chip, and it might just be the worlds best all-round laptop (if we can forgive it for that small
price hike).

Lastly, the MacBook Pro is now available with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, and even comes with 1TB storage as standard, though you may want to shield your eyes from its price tag. The M5 Max version starts at $3,599 / 3,599 / AU$5,799) thats the same as six MacBook Neos. Read the full stories: The MacBook Air M5 has landed here's what's new on our favorite laptop The Apple MacBook Pro M5 Pro and M5 Max are official here's what's new 1. Apple revealed the US$599 MacBook Neo (Image credit: Jacob Krol/Future) It had been rumored for months, but it was still a surprise when Apple revealed its cheapest-ever MacBook this week. The MacBook Neo is a fun, colorful
Chromebook rival that runs on an A18 Pro chip and it starts at only $599 / 599 / AU$899.

We havent yet fully tested the Neo to see how it performs, but our early impressions were good. In fact, weve already branded it the most important product of 2026 so far, mainly because its landed in the context of a RAM price crisis and a dearth of compelling Chromebook rivals. Whether its also one of the best products of the year remains to be seen. Read the full story: Apple launches the MacBook Neo that runs on an iPhone chip and it starts at
a surprisingly low price



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/tech/icymi-the-weeks-9-biggest-tech-news-stories-fro m-apples-macbook-neo-to-launch-to-xboxs-new-console-tease


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)