A Lenovo laptop shows what a touchscreen MacBook could get right

The long-rumored touchscreen MacBook might be announced next week. After testing Lenovo's Yoga 9n, a Verge writer laid out what Apple could learn from it. The short version: a stylus that works on both the screen and the trackpad, and one that stays charged.

What the Lenovo does well

The Yoga 9n is a 16-inch laptop that folds all the way back into a tablet. It also works in tent mode and as a normal laptop. As a tablet, it runs in landscape or portrait. The writer says that is handy for movies, gaming with a controller, or a desk with a separate keyboard and mouse.

It runs on Nvidia's RTX Spark platform. Like the chips in current MacBook Pros, it is Arm-based, with strong built-in graphics and a large pool of shared memory.

The stylus is the star

• The included stylus works on the OLED screen for notes and drawing.
• It also works on the haptic trackpad, so a hand does not block the screen.
• It clips magnetically to the lid, alone or in its case.
• It charges over USB-C.

The writer uses it for photo retouching in Lightroom Classic and Photoshop. Having one stylus that works on the screen or the trackpad is called incredibly convenient.

What Apple would need to get right

The writer expects a touchscreen MacBook Pro to support Apple Pencil. The hope is that it also works on the trackpad. The writer also wants the Pencil to attach to the laptop and charge wirelessly, as it does on the iPad Pro. Lenovo's USB-C charging is fine, the writer says, but less convenient.

A plain 2-in-1 is not expected. Swapping the MacBook Pro's Mini LED screen for a touch OLED one would not feel like Apple. The writer would like something like Microsoft's Surface Laptop Studio, which brought the screen forward instead of flipping it back, or something entirely new.

Software and price

Software matters too. The writer says desktop systems can feel clunky with a finger or stylus. There are hints in macOS 27 that Apple is updating it to Golden Gate to make touch feel more natural than poking at things built for a mouse cursor.

The writer also expects a high price. Apple has recent misses, including the HomeView's lack of apps and a messy iPhone Duo, plus the butterfly keyboard problems. Apple has held off on touch for years, so this one has to be worth it.

Nothing here is confirmed. The announcement is still a rumor, and the features and price of any touchscreen MacBook are not known.