Neo surprised me because it doesn’t feel like Chrome with an AI sidebar glued on—it feels like an AI tool that happens to be a browser. The magic box, in-context summaries, peek-and-summarize, and smart tab grouping remove a ton of friction from research and writing, and it’s free on Windows and Mac.
Pros
+AI is available in-context without switching apps or copy/paste
+Magic box supports tasks like summarizing tabs and asking questions
+Peek-and-summarize previews links before clicking to save time
+Smart tab grouping automatically organizes tabs by topic
+Shows sources for summaries/answers for transparency
+Local storage + controllable memory settings for privacy
Cons
-Mobile version isn’t available yet (coming soon)
-If you don’t do research/writing-heavy workflows, the AI features may be less essential