Developer puts together 3D-printed handheld that runs on macOS Big Sur

It is not the first Hackintosh to run macOS on a device that is not intended for that at all, but that does not make it any less impressive. A developer has created a 3D-printed handheld that runs on macOS Big Sur, the latest version of the operating system.

The handheld was made by youtuber iketch, who immediately says in the video description, “I know you can run macOS on UMPCs, but have you ever seen it on a DIY handheld?” He thinks this is the first macOS handheld.

The handheld PC is powered by a LattePanda Alpha single-board computer with an Intel Core m3-8100Y processor and 8GB of ram. The handheld has a 240GB SSD on which it installed macOS with Dortania OpenCorea WiFi card, an LCD and a custom battery to fit in the 3D printed case.

The handheld also comes with a physical keyboard, a touchpad, an LED and two fans. These are connected to a self-made printed circuit board. He also designed a case and various mounting plates that he printed in pla+, which can withstand heat slightly better than regular pla.

For people who are critical that macOS wouldn’t be practical for a handheld device, iketch also has an answer: “Yeah, you’re right. I just wanted to make one for myself and basically just use it as a Mac mini.” He is aware that for that price he might as well have bought a real Mac mini M1. “But what’s the fun in that?”