Apple’s MacBook Neo just upended my entire approach to Cupertino’s laptop line, and while I’m impressed by this feisty little machine, I’m none too happy about it. Why? Because I just bought an iPad, not long ago, to approximate one. Being a fan of Apple’s simple approach to basic computing, but not quite in the company’s target financial demographic, I’ve used its more affordable iPads, plus a keyboard add-on, as my personal computer outside work for years.
An iPad’s power profile is more than enough for web browsing, bill management, writing, and social media, and the tablets are super-easy to use. So, I’ve bought one of Apple’s more affordable iPads every five or so years instead of a MacBook. Paired with an affordable keyboard cover, the iPad was the perfect pinch-hitter for all of these tasks. At times, I even carried out paid writing work on these iPads.
Again, however, that was because Apple’s laptops were simply more expensive, which is no longer the case with the MacBook Neo. This little laptop changes the economics of this decision entirely, and it’s not even close. If you’ve been using an iPad like it’s a MacBook Junior, as I have, it’s time to give that up and go Neo next time. I sure wish I did this year.
(Credit: Jeffrey Hazelwood/PCMag; Apple)
Price: Different Products, Same Overall Cost
On its face, this battle is easily won by the iPad, right? The laptop costs $599, and the tablet costs $349—case closed. Not so fast.
If you want the iPad to work like a laptop, it will need one of those fancy keyboard covers. The one that Apple sells for the basic iPad costs an astronomical $249. That’s more than half the cost of the device alone, and already $600 total, for those keeping score.
You can find cheaper alternatives that are still high-quality, like the Logitech Combo Touch Keyboard Case for $139.99, but that still amounts to about $500. Can you see what I’m getting at here? While it notably lacks backlighting, the MacBook Neo already includes a far superior, more stable keyboard than any folio cover can offer.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)
It’s all about whether you’re particularly married to the extra versatility of a tablet that can pinch-hit as a laptop. I don’t find that aspect all that important in how I use my iPad for everyday computing. (As they say, “Other opinions are available,” and yours may be different!) But if what you want is something that works well as a laptop first and foremost, the more powerful, more spacious, and more focused MacBook Neo is a simpler, better deal.
Winner: MacBook Neo
Performance: Tiny Goliath Trounces an Even Tinier David
While the iPad will continue to help the average user get by with paying the bills or writing their next breakout sci-fi novel, while maybe even tweaking some family photos, the MacBook Neo’s superior processor does it all better. The latest iPad model has Apple’s older A16 processor inside, whereas the MacBook Neo uses the more advanced A18 Pro chip, previously exclusive to the 2024 iPhone Pro models. (Of course, alongside the Neo, Apple just introduced a new iPad Air with an M4 chip, but that model starts higher, at $599, with no keyboard in sight.)
Apart from their comparative age, these chips are also just in different performance classes. Where the A16 comprises a five-core CPU and a four-core GPU, the A18 Pro is a six-core CPU and a five-core GPU—a +1 uptick, in both cases. (Both chips have 16-core Neural Engine AI coprocessors.)
I hate to tell you (again, given that I went with an iPad not long before the Neo emerged), but the difference is indeed dramatic. The Neo’s A18 Pro simply runs circles around the A16 chip. In Geekbench, the A18 Pro’s single-core speeds weren’t terribly far behind the A16’s multi-core speeds. This means the Neo should generally be faster in every way, for everything from web browsing to spot photo editing. Because it’s a bigger device, it’s also likely less thermally constrained.
As for graphics, the Neo’s processor posted runaway wins in all three of UL’s 3DMark tests we can compare these two devices on, two of which notably focus on ray-tracing performance (3DMark’s Solar Bay and Solar Bay Extreme). The third test, Wild Life Extreme, measures high-resolution graphics-rendering performance, and it wasn’t close between these two chips on that front. (The iPad lacks the 8GB of minimum memory required to run the Steel Nomad tests we normally put Macs through—more on that in a moment.)
Finally, while we can’t measure it directly, it’s important to note that, while the A16 includes a Neural Engine, it’s not capable of running Apple Intelligence. The A18 Pro within the Neo has access to this, which might not seem like a big deal now, but wait a few years. The MacBook Neo is the better performer without question.
Winner: MacBook Neo
Memory and Storage: Bigger Device, More Room for More Stuff
This distinction is rather simple. Being a smaller, less powerful, and less capacious device, the iPad simply pales in comparison to the MacBook Neo on both memory and storage. Its A16 processor has only 6GB of memory attached to it, whereas the Neo’s A18 Pro is paired with 8GB of unified memory.
Likewise, the base-model $349 iPad starts with just 128GB of storage, half the Neo’s 256GB starting storage. Both products cap out at 512GB of SSD space, but the iPad costs, relatively, much more to get there, at $649 for the 512GB tablet alone—with no keyboard—versus the 512GB Neo’s $699 total. (Plus, the $699 Neo’s upgrade to 512GB also gains you support for Touch ID, which the base $599 model lacks.)
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
These small differences add up when you’re at these razor-thin margins, not to mention when you consider the shoestring budgets a lot of shoppers looking at these kinds of computers are working with. Touch screen and tablet versatility aside, it’s tough to refute the math here: You can spend $600 for a 128GB/6GB 11-inch iPad package, or $600 for a 256GB/8GB 13-inch Neo one.
Winner: MacBook Neo
Design and Display: Bigger Isn’t Always Better (But It Often Is)
Regardless of which device you choose, you can rest assured that both the iPad and MacBook Neo deliver on Apple’s reputation for build quality and premium materials. Both are fully aluminum-clad computers with impressive profiles.
The MacBook Neo is essentially a smaller MacBook Air, measuring half an inch thick and weighing 2.7 pounds. On the other hand, the iPad is indisputably more portable, weighing just 1.05 pounds and measuring 0.28 inch thick without a keyboard cover. The presence of one adds, maybe, another few tenths of an inch and about a pound, depending on the model.
Get Our Best Stories!
Love All Things Apple?
By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy
Policy.
Thanks for signing up!
Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
While it’s more portable, the iPad is also less robust than a laptop when used in that mode. No keyboard cover today compares with one attached to a traditional laptop, regardless of backlighting or key-switch innovations. The iPad is also generally smaller, meaning less screen real estate for managing larger projects or multiple apps at once, and less typing comfort given any smaller-by-design accomplice keyboard.
Speaking of screens, both devices use one of Apple’s Liquid Retina displays, with differing resolutions and pixel densities due to their different sizes. Both panels support up to 500 nits of brightness, per Apple’s claims, though the iPad screen supports Apple’s True Tone automated color adjustment and the Neo does not. To the MacBook Neo panel’s credit, however, it claims coverage of up to 1 billion sRGB colors, whereas the iPad makes no such claim of its sRGB coverage.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)
Which of these two designs and displays is better for you, again, depends on your primary use case. If you plan to use the iPad mostly as a laptop and rarely as a tablet, the Neo is the clearly superior device.
Winner: MacBook Neo
Ports and Connectivity: All It Takes Is Just One More
Here’s another easy comparison for you: The iPad has just a single USB Type-C 2.0 port, with data transfer rates of up to 480Mbps. That port also doubles as the charging port. The MacBook Neo has that same port, plus a 10Gbps USB Type-C port behind it. It also has a 3.5mm headphone jack, which the iPad lacks.
The A18 Pro’s expanded power and likely overall bandwidth make this additional higher-speed connection possible, which allows the Neo to more easily interact with modern devices and connect to a second display. (You know, proper laptop things.)
Recommended by Our Editors
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Once you want to add something other than a keyboard cover to the iPad’s computing experience, you start to hit walls. The iPad can take you far as a singular computing device, but just not as far as the Neo can. The MacBook Neo even has slightly faster Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 6 versus the iPad’s Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3 radios. Apple’s budget laptop is simply a more connected computer.
Winner: MacBook Neo
Keyboard and Touchpad: Out of the Box, Neo Has You Covered
Oh, look, another layup. This comparison point drills down to the fundamental difference between these two products: One is a tablet first and a laptop second, while the other is a laptop—hands down.
The iPad does not come with a keyboard and touchpad in the box. You have to buy one from Apple or another manufacturer, and they’ve come a long way (even including excellent touchpads). Still, they pale in comparison to an honest-to-goodness laptop keyboard.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Meanwhile, the MacBook Neo has no such problem. Its keyboard and trackpad are mostly as excellent as those on a MacBook Air, only smaller. One thing to note, however: The Neo’s keyboard lacks key backlighting, unlike some iPad keyboard covers. (I use one that does have lighting.)
However, that’s a minuscule distinction when looking at the difference in the typing and navigating experiences between these two devices. When an iPad keyboard cover can barely keep up with the average PC laptop keyboard, it already has no hope against the Neo’s keys. Unless backlighting is a total non-negotiable for you, this is all Neo.
Winner: MacBook Neo
Operating Systems: iPadOS Still Can’t Ape macOS
As someone who was using an iPad as a primary computer for several years before Apple’s most recent iPadOS changes, I can attest to just how far the tablet’s operating system has come. Apple has opened up the system’s ability to view and manipulate multiple apps at once, while adopting more of macOS’s approach to navigation via hotkeys and file management.
Still, it’s just not macOS. And that’s a shame. For the same price, the MacBook Neo comes with an unadulterated version of Apple’s desktop OS. Despite running on an iPhone chip, the Neo can download apps from any source—not just the App Store—and any app that a Mac is compatible with, so is the Neo. Know that iPhone and iPad apps that don’t support macOS simply won’t appear in its App Store. But many do.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)
It’s almost like the MacBook Neo gets the best of both worlds here. While the Neo can’t run iOS apps that weren’t coded for macOS support, a lot of those apps have already been, and the Neo has access to so many more apps and tools, thanks to its freedom from the App Store. When you’re trying to use an iOS device like it’s a Mac, it just won’t ever fully compare with macOS.
Winner: MacBook Neo
And The Winner Is…
Oof, this was a beatdown. I, like so many others, have been using an iPad like a pseudo-laptop for years, and to excellent effect. However, that was, frankly, for the lack of a better affordable Apple option until now, especially since I wasn’t interested in investing in a product that seemed to be on life support in its latter years (the M1 MacBook Air).
Fast forward to roughly 45 days before the MacBook Neo launch. Anticipating an expected iPad price hike (and with my budget MacBook dreams dashed) amid the ongoing memory shortage, and in need of a new model, I gambled and upgraded to the latest iPad. As soon as I laid hands on the MacBook Neo, I knew I had been burned, not counting on Apple to rise above a tumultuous market and its own luxury-brand reputation with such a killer budget laptop.
Simply put, if, like me, you’ve been using iPads as if they were high-quality faux-laptops for the past few years, break the cycle and upgrade to a MacBook Neo the next time around. Unless you’re deeply married to that touch screen, it’s pointless to resist. If you want an affordable Apple computer, there’s only one answer now: the MacBook Neo.
