GoKawiilMaria Diaz and Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET
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With the introduction of the MacBook Neo this spring, Apple added a fresh entry-level option to its hardware lineup. Before, if you didn't want to commit to a new MacBook Air or Pro, you were relegated to the iPad, which offers a significantly different user experience. (Or you could buy a discounted MacBook that's a year or two old.)
Also: MacBook Neo review: My biggest concern with Apple's near-perfect budget laptop
But all that has changed. The new MacBook Neo starts at $599 -- the same price as the latest affordable iPad Air M4 with 128GB of storage, bringing the MacBook experience to an accessible price point. This puts these two devices on equal footing, but they're very different in terms of usability. Which one is a better fit for you? Let's break it down.
Specifications
iPad Air M4 (11-inch) MacBook Neo Display 11-inch Liquid Retina display, 500 nits brightness, 264 ppi 13-inch Liquid Retina display, 500 nits brightness Weight 1.03 pounds (465 grams) 2.7 pounds (1.23 kg) Processor Apple M4 Apple A18 Pro RAM/Storage 12GB of memory with 128GB-1TB storage 8GB of memory, 256GB-512GB storage Battery Up to 10 hours of web surfing and watching video on Wi-Fi, 9 hours on 5G Up to 11 hours of web surfing, 16 hours video streaming Camera Landscape 12MP Center Stage camera, 12MP wide camera, 4K video
1080p FaceTime HD camera, HD video recording
Connectivity Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, 5G Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 6 Price Starting at $599
Starting at $599
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