For years, the decision was easy. If you were a creative professional, you bought a Mac. If you wanted something to sketch on, browse references and maybe draft a few emails while travelling, you bought an iPad. The hardware hierarchy was clear, the software divide was obvious and nobody lost sleep over it. That clarity is gone.
Apple's new MacBook Neo launched earlier this year at $599 / £599, making it the cheapest MacBook to date. It uses the A18 Pro, a chip previous known for its use in the iPhone. The iPad Air (M4), meanwhile, starts at the exact same price. It's powered by the M4 chip, which was until recently exclusive to Apple's most powerful laptops.
Apple has, in short, built a laptop that runs on a phone chip and a tablet that runs on a Mac chip. It's a strange state of affairs, and it means the iPad is a real challenger to a MacBook Neo.
Article continues belowThe iPad, let's be clear, has the faster, more powerful hardware. Its M4 chip is a genuine Mac-class processor; capable of handling multi-layer video editing, complex Lightroom catalogues and heavy illustration workloads. And if you team it with a Magic Keyboard, you can use it as a hybrid laptop in its own right.
The MacBook Neo, meanwhile, uses the A18 Pro chip which is fine for a phone, but struggles to keep up with heavy laptop work. It’s perfect for the basics (web browsing, emails, Netflix) but don't expect it to fly through heavy projects.
The software question
Raw chip performance isn't the whole story, though, because macOS (the operating system in MacBooks) and iPadOS (the operating system in iPads) are fundamentally different. And that difference shapes what you can actually do with each device.
On the plus side, iPadOS is elegant, fast to pick up and beautifully optimised for touch. For illustrators, animators working in Procreate or anyone whose creative practice centres on the Apple Pencil, the iPad experience is simply irreplaceable. iPadOS 26 has also improved its windowing and multitasking, adding a more Mac-like range of simultaneously open windows across all models.
Yet limitations remain. Adobe Lightroom on iPad lacks wired tethered shooting support, isn't optimised for local file storage and doesn't match the desktop version's feature set. Using a web browser on an iPad still feels a bit like using a mobile app. It’s fine most of the time, but when you’re in a rush, you’ll miss the freedom and speed of a real desktop browser.
In short, if your creative workflow involves serious file management, multiple tools running simultaneously or specialist desktop software, macOS still wins by some distance.
The real cost of the iPad
On paper, the iPad Air (M4) is the same price as the MacBook Neo. But remember, for $599 / £599 you're just getting a tablet. A beautiful, powerful tablet, but a tablet nonetheless. To use it for any type of design or video editing, you'll need Apple's Magic Keyboard, which adds $299 / £299. And if drawing is part of your practice, the Apple Pencil Pro sits on top of that at $129 / £119. Suddenly your $599 / £599 iPad is a $1,027 / £1,017 creative setup.
At that point, you're knocking on the door of the MacBook Air M5, which starts at $1,099 / £1,099 and runs full macOS. So unless you purely want a drawing tablet, the comparison that actually matters for working creatives is not iPad Air vs MacBook Neo, but a fully equipped iPad Air vs MacBook Air.
Why buy a MacBook Neo?
That's not to say the MacBook Neo is a bad machine. It's just aimed at a different audience than creative professionals. For students moving into higher education, it's an excellent first Mac, offering the full macOS experience, a good keyboard, a bright Liquid Retina display and enough power to handle essays, presentations, spreadsheets and video calls without breaking a sweat.
For parents buying a first computer for a teenager, or for someone who uses a computer primarily for communication, light organisation and consuming media, the Neo delivers a genuinely impressive experience at a price that doesn't sting. It's lighter than many budget laptops, integrates seamlessly with other Apple devices and brings Apple Intelligence along for the ride.
For creative novices, too, it's a reasonable starting point. Particularly if your ambitions are modest: occasional photo editing, putting together a portfolio site or experimenting with GarageBand.
But let's be clear: if you already know that creative work is central to what you do, or intend it to be, you'll outgrow the Neo faster than you'd like. Its A18 Pro chip handles the basics well, but it isn't built for sustained, demanding creative workloads, and you'll feel that ceiling sooner than you'd expect.
Which should you buy?
To make your decision, start by being honest about the real cost. If you're a creative professional, the $599 / £599 iPad Air on its own probably isn't enough: factor in the keyboard and pencil and you're looking at just over $1,000 / £1,000.
At that budget, the choice becomes clearer. If your practice is centred on drawing, painting, mark-making or any Pencil-first workflow, the fully equipped iPad Air remains the better choice: the touchscreen and stylus experience is something a MacBook simply can't replicate, and the M4 chip will handle demanding creative work comfortably for years.
However, if you work primarily in desktop software, manage complex file structures, edit audio or video at a professional level or need macOS to access specific tools, spend the extra $72 / £82 and get a MacBook Air. You'll get a bigger screen, full macOS, more ports and the complete version of every software you use.
The MacBook Neo, meanwhile, occupies an awkward middle ground for creatives: less powerful than the iPad Air's chip, less capable than macOS and undercut on both fronts by devices that cost a similar amount when properly equipped. It's a genuinely good choice for a student or casual user, but for an established creative professional with a demanding workflow, this is not the device you're looking for.
