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YouTube machine - Neo or iPad Air?

Cellophaneskies

Cellophaneskies

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Hi

I have a 12.9 iPad Pro that has awful awful battery life now. It needs replacing. It almost does nothing apart from YouTube.

I’m wondering the if the Neo is a better option. It will stand up on its own. The screen is closer to widescreen so videos may be bigger?

I want the best display.. and the best speakers. Not just loud - but a nice full sound. Basically the iPad Pro 12.9 2nd or 4th gen are my reference, and they are great.

What would be the better option?

Bonus contributor - the Neo has a keyboard which would be useful for occasional notes and numbers editing. My windows laptop is also needing replacement but I only use that for occasional word processing in office.. sometimes it is nice browsing on a real pc but I’ve never been a fan of the Mac mouse acceleration and keyboard layout (in the uk it’s not the same as Windows boards)
 
FreakinEurekan said:
Personally, I really prefer the iPad Pro display to the Neo/Air.

MacBook Pro is pretty good - but more because it’s bigger. In terms of absolute quality, iPad Pro still has it beat (OLED display).
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Thanks. My main comparison is 4th gen iPad Pro so as long as it’s as good as that- I’d be happy..!
 
@Cellophaneskies the Neo is a wonderful YouTube viewer. For me, the sound quality is pretty good - however I like to watch downhill mountain bike races (like the Megavalanche) with the Neo in my lap using earphones while the lovely and talented Mrs. watches her TV shows in the same room (so my experience with the actual Neo speakers is limited). I don't think you could go wrong either one - iPad or Neo - but I'm confirming that the Neo would not be a bad choice.
 
For using purely as a YouTube device with everything else as an afterthought, I will recommend an iPad. The reason I do so is actually contrary to your bonus of the Neo having a keyboard, but in my case not having a keyboard permanently affixed to the device makes it much more useful. I can stick the iPad on small shelves or up against monitors or other areas because it is small enough in an upright (with folio case) position. I could never put a laptop in any of these spaces due to the keyboard. Even the old 11" Air would be too large.

If this is not important to you the equation changes. For me an iPad with a folio case/smart cover and no keyboard added is the best solution, but I do not find it very versatile for actual computer use. Even adding a keyboard only helps somewhat. If you're really more interested in having a device that does a lot of things well then maybe the Neo is the way to go.
 
Cellophaneskies said:
Hi

I have a 12.9 iPad Pro that has awful awful battery life now. It needs replacing. It almost does nothing apart from YouTube.

I’m wondering the if the Neo is a better option. It will stand up on its own. The screen is closer to widescreen so videos may be bigger?

I want the best display.. and the best speakers. Not just loud - but a nice full sound. Basically the iPad Pro 12.9 2nd or 4th gen are my reference, and they are great.

What would be the better option?

Bonus contributor - the Neo has a keyboard which would be useful for occasional notes and numbers editing. My windows laptop is also needing replacement but I only use that for occasional word processing in office.. sometimes it is nice browsing on a real pc but I’ve never been a fan of the Mac mouse acceleration and keyboard layout (in the uk it’s not the same as Windows boards)
Click to expand...
seems to me if you're replacing both an old iPad and an old laptop that the Neo would be the better fit for your situation. Unless you got lots of extra money to burn to buy an iPad Pro just for YouTube
 
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Apple_Robert said:
I have both and I much prefer the screen of the iPad Pro. It is also great for mobile at home or away
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Everyone's experience will be different for several reasons. One being the age of each device and the other is that everyone's eyes are different.

I have a 2018 iPad Pro 11, M3 iPad Air, MacBook Neo, and run 24" 1080 monitors with my Mac mini. I really can't tell the difference between any of them with all of them running next to each other.

Though to be honest either device will work well for the OP.

1BadManVan said:
seems to me if you're replacing both an old iPad and an old laptop that the Neo would be the better fit for your situation. Unless you got lots of extra money to burn to buy an iPad Pro just for YouTube
Click to expand...

I have to agree with you on this. Unless one wants to have both and can afford it.
 
1BadManVan said:
seems to me if you're replacing both an old iPad and an old laptop that the Neo would be the better fit for your situation. Unless you got lots of extra money to burn to buy an iPad Pro just for YouTube
Click to expand...
I agree with this 150%. YooYoob's presentation on the Neo is excellent - maybe not as excellent as on an iPad - but sharp enough to save some cash for other purposes.
 
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Cellophaneskies said:
Hi

I have a 12.9 iPad Pro that has awful awful battery life now. It needs replacing. It almost does nothing apart from YouTube.

I’m wondering the if the Neo is a better option. It will stand up on its own. The screen is closer to widescreen so videos may be bigger?

I want the best display.. and the best speakers. Not just loud - but a nice full sound. Basically the iPad Pro 12.9 2nd or 4th gen are my reference, and they are great.

What would be the better option?

Bonus contributor - the Neo has a keyboard which would be useful for occasional notes and numbers editing. My windows laptop is also needing replacement but I only use that for occasional word processing in office.. sometimes it is nice browsing on a real pc but I’ve never been a fan of the Mac mouse acceleration and keyboard layout (in the uk it’s not the same as Windows boards)
Click to expand...
If you want the best display for You Tube, then iPP OLED is the very best, with iPad Air second, and Neo third place imo (but still decent enough).
 
Last edited:
I would either upgrade your battery on your iPad or get a new iPad Air. The NEO is a good machine, but the iPad Air will feel snappier, and the speakers are better on the iPad.
 
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Why isn't getting Apple to service the battery an option? Or is the iPad Pro a very old generation?

There was a time when you could have snagged an M4 MacBook Air for under 800 quid but they seem to have gone from third party retailers now.

That reportedly has better screen than the Neo, Touch ID on 256Gb, and possibly better speakers.
 
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Cellophaneskies said:
if the Neo is a better option
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So far I have tested as neo on YouTube no problem it great smooth and fast pop up, and yes I have iPad before I got neo it really bit slow due age I had iPad for 5/6 years since now and noticeable the battery drain very fast lately on YouTube
 
For mostly Youtube consumption and no budget into consideration, I would go for the iPad Pro no doubt. Much more versatile positioning, better screen, lighter.
 
sublunar said:
Why isn't getting Apple to service the battery an option? Or is the iPad Pro a very old generation?
Click to expand...
I have the same question. Battery service for a 3rd or 4th Gen 12.9 inch iPad Pro is $119. The screen is already solid, and honestly I don't know if I'd say the speakers on an Air would be better. That 4 speaker setup on the iPad Pro is pretty good. The Neo will not even be close.
 
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1BadManVan said:
seems to me if you're replacing both an old iPad and an old laptop that the Neo would be the better fit for your situation. Unless you got lots of extra money to burn to buy an iPad Pro just for YouTube
Click to expand...
Yeah, or maybe even a MacBook Air can be justified, if replacing the Windows laptop, which would give OP a better display and speakers than the Neo, as well as better computing performance and other niceties that may or may not matter to OP. According to Gemini, a newer iPad Air has only slightly better display and speakers than the Neo, and similar display quality to an MBA, but the MBA has significantly better sound. But all 3 devices are a step down from the OP's referenced 4th gen 12.9" iPP in terms of both display and sound quality.

If price matters, this is a recap of the options in order of price, starting with the most expensive:
- ($1650? total) 13" iPad Air ($950) + laptop ($700?) if replacing the Windows laptop
- ($1200) 13" MacBook Air which can replace the Windows laptop
- ($950) 13" iPad Air if not replacing the Windows laptop
- ($820? total) current iPad battery replacement ($120) + laptop ($700?) if replacing the Windows laptop
- ($700) MacBook Neo which can replace the Windows laptop
- ($120) current iPad battery replacement if not replacing the Windows laptop
 
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Personally, NEO.

I find a laptop more comfortable to use. I prefer not to use a touchscreen whenever possible. I'm not a diehard iPadOS user but I personally find MacOS more versatile. I could also use it as a computer for basic day to day task even if that's just in a pinch if my main machine went down. Plus years from now there might be a way to continue its life via Linux. Which would be perfect for a dedicated YouTube player....

There are probably just as many good reasons someone else would pick the iPad though.

Since your consuming media I would pick whichever provides the most comfortable experience.
 
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