You no longer have to wait until Black Friday to get a great deal on home appliances at Home Depot. Just a month after the retailer’s Spring Black Friday sale (which saw some LG fridges over 50% off), Home Depot is offering another amazing refrigerator deal — this time for its Memorial Day sale, which ends May 27th.
Right now, Home Depot has a collection of Samsung refrigerators on sale for Memorial Day, but one stands out as having the highest rating along with the biggest discount. For the next week, Home Depot’s Samsung Bespoke fridge is 41% off. Originally $3,199, it’s down to $1,899 for the duration of the Memorial Day sale — that’s $1,300 off. With a 4.7-star review, customers have raved about its sleek appearance, the unique storage configuration, the ice maker, and the accompanying smart app. If you missed out on the LG sale last month, this could be the time to grab a new fridge if you’re in the market.
Stand-out features of the Samsung Bespoke fridge
The Samsung Bespoke Extra-Capacity 4-Door French Door model has a simple and sleek silver appearance — but it’s packed with a lot of fun design elements that make it quite convenient. One of the stand-out features is the dual auto ice maker, allowing for cube and sphere-shaped ice. Some reviews claim the ice maker is a little slow, while others are in love with the large, sphere option. The inner beverage center is another highlight, an internal dispenser with a built-in water pitcher that fills on its own. One customer even noted that they use this to fill their pet’s water fountain. The FlexZone drawer is a customer favorite as well, a middle drawer with five adjustable temperature settings. Overall, the amount of space and storage options has left reviewers pleased with the Samsung Bespoke fridge.
Samsung is considered one of the best smart fridge brands as well. This model comes with an accompanying app that lets you monitor and manage power usage and temperature. It’s possible to save some energy by using the SmartThings Energy app’s AI Energy Mode, which optimizes the fridge’s compressor and defrosting speed by identifying patterns. You’ll need a smart meter installed in your home to track your energy in real time — don’t worry, they’re generally safe.
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.)
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
It might seem obvious, but the iPad is fundamentally different than a MacBook as a touch device. iPadOS is optimized for touch or use with an Apple Pencil, and as such, offers a more tactile, intuitive form of interaction.
iPads are so popular because they don’t really feel like “computers” — the ability to tap, drag, and zoom with your fingers directly is like working with a physical object. This makes them great for younger kids, older folks, or anyone with visual impairments.
For artists who want the tactile experience and don’t need the MacBook Pro’s processing power, the iPad Air offers a much more accessible middle ground, with a vivid display and stylus support for sketching, illustrating, and iterating on designs.
2. You’re an artist or creator
Kerry Wan/ZDNET
The iPad Air M4 features a 12MP Center Stage camera, 4K video recording at up to 30 fps, and a better display, making it better for creators who want to shoot photos or videos. The smaller, thinner frame is way more conducive to shooting content, and stylus support makes for fast, intuitive image editing.
Additionally, the M4 processor in the iPad Air has 12GB of unified memory to work with, alongside an eight-core CPU and nine-core GPU (compared to a six-core and five-core in the Neo), bringing significantly more processing power to the table.
3. You want a better display
The MacBook Neo opened up a new entry point into the MacBook line, but its display is not as flashy as those on the MacBook Air or Pro. The iPad is a much better option for anyone who wants a brilliant display, but doesn’t need the top-of-the-line processing power in the MacBook Pro.
The gorgeous tandem OLED display on the iPad has 264 pixels per inch and an optional nano-texture display, offering a brighter, more vivid image. This benefits artists, but it’s also a better choice for streaming movies, as video content looks crisper and more realistic.
You should buy the MacBook Neo if…
Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET
1. You want the MacBook experience
The Neo delivers a satisfying MacBook experience, though there are some trade-offs. I’ve written about this at length, but Apple did a great job balancing build and features, retaining the best features from more powerful MacBooks, but keeping the cost low with more modest hardware.
For example, you don’t get backlighting on the Neo’s keyboard, but the keys still feel functional. The Neo’s trackpad is not haptic, but it is still better than many other Windows PC in the price range.
The result is a laptop that feels almost identical to a MacBook Air or Pro on the surface — its only limitation being its processing power. If you’re using it for what it’s designed for — everyday tasks, working out of the browser, and using Apple’s iPhone integrations — it feels great.
2. You want a device for work
Kerry Wan/ZDNET
On that note, if you’re looking for something to use for work-related tasks, the Neo is a better option. It runs the same operating system as a MacBook Pro, with a keyboard and mouse that offer better functionality for work-related tasks. Although you can certainly get a keyboard for the iPad Air and connect it to a wide range of accessories, MacOS is simply better for productivity tasks, while iPadOS shines with creative tasks, tablet gaming, and media.
3. You want the more price-efficient option
Both the MacBook Neo and iPad Pro start at $599, but the Neo is a little more cost-effective. If the iPad Air M4 is a high-performing niche device, the Neo is more entry-level but also more versatile. The Neo has trade-offs as mentioned, but for the majority of users who want a MacBook for non-demanding workloads, it’s going to feel nearly identical to a higher-specced Mac.
Writer’s choice
I’ve used both products, and personally, I prefer the Neo. It’s a little more of a generalist device, but the pros (low cost, bang for buck) heavily outweigh the cons (lower-end hardware). Compared to other Windows PCs at a similar price point, the Neo offers a very competitive experience, especially if you’re an iPhone user, as it comes with the full suite of iPhone integrations, like Continuity and Phone Mirroring.
If you’re an artist or creator committed to a device for those workflows, the iPad Air M4 is a better choice. But for essentially everyone else, the Neo is a better option. Even though the iPad is better for younger kids, the Neo is a commendable entry point into the MacBook ecosystem that scales up to some of the most powerful consumer laptops on the market today.
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