The MacBook Neo made quite a splash last month. $599 for a MacBook felt groundbreaking, and it was easy to say that Windows laptops had no true answer to it.
But what if I told you there was a Windows option that was better in almost every way? That's the HP OmniBook 5, a laptop you've probably never heard of unless you watch the space closely. I've been recommending it ever since I tested it last month, and the price has fluctuated. But today, it's only $500, and that buys a stacked configuration with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage. That's twice the memory and storage of the $599 MacBook Neo. It's also powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon X, a highly efficient chip that gets great, all-day battery life that's at least on par with the MacBook Neo.
Photograph: Luke Larsen
HP
OmniBook 5 14
Now, I know what you're thinking. Specs don't tell the whole story, and Apple has never been known for offering tons of specs for cheap. But the OmniBook 5 14 is also an attractive design in a highly portable package. At 0.5 inches, it's exactly the same thickness as the MacBook Neo and right around the same weight too. Does the MacBook Neo have a bit more style and personality? Absolutely—especially with those bolder color options. But I'd say the OmniBook 5 is a very pretty laptop in its own right.
A couple of my biggest hangups with the MacBook Neo were the smaller things. For one, the storage speed of its SSD was pretty slow, and the USB-C ports were outdated. The OmniBook 5 has two USB-C ports capable of 10 Gbps, as well as a fast USB-A port on the other side. And while the MacBook Neo doesn't even have a fingerprint sensor, the OmniBook 5 has an IR camera with facial recognition for Windows Hello.
Photograph: Luke Larsen
The display is the one area where the MacBook Neo is stronger. It has a higher-resolution 2408 x 1506 resolution across a 13-inch screen, which is sharper than the more basic 1920 x 1200 resolution on the OmniBook 5. The good news is that HP didn't skimp on the display. It's OLED, which gives it infinitely better contrast and a broader color range. So, while it's not as sharp or bright as the MacBook Neo, it's no slouch either.
If you're already set on a Mac, it's going to be hard to convince you to switch sides. But if you're open to actually finding the best budget laptop at this price, you found it. The HP OmniBook 5, especially when sold at this price, is unbeatable.
One caveat: This sale price has been fluctuating over the past few weeks. At its full retail price of $1,150, it's a much less attractive offering, and HP has been bouncing back and forth between the extreme sale price and the full MSRP. As a backup, Walmart has been consistently selling it at $680, which is still a solid deal.
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