The Surprising MacBook Neo Competitor You've Never Heard Of

The MacBook Neo made rather a splash erstwhile it landed successful March. $599 for a MacBook felt groundbreaking, and it was casual for casual onlookers to state that Windows laptops had nary existent reply to it.

But what if I told you determination was a Windows enactment that was amended successful astir each way? That's the HP OmniBook 5, a laptop you've astir apt ne'er heard of unless you ticker the abstraction closely. I've been recommending it ever since I tested it past month. The terms has been fluctuating, but much often than not, the 14-inch exemplary was selling for $500. You work that right: $500. Today, the cheapest, astir accordant terms you'll find it for is $730 implicit astatine Walmart, but I've seen the HP often driblet the terms from $1,050 down to astir $500.

And conscionable instrumentality a look astatine what you get for the price, due to the fact that it's perfectly stacked. It comes with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage, treble what you get connected the $599 MacBook Neo. There's a 16-inch mentation arsenic well, if you similar the thought of having a spot much surface existent property enactment with.

The HP OmniBook 5 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon X, a highly businesslike spot that gets great, all-day artillery beingness that's astatine slightest connected par with the MacBook Neo. If you haven't utilized a Windows laptops successful a fewer years and inactive deliberation they can't vie with MacBooks successful artillery life, you'd beryllium sorely mistaken.

The 16 GB of representation connected the OmniBook 5 is peculiarly important to note, arsenic it's 1 of the large points of contention with the MacBook Neo. Being stuck astatine 8 GB successful 2026 consciousness cruel connected principal, and having tested it myself, I was capable to load up the MacBook Neo and easy find its breaking point. The 16 GB of representation connected the HP OmniBook 5 is capable that you'll ne'er person to interest astir however galore tabs, applications, installations, oregon downloads you person going simultaneously. Combined with the amended multi-core show of the Snapdragon X, it enables a benignant of state that lets you hide astir the hardware and absorption connected the task astatine hand. Don't get maine wrong—the MacBook Neo has its place, but calling it the undisputed king of budget laptops conscionable isn't right.

The HP OmniBook 5 Is Only $500

Now, I cognize what you're thinking. Specs and show don't archer the full story, and Apple has ne'er been known for offering tons of specs for cheap. But the OmniBook 5 14 is besides an charismatic plan successful a highly portable package. At 0.5 inches, it's precisely the aforesaid thickness arsenic the MacBook Neo and close astir the aforesaid value too. Does the MacBook Neo person a spot much benignant and personality? Absolutely—especially if you fancy 1 of the bolder colour options. But I'd accidental the OmniBook 5 is simply a precise beauteous laptop successful its ain right. It's besides made of aluminum, sturdy and well-built successful your hands. The hinge is balanced nicely, allowing you to unfastened the lid with 1 finger. It doesn't feel cheap.