The MacBook Neo made quite a splash when it landed in March. $599 for a MacBook felt groundbreaking, and it was easy for casual onlookers to declare 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. The price has been fluctuating, but more often than not, the 14-inch model was selling for $500. You read that right: $500. Today, the cheapest, most consistent price you'll find it for is $730 over at Walmart, but I've seen the HP frequently drop the price from $1,050 down to around $500.

And just take a look at what you get for the price, because it's absolutely stacked. It comes with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage, double what you get on the $599 MacBook Neo. There's a 16-inch version as well, if you like the idea of having a bit more screen real estate work with.

The HP OmniBook 5 is 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. If you haven't used a Windows laptops in a few years and still think they can't compete with MacBooks in battery life, you're sorely mistaken.

The 16 GB of memory on the OmniBook 5 is particularly important to note, as it's one of the big points of contention with the MacBook Neo. Being stuck at 8 GB in 2026 feels cruel on principle, and while testing it I was able to load up the MacBook Neo and easily find its breaking point. The 16 GB of memory on the HP OmniBook 5 is enough that you'll never have to worry about how many tabs, applications, installations, or downloads you have going simultaneously. Combined with the better multicore performance of the Snapdragon X, it enables a kind of freedom that lets you forget about the hardware and focus on the task at hand. Don't get me wrong—the MacBook Neo has its place, but calling it the undisputed king of budget laptops just isn't right.

The HP OmniBook 5 Is Only $500

Now, I know what you're thinking. Specs and performance 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 if you fancy one of the bolder color options. But I'd say the OmniBook 5 is a very pretty laptop in its own right. It's also made of aluminum, sturdy and well-built in your hands. The hinge is balanced nicely, allowing you to open the lid with one finger. It doesn't feel cheap.

The HP OmniBook 5 also doesn't compromise in smaller 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. One of them uses USB 2.0, a standard that's over 25 years old. The OmniBook 5 has two USB-C ports capable of 10 Gbps, as well as a USB-A port on the other side for legacy peripherals. And while the $599 MacBook Neo doesn't even have a fingerprint sensor, the OmniBook 5 has an IR camera with facial recognition for Windows Hello.

The display is the main area where the MacBook Neo is slightly stronger. It has a 2408 x 1506-pixel resolution across a 13-inch screen, which is sharper than the more basic 1920 x 1200 resolution on the OmniBook 5. It's also brighter, letting you crank it up to 500 nits. The good news is that HP didn't skimp on the display for the OmniBook 5. It's OLED, which gives it infinitely better contrast and a broader color range. It's certainly the best Windows laptops display you can get at this price, surpassing rivals like the Asus Vivobook 14. That used to be my main recommendation for a budget laptop, but once the HP OmniBook 5 came along, I've changed my tune. A large part of that has to do with the screen. So, while it's not quite as sharp or bright as the MacBook Neo, it's no slouch either.

The only real downside of the OmniBook 5 is the touchpad. It's not awful, and the click isn't overly loud. But it sometimes feels clumsy to use with gestures that require more precision, such as clicking and dragging. I could get by with this touchpad, but I did find myself reaching for a mouse occasionally. It's not a deal-breaker, especially since the keyboard is enjoyable to type on—and it’s backlit, unlike on the MacBook Neo.

When it comes down to it, it's going to be hard to convince you to switch sides if you're already set on a Mac. I won't blame you for that. But if you're open to actually finding the best budget laptop at this price, there's a strong case to be made for the HP OmniBook 5 when it's on sale.

As I stated up top, the price of the HP OmniBook 5 has been fluctuating pretty dramatically, and that changes its value proposition. At its full retail price of $1,150, it's a less attractive offering, having to compete with some higher-end options like the MacBook Air. At the $730 price at Walmart, it's a shoo-in. At $500, it's downright scandalous. So, if and when you see the price drop back down, buy it and know that you got the best deal in the game.

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