Apple's Cheapest MacBook Faces Fresh Windows Competition From HP's New $699 OmniBook

Apple's cheapest MacBook is facing fresh Windows competition from HP, which has launched a $699.99 OmniBook 5 with a 14-inch OLED display, putting it $100 above Apple's $599 (£599) MacBook Neo but offering a different set of features. However, UK pricing is yet to be announced.

Samuel Chang, HP's senior vice president and division president of Consumer Personal Systems, said the laptop brings together "premium design and immersive experiences with a colorful OLED display in an incredibly portable package."

The $699.99 base model comes with Intel's Core 5 315 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. While that makes it $100 more expensive than Apple's $599 MacBook Neo, HP is betting its OLED screen and broader connectivity will give buyers a reason to spend more. The company says the OmniBook 5 offers "more screen, more battery life, more connectivity and more freedom to create."

HP's new laptop is expected to arrive in October. It weighs about 1.16kg and measures 11.77mm at its thinnest point, making it slightly lighter and thinner than the MacBook Neo.

HP's OLED Display Sets It Apart

One of the biggest differences between the two budget laptops is the display. HP's base OmniBook 5 comes with a 14-inch 1920 x 1200 OLED panel with up to 300 nits of brightness, while Apple's MacBook Neo uses a 13-inch Liquid Retina display.

HP will also offer a touchscreen configuration at launch. A higher-resolution 2560 x 1600 OLED version with 400 nits of brightness is planned for March 2027, although that model will not be part of the initial offering.

The MacBook Neo starts at £599 with Apple's A18 Pro chip, 8GB of unified memory, and a 256GB SSD. Apple claims up to 16 hours of battery life, while HP advertises up to 42 hours of local video playback for the OmniBook 5. However, the two figures come from different testing conditions and are not directly comparable.

More Ports And Windows 11

Higher-spec versions of the OmniBook 5 are planned with up to an Intel Core 7 processor, 16GB of memory and 1TB of storage, but those specifications will cost more than the $699.99 starting price.

HP also equips the laptop with two 10Gbps USB-C ports, HDMI, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, alongside Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth connectivity. The inclusion of HDMI could make the OmniBook 5 more convenient for buyers who regularly connect a laptop directly to an external display or television.

The MacBook Neo has two USB-C ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack, but does not include HDMI. Instead, the MacBook Neo uses Apple's A18 Pro chip and runs macOS Tahoe, with integration with the wider Apple ecosystem.

A New Budget Laptop Battle

The OmniBook 5 does not undercut Apple on starting price. At $699.99, its base model costs $100 more than the MacBook Neo.

Instead, HP is offering a larger 14-inch OLED display and HDMI connectivity at that price, while keeping the laptop relatively thin and light. Buyers choosing between the two will therefore be weighing Apple's lower starting price and macOS ecosystem against HP's larger OLED display and broader connectivity.

The OmniBook 5 is expected to arrive in October, giving Windows users a new alternative to Apple's entry-level MacBook at a $100 higher starting price.