I just tested the MacBook Neo vs. the HP Omnibook 5 Flip — and this is the $600 laptop I’d choose

The MacBook Neo represents a real threat to the best budget laptops thanks to its $599 starting price. Not only is it affordable, but its aluminum chassis, fast performance, and epic battery life make it feel like a premium product. Right now, it’s arguably the best laptop for light productivity work and casual entertainment.

But how does the MacBook Neo directly compare to Windows laptops in the same price range? We benchmarked the MacBook Neo vs budget Windows laptops and found that Apple’s entry-level laptop can hold its own, or even exceed its competitors. The results were illuminating, but they tell us what it’s like actually using these laptops in everyday use.

To that end, we bought an HP Omnibook 5 Flip to see how it compares to a MacBook Neo. The model we purchased, which is a Best Buy exclusive, is normally $599, but it now costs $200 more, likely because of the ongoing RAM crisis. However, other vendors still sell it for its retail price. While this is a 2-in-1 laptop, its price puts it in the same category as the Neo, so it’s fair game in our estimation.

Below, I’ll detail the key differences between the MacBook Neo and the HP Omnibook 5 Flip, and which one I’d prefer to use as my main laptop.

Apple 13" MacBook Neo: $599 at Apple

The MacBook Neo is Apple's most affordable Mac. The $599 laptop sports a 13-inch Liquid Retina (2408 x 1506) display, A18 Pro chipset, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD, and 1080p FaceTime HD camera. There's also the option to add TouchID and a 512GB SSD for a total price of $699. The 2.7-lb. laptop is available in Indigo, Blush, Citrus, and Silver.

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HP Omnibook 5 Flip: was $899 now $599 at HP US

The HP Omnibook 5 Flip is an ideal choice if you're seeking a relatively affordable 2-in-1 laptop. It packs a 14-inch FHD display, an Intel Core 7 CPU, 256GB of storage, and 8GB of RAM.

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MacBook Neo vs. HP Omnibook 5 Flip: Specs

MacBook Neo vs. HP Omnibook 5 Flip: Design

Unlike most sub-$600 laptops featuring plastic designs, the MacBook Neo has an aluminum chassis. Its rounded corners and light 2.7-pound weight also make it comfortable to carry. While the MacBook Air is slightly thinner and smaller, the Neo still makes an excellent travel partner. It also comes in four colors, which is also something you don’t always get in this price range.

Conversely, the HP Omnibook 5 Flip has everything you’d expect from a budget Windows laptop. Its plastic chassis doesn’t feel cheap, but it’s certainly not as premium as the Neo’s. To its credit, the keyboard deck’s aluminium cover makes for a comfortable typing experience. The keys are thick, with nice travel distance. However, the squeaky sound the touchpad makes when you press down on it isn’t pleasing to the ears.

Since it’s a 2-in-1 convertible, the Omnibook 5 Flip is much thicker than the MacBook Neo. It makes up for that with its greater port selection. Whereas the Neo only has two USB-C ports and a headphone jack, the Omnibook 5 Flop has a pair of USB-C ports, which are both USB 3.2 Gen 2, compared to the Neo’s USB 3.2 Gen 2 and slower USB 2.0. It doesn’t stop there, as the Flip also has two USB-A ports, an HDMI port, and a headphone jack.

I give the edge to the Neo here since I prefer its thinner, all-aluminum shell. That said, the Omnibook 5 Flip wins if you need a laptop with a bunch of ports.

MacBook Neo vs. HP Omnibook 5 Flip: Display

I’ll cut right to the chase: the MacBook Neo’s Liquid Retina display literally and figuratively outshines the screen on the HP OmniBook 5 Flip. It’s the first thing that really stands out when you open the 2-in-1. Even when you boost the brightness to the maximum, the display remains very dim. The desaturated colors that make everything look lifeless don't help matters.

As you can see in the table above, our lab results corroborate what my eyes experienced. The Omnibook 5 Flip doesn’t support HDR, but even its SDR brightness is close to half that of the Neo’s.

Color representation also falls behind the target 100% in both the sRGB and DCI-P3 color spaces. Color accuracy (Delta-E) isn’t terrible, but that’s small compensation when taking the bland colors into account.

Display-wise, the main advantage the Omnibook 5 Flip has over the MacBook Neo is that it features a touchscreen. However, when speaking purely about how things look on one display over the other, the MacBook Neo, with its sharper resolution, vibrant colors, and overall higher brightness, wins here.

MacBook Neo vs. HP Omnibook 5 Flip: Performance

To be clear, you won’t get mind-blowing performance from either of these laptops. They do best under light or average workflows, such as web browsing, word processing, or streaming videos. I can keep around ten open Chrome tabs on each without experiencing slowdown. For regular work, neither laptop will let you down.

Getting into specifics, the MacBook Neo has better single-core performance, which means websites boot faster. The Omnibook 5 Flip has better multi-core performance, which accounts for the faster Handbrake video encoding numbers we see above.

On the Blackmagic SSD speed test, the Neo has much faster write speeds, but HP’s 2-in-1 more than doubles the Neo’s read speeds. Lastly, neither of these is a gaming powerhouse, as you can see by Borderlands 3’s abysmal frame rates. However, many Apple Arcade games run surprisingly well on the MacBook Neo.

MacBook Neo vs. HP Omnibook 5 Flip: Battery life

In our battery test, which involves continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi with the display set to 150 nits of brightness, the MacBook Neo lasted for an astonishing 13 hours and 28 minutes. The HP Omnibook 5 Flip endured for close to 10 hours, which looks bad compared to the Neo, but is actually pretty darn good for a budget Windows laptop.

The Omnibook 5 Flip can heat up pretty fast. With just ten minutes of use, the underside becomes noticeably warm. It hit 98 degrees Fahrenheit in our heat test, which is three degrees hotter than we deem comfortable. The Neo can get warm too, especially if you’re trying to run a game like Resident Evil 4 Remake on it, but that’s an extreme example, as the laptop doesn’t get very warm under normal use.

Lastly, the Omnibook 5 Flip takes an inordinate amount of time to charge. From around 10% battery life, it took around 4 hours to get to 90%. If you need to top out fast, this machine won’t make the cut. To be fair, the Neo also takes a long time to charge.

MacBook Neo vs. HP Omnibook 5 Flip: Webcam

If you’re frequently in video calls, then you want a webcam that helps you look your best. If that’s a priority, then you’ll want the MacBook Neo for that job.

The photo above was taken on the Neo’s 1080p FaceTime HD camera. As you can see, the webcam does a good job of capturing colors and details. Everything also appears fairly sharp. You’ll get better results from one of the best webcams, but the Neo’s clicker won’t disappoint.

Then we have the Omnibook 5 Flip’s 5MP webcam. While a 5MP webcam generally has higher raw resolution (1080p is equivalent to 2MP), the color accuracy and software processing of the Neo’s camera are clearly better, as you can see by the comparatively desaturated and blurry camera on the Omnibook 5 Flip.

MacBook Neo vs. HP Omnibook 5 Flip: Bottom line

In this specific contest, the HP Omnibook 5 Flip’s main advantage over the Neo is its 2-in-1 design that gives you the functionality of a laptop and tablet. It also has more ports and comparable performance to Apple’s affordable laptop. If you can overlook its dim and dull display and plastic chassis, it’s a decent machine for work—just make sure you don’t spend more than $599 for it.

Though the Omnibook 5 Flip has its virtues, I’d still go with the MacBook Neo since I don’t personally need a convertible. The sleek and sturdy aluminum chassis, long-lasting battery life, and seamless integration with the Apple ecosystem just make the package all the sweeter.

The MacBook Neo has once again proven it’s as good or sometimes better than budget Windows laptops in its price range.

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