The PC market was caught flat-footed by Apple’s MacBook Neo launch earlier this year, and while that laptop’s aggressive pricing strategy has already been forced to adapt to market conditions, it’s only months later we’re seeing Windows-based rivals announce their own respective competitors. Today, it’s HP’s turn, with a brand-new OLED-equipped laptop set to start at that same $699 price point, but not without plenty of strings attached.
The HP OmniBook 5 14 effectively looks like a cross between the MacBook Neo’s low-cost, colorful chassis and the more refined, understated greens and blues found in Apple’s iPad Air lineup. At 11.77mm thick and just 2.56 pounds for a 14-inch display, it sounds perfect for the back-to-school shopping season HP just barely missed. That 14-inch display is the real star of the show, though, swapping the usual IPS panels in this price point for one of two OLED options — more on that in a moment. Along the frame, HP’s packed in two “full-function” USB-C ports and a headphone jack, while a FHD camera with Windows Hello support greets you anytime you open the screen.
Under the hood, HP says it’ll support “up to” an Intel Core 7 processor, though that’s the only option on display here. Battery performance sounds impressive on paper — up to 42 hours of local video playback via an unspecified capacity — but I’ll admit that local video playback tests aren’t exactly ideal for mirroring onto actual real-world use. HP does say it’s compatible with the company’s 65W mini GaN charger, which I assume is bundled in the box. Otherwise, dual mics and “Poly Studio-tuned” audio wraps up what we know about this device so far, and if you’re feeling like there’s plenty you still don’t know, you aren’t alone.
For starters, it’s unclear what processor the $700 variant of this laptop will ship with, leaving comparisons with Apple’s A18 Pro hard to make. HP also chose to omit storage and memory configuration information of any kind — not even an “up to” — which really demonstrates just how beaten down the PC market is in the midst of this ongoing RAM crunch. Even the highlight of this laptop comes with a pretty nasty catch; while HP spends the bulk of the post describing its 2.5K OLED panel, that version won’t ship until March of 2027. The variant hitting Best Buy later this month will include a 2K OLED panel, with a massive dip in brightness from 650 nits all the way to just 300.
Lots of unanswered questions — and some disappointing answers — but if HP still has your attention, look for more details ahead of its retail release.
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