There are plenty of rivals to Apple’s MacBook Neo these days and now HP is launching another contender. HP has just announced the new OmniBook 5 14, which starts at US$699.99 in the US placing it firmly alongside Apple’s cheapest MacBook.

There is some pretty impressive hardware inside. The OmniBook 5 will sport a 2K OLED display rated at up to 300 nits, while a ramped up 2.5K OLED touchscreen capable of reaching 620 nits is planned for March 2027.

By comparison, the MacBook Neo has a smaller 13-inch IPS display with a 2408 x 1506 resolution and brightness of up to 500 nits. Apple has the advantage in brightness over the base OmniBook configuration, but HP’s use of OLED could make its laptop particularly appealing at this price.

Inside, the OmniBook 5 14 can be configured with up to an Intel Core 7 processor featuring integrated NPU hardware, although those versions aren’t expected to arrive until mid-October. At launch, HP is listing a model powered by an Intel Core 5 320 processor alongside 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.

HP has also managed to keep the laptop impressively portable. The aluminium chassis measures just 11.77mm thick and weighs 1.16kg, while still including a 180-degree hinge and two full-function USB-C ports. A compact 65W GaN charger comes in the box.

There’s also considerably more choice when it comes to colour. HP is offering the OmniBook 5 14 in Smoke Silver, Starlit Blue, Peony Pink and Soft Honeydew, giving the laptop some of the colourful personality Apple has brought to the MacBook Neo.

Battery life is another area where HP is making a big claim. The company says the OmniBook 5 14 can last for up to 42 hours, although that figure comes from continuous local 1080p video playback with the screen set to 200 nits and wireless enabled but disconnected.

That means you shouldn’t expect anything close to 42 hours under typical everyday use. HP and Apple also use different battery testing methods, so their quoted figures aren’t directly comparable.

Elsewhere, the OmniBook 5 14 includes an FHD infrared camera with Windows Hello support, dual microphones, Poly Studio-tuned speakers and DTS Ultra audio.

The HP OmniBook 5 14 is expected to go on sale through HP.com and Best Buy in the US sometime in October, with prices starting at US$699.99. Australian availability and pricing are yet to be announced by HP.