These $500 Windows Laptops Show the MacBook Neo's Competition

Today, Apple announced its caller fund MacBook. At $599, it looks earnestly impressive. While I haven't tested its performance, artillery life, oregon show conscionable yet, it whitethorn extremity up being hard to bushed astatine that terms based connected immoderate of the specs alone.

But that doesn't mean the contention isn't there. I privation to urge a mates of Windows laptops deals that connection assorted advantages implicit the MacBook Neo, showing wherever the Neo has some strengths and weaknesses.

First, cheque retired this Asus Vivobook 14, a laptop I've been blessed to urge arsenic a fund machine for the past year. In galore ways, this is the Windows mentation of a laptop similar the MacBook Neo. It uses a highly-efficient ARM chip, the Qualcomm Snapdragon X, meaning it gets large artillery beingness and performs admirably successful regular tasks. It's not rather arsenic bladed oregon airy arsenic the MacBook Neo, but it's reasonably portable for a laptop astatine this price.

Unlike the MacBook Neo, the Vivobook 14 comes with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage. That's doubly what you get successful the MacBook Neo's starting configuration. Right now, this configuration of the Vivobook 14 is connected merchantability for $539. That's a slayer woody for those specs. It adjacent comes with a healthier premix of ports, including HDMI, 2 USB-A, 1 USB-C, and a headphone jack. That besides means it tin enactment 2 outer displays dissimilar the MacBook Neo, which tin lone grip conscionable one.

Don't get maine wrong—I'm not astatine each saying the Vivobook 14 is simply a slam dunk implicit the MacBook Neo. Based connected specs alone, I cognize the Vivobook 14 is simply a superior measurement down erstwhile it comes to the display. It's little sharp, stretched crossed a larger screen, and the colour show isn't truthful good. The Vivobook 14 maxes retired astatine 280 nits, whereas Apple says the MacBook Neo tin spell each the mode up to 500 nits. I person a hunch that the MacBook Neo volition present a overmuch amended show successful conscionable astir each regard.

There's besides the touchpad. It's a small clunky to use, which is emblematic of fund Windows laptops. This is conscionable a guess—but the touchpad connected the MacBook Neo volition apt consciousness smoother. It's a mechanical trackpad (unlike the MacBook Air's haptic feedback trackpad), but Apple has astir ne'er made a atrocious trackpad.

If you're not convinced by the Asus Vivobook 14, I'd besides urge the HP OmniBook 5, which is presently connected merchantability for $500 and uses the aforesaid Snapdragon X chip. While it lone has 256 GB of storage, it has a overmuch amended surface than the Vivobook 14, utilizing an OLED display. It's not immoderate brighter than the Vivobook 14, but it gives you acold amended colour show and contrast. It's besides conscionable 0.50 inches thick, matching the MacBook Neo precisely successful portability.