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Comment by akagr | Hacker News Reader

Go beyond the specs, though. Which windows laptops have similar combination of all metal build with tight tolerances, a display hinge that doesn’t wobble, a nice keyboard and even close to similar feeling trackpad at this 600 dollar price point? Most non haptic trackpads are dive board designs where you can only press the lower part of it because they hinge from the top, whereas as Neo’s trackpad is completely floating and can be pressed even on the very top. Also, one of main target audiences - students - can have this for much cheaper with education pricing.

If quality and in-hand feel matters to you at all, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more well rounded laptop than a MacBook at any price point.

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As I said in another thread $650 HP OmniBook 5 on Ryzen is faster, more RAM, feels great to use, and I don't have to deal with MacOS!

IMO, there's nothing comparable to MacBook Air in its price range if you are an average user. Neo is even better in that aspect. The model you cited sounds better if you are planning to use Linux and are computer literate. But if you just want something that is good (not perfect) at everything usual, a MacBook is a no-brainer.

I don't think MacOS is better than Windows, so I disagree with that take.

Most people that I have interacted with consider macOS to be more confusing and less usable than Windows. It's not just you.

To save anyone else trying to figure out what computer lostmsu is talking about, at least going by the current prices on HP's website (not MSRP):

HP OmniBook 5 Laptop Next Gen AI 16-fb0037nr

If I were shopping for a cheap laptop I would have given up and bought a Macbook Neo before I found that one.

Sorry about that, here's a link where you can buy one: https://www.staples.com/hp-omnibook-5-16-2k-laptop-copilot-p...

I have no affiliation with them of any kind

Oh, the 16-ag1067st not the 16-fb0037nr, of course!

It's out of stock for me, and the couple of other locations that I checked via VPN.

The "st" at the end appears to be a Staples specific part number, so I found the less specific "16-ag1067" on Amazon for $1051. https://www.amazon.ca/HP-OmniBook-1920x1200-Graphics-Keyboar...

On HP's own online store though, this model number doesn't exist.

Took another look at the 16-fb0037nr that I found earlier when browsing HP's store by price, that one's a Snapdragon instead of Ryzen, so very different computer. Don't know what the state of Window's ARM compatibility layer is.

Anyway, this is the typical experience of looking at non-Apple laptops and it sucks.

lol $150 more for a crappy low res display etc. So bad.

Apple appears to know better by asking whole $200 more for upgrading from 13 to 15 inch screen in their Air line.

Not liking interacting with an OS is a fair choice to make, but don't be fooled by the bolted-on specs like "more RAM" when less of it is available to the user due to the built-in software and driver compatability issues. It's almost always slower, older, and less quality. They do Product Binning and give the worst quality leftovers to the built-in machines where people are less likely to notice and because it won't change the brand's reputation. The difference between i9, i7, etc are just how many defects there are- they're printed identically on the same wafers.

Even IF the processor and RAM combined with Windows and bloatware is faster, you know they're going to have to cut corners on things like keyboard, trackpad, monitor, battery, webcams, heatsinks, etc.

How’s the screen, battery life, trackpad?

What about battery life and weight though?

And how much does the charger weigh as well? The neo can basically share the charger with your phone…

I'd be interested in this but it seems the price is much higher than stated here, or this was some temporary deal. It's also larger and quite a bit heavier but I guess that is a personal preference. The screen also looks pretty lacking (300 nits!). I do see it around $1200 CAD where the new macbook is $800 CAD and in stock. However all said I do not think a lot of people will be buying this new macbook because they are comparing specifications. Laptop manufacturers show off their specifications and have tons of different models because that is how they can differentiate their products from each other. Apple doesn't need to play that game and can deliver usability and value, and good in-person after sales support to the general consumer.

An all metal build doesn't stand up well to abuse versus higher quality plastics.

Looks nicer. For a time, or if taken care of.

I actually dig the patinated look of my dented and scratched old MBP and my current MBA. My plastic Dells from work always look terrible after a few trips living in my backpack and getting banged around. Haven't had actual usability issues with either though.

I have.

Plastic is great, until your laptop falls and the plastic shell shatters. That's the weakness of plastic - it's brittle. I have a ten year old macbook with a dinged aluminium chassis. The structure of the shell is still intact despite a few falls.

Not all plastics are brittle, even after time. It is highly dependent on the plastic used.

ok, now please explain whether any plastic is more or less brittle than aluminium.

It's not.

That being said, aluminum will suffer from dents and scratches. Every material is a trade off. You're not going to pull a "gotcha" comment, here.

That’s certainly up for debate. Thinkpads are some of the most rugged laptops available, and their top models are made from magnesium alloys or carbon fibre. Only their lower end E and L series are ABS builds.

In my personal experience, my MacBooks look much less shinier/worn out in the palm rest areas on either sides of trackpad compared to any windows laptop I’ve owned, which include an Alienware R15.

I don’t know enough about material science to have more than empirical data or correlations, though.

Ask me about my PowerBook G4 Ti! Loved that laptop. Too bad about the titanium.

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