Apple’s MacBook Neo may have some new competition, and I’m not talking about discounted Windows laptops. New computers from Honor, ASUS and HP have appeared in Chinese retailers. All three laptops are equipped with an Intel Core 5 320 processor.
VideoCardz highlighted three new laptops. As the PCs appear on the China-based retailer’s website, they are priced in RMB. A rough conversion to USD puts them all in a similar price range to the MacBook Neo.
|
Laptop |
RMB Price |
USD (with 13% tax) |
USD (tax free) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Honor Notebook X14 2026 |
4399 RMB |
~$646 |
~$571 |
|
ASUS Fearless 14SE 2026 |
4599 RMB |
~$675 |
~$597 |
|
HP OmniBook 3 |
5099 RMB |
~$748 |
~$662 |
Intel Core 5 320 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor. It has two performance cores and four low power efficient cores, According to Intel.
The Intel Core 5 320 scores favorably against Apple’s A18 Pro, which powers the MacBook Neo. Numbers from PassMark For Intel’s new chip, show a single-core score of 4,047 and a multi-core score of 15,222. The A18 Pro scored 4066 single-core and 11993 multi-core.
Intel Core 5 320 is one Intel Wildcat Lake CPU designed for affordable laptops.
The new laptops are listed in China, but we should soon see other PCs powered by Intel Wildcat Lake chips in other markets.
Windows 11 and macOS
The price of the MacBook Neo is the main way the laptop disrupts the market. Before the MacBook Neo is introduced, people will have to buy a used MacBook to get into the sub-$600 price range. I could argue that even in 2026, a MacBook with an M1 processor is a better choice than a MacBook Neo, but that’s not really the point. Many people prefer to buy new devices rather than relying on the second-hand market.
Windows has dominated the budget space for years. The financial reality is that for many, the MacBook wasn’t even an option worth considering for the longest time. The MacBook Neo changed that, pitting Windows 11 against macOS in a new price range.
Popular opinion suggests that it will dominate Windows laptops in the same price range as the MacBook Neo. Many reviewers, bloggers, and social media users would have you believe that the only thing stopping macOS from becoming king around the world is a lack of budget options. I’m not sure that’s the case.
I’m sure some people will choose the MacBook Neo as their first device. College campuses will have plenty of colorful laptops in the fall. But Windows has been around for a long time and has billions of users for a reason.
Even the Windows Central team’s reaction to the MacBook Neo was divided. Our editor-in-chief, Zac Bowden, defended it Microsoft should be panicking. Our editor-in-chief, Ben Wilson Lost interest in MacBook Neo after seeing the features.
I disputed that Microsoft has left the true budget market and left the door open for the MacBook Neo. But this was about hardware made by Microsoft, not Windows laptops in general. New laptops from Honor, ASUS and HP show that other OEMs can step up and fill the gap on the Windows side of things.
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