HP's Star Book Plus 14 Rivals MacBook Neo with Intel Wildcat Lake Chip & Touch OLED Display

After Apple launched its budget-friendly MacBook Neo, many brands are now rushing to compete with it. HP is one of them, which has quietly introduced a brand-new lightweight laptop in China, and honestly, the specs look surprisingly solid for something this thin. Officially called the HP Star Book Plus 14, the new laptop caters to users who want an ultraportable notebook without giving up on OLED display or decent everyday performance.

HP is going all-in on portability with the new Star Book Plus 14

Under the hood, the new HP Star Book Plus 14 packs the Intel’s Core 5 320 processor and comes with 16GB LPDDR5X RAM and a 512GB SSD. HP is also bundling a compact 65W GaN charger inside the box, while the laptop itself packs a 59Wh battery.

One of the biggest highlights of this laptop is its design. The Star Book Plus 14 measures around 13.7mm thin and weighs roughly 1.3kg, which puts it into ultra-light laptop territory. Despite the compact body, HP still managed to include a fairly generous port setup.

You are getting two full-featured USB Type-C ports with 10Gbps transfer speeds, alongside two USB Type-A ports, HDMI, and a standard 3.5mm headphone jack. Not to forget, Wi-Fi 6 support is also included.

The OLED display may be the real selling point

The Star Book Plus 14 features a 14-inch OLED touchscreen panel with a 1920×1200 resolution and 90% screen-to-body ratio. HP says the display covers 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, which should make it far more appealing for content consumption and creative workloads compared to standard LCD laptops.

That being said, the refresh rate is capped to 60Hz, so this is clearly not aimed at gaming-first users. However, for productivity, streaming, office work, and general portability, the overall package looks fairly solid on paper.

The laptop is currently launching only in China with a price tag of 5,998 yuan, which roughly converts to around $882 (today’s rate). As of now, HP hasn’t detailed whether the Star Book Plus 14 will expand into global markets later this year. If you are looking for an affordable Intel Wildcat Lake laptop, CHUWI, a Chinese brand, has also launched a new laptop at just $449.

via: Notebookcheck