The MacBook Neo made quite a splash last month. $599 for a MacBook felt groundbreaking, and it was easy to say that Windows laptops had no true answer to it.

But what if I told you there was a Windows option that was better in almost every way? That's the HP OmniBook 5, a laptop you've probably never heard of unless you watch the space closely. I've been recommending it ever since I tested it last month, and the price has fluctuated. But today, it's only $500 , and that buys a stacked configuration with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage. That's twice the memory and storage of the $599 MacBook Neo . It's also powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon X, a highly efficient chip that gets great, all-day battery life that's at least on par with the MacBook Neo.

Now, I know what you're thinking. Specs don't tell the whole story, and Apple has never been known for offering tons of specs for cheap. But the OmniBook 5 14 is also an attractive design in a highly portable package.…