HP has officially launched the Star Book Air 14 laptop in China. HP’s new machine comes as a direct rival to the MacBook Neo, featuring an aluminum alloy body, an Intel Core 5 320 processor, an OLED touchscreen, and a 60 Wh battery rated at up to 42.5 hours.
At the CP+ event, HP announced its new Star Book Air 14 laptop in China, which has a different name from its overseas version, the OmniBook 5 14. While both laptops share similar core specifications. To recall, the OmniBook 5 14 debuted last month in the global market with a $699 price tag. The China price, as for the laptop, is CNY 5,399 (~$740). The Chinese version is about $40 more expensive than its international counterpart.
It comes as a direct rival to Apple’s MacBook Neo (curr. at $689 on Amazon). As for dimensional specs, the laptop is slimmer and lighter than Apple’s MacBook Neo at 11.77 mm thickness (0.46-inch) and 1.16 kg weight (2.56 lbs) while the MacBook Neo is 12.7 mm thick (0.50-inch) and weighs 1.23 kg (2.71 lbs). Both models come with a sleek, aluminium case, with the HP version also having an aluminium hinge that opens to 180°.
The Intel Core 5 320 under the hood powers the Star Book Air 14 along with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of SSD. Additionally, the machine features a 14-inch OLED screen that has a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels and supports 10-point press touch. Plus, the display is also TUV certified with low blue light and HP Eye Ease to minimize eye strain when used for longer periods. Unfortunately, HP hasn’t specified the display’s refresh rate. The global variant is equipped with a 120 Hz OLED display for comparison.
The entire unit is powered by a 60 Wh battery that can be charged to last up to 42.5 hours. There are two USB-C ports, an HDMI 2.1 port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Other specification features are an FHD IR camera, dual microphones and speakers with Poly and DTS Ultra audio technology. The laptop can be bought in China via JD.com.
