Head-to-head · Best Budget Laptops Under $700

HP OmniBook 5 14 vs Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

The short answer

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 comes out ahead by a narrow margin (4.3 vs 4.5). The gap is mostly about Buyers who want the most well-rounded budget productivity laptop with a premium-feeling build and a large screen for everyday work and study. — read the strengths below before deciding.

Ranked #3 in Best Budget Laptops Under $700

HP OmniBook 5 14

4.3

$909.99as of Jun 7

The OmniBook 5 14 is the battery-life champion: an ARM-based ultraportable that PCWorld and TweakTown measured at over 25 and 28 hours respectively, paired with a gorgeous 2K OLED touchscreen. PCWorld called it "a strong contender if you want a Windows laptop with great battery life," and TechRadar praised its display and endurance. The catch is the Snapdragon platform's app-compatibility quirks.

Strengths

— Outstanding battery life, exceeding 25 hours in independent video tests
— Vivid 2K OLED touchscreen with wide color gamut and deep contrast
— Light, portable 14-inch design built for all-day mobile use

Watch-outs

— Snapdragon X Plus is an ARM chip, so some Windows apps run emulated or not at all
— Performance is adequate but not exceptional for heavy workloads
— Can run warm on the rear underside under sustained load

$909.99 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Higher ratedRanked #1 in Best Budget Laptops Under $700

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5

4.5

$799.99as of Jun 7

The IdeaPad Slim 5 is the best all-rounder under $700, pairing an aluminum chassis that punches above its price with a roomy 16-inch 1200p display, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. Notebookcheck rated the 16-inch line 80% and PCWorld called the closely related Slim 5i a 4.5-star bargain. The display is the weak point, but for productivity it is hard to beat at this money.

Strengths

— Aluminum chassis feels unexpectedly premium for a budget laptop
— 10-core Intel Core 5 120U handles everyday productivity smoothly
— Generous 16GB LPDDR5x RAM and 1TB SSD for the price

Watch-outs

— 60Hz IPS panel covers only about 45% NTSC, so colors are muted
— Memory is soldered and cannot be upgraded later
— Best value only appears at sale prices; MSRP is less compelling

$799.99 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

How they stack up

HP OmniBook 5 14

The endurance and screen-quality pick: its battery comfortably outlasts every x86 rival here, including the Acer Swift Go 14, and its OLED panel beats the IPS screens on the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5, Acer Aspire 5 and HP Pavilion 15. The trade-off is the ARM Snapdragon platform's app-compatibility limits, which the x86 machines avoid.

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5

The most balanced pick here: it offers a more premium aluminum build than the plastic Acer Aspire 5 and HP Pavilion 15, and a larger, taller screen than the 14-inch Acer Swift Go 14 and HP OmniBook 5 14. It trades the OmniBook's marathon battery and the Swift Go's snappier CPU for the best overall blend of build, screen size and value.

Specs side-by-side

Spec	HP OmniBook 5 14	Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100 (8-core)	Intel Core 5 120U (10-core)
RAM	16GB LPDDR5x	16GB LPDDR5x
Storage	512GB PCIe Gen 4 SSD	1TB M.2 NVMe SSD
Display	14-inch 2K (2880x1800) OLED touch	16-inch WUXGA (1920x1200) IPS, 60Hz
Battery	Up to 34 hours rated; 25+ hours tested	—
Camera	1080p FHD IR webcam	—
Wireless	Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3	Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
OS	Windows 11 Home (Copilot+ PC)	Windows 11 Home
Ports	—	2x USB-C, 2x USB-A, HDMI 1.4b, headphone jack
Brightness	—	300 nits

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