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| The StarBook Plus 14 costs around $882 in China. Pictured: A promo picture showing the design of the laptop. |
HP has quietly unveiled its latest thin-and-light laptop, the StarBook Plus 14, in the Chinese market. Powered by Intel’s brand-new Wildcat Lake processor, this 14-inch machine is positioning itself as a direct – albeit slightly pricier – alternative to Apple’s MacBook Neo. But HP is betting big on one key feature: a stunning OLED display that leaves the MacBook’s IPS panel in the dust.
In a move that surprised many industry watchers, HP didn’t go all-out on the processor race. Instead, the StarBook Plus 14 focuses on display quality, portability, and a well-rounded feature set. Let’s dig into everything we know so far.
OLED Over IPS: HP’s Smart Bet
The headline feature here is undoubtedly the 14‑inch touchscreen OLED panel. While Apple’s MacBook Neo still relies on IPS LCD technology (albeit a very good one), HP is bringing the deep blacks and vibrant colours of OLED to the mid-range segment. The company hasn’t fully detailed every specification – for instance, peak brightness remains a mystery – but the confirmed numbers look solid:
- Resolution: 1920 x 1200 pixels (16:10 aspect ratio)
- Refresh rate: 60Hz
- Colour coverage: 100% DCI-P3
That 16:10 aspect ratio gives you a bit more vertical screen real estate for productivity, and the 100% DCI-P3 coverage means photo and video editors can expect accurate, punchy colours. The lack of a higher refresh rate (like 90Hz or 120Hz) might disappoint gamers, but for everyday work and media consumption, 60Hz on an OLED still feels buttery smooth thanks to near-instant pixel response times.
We’ll have to wait for hands-on tests to see how bright this panel gets outdoors, but OLED’s infinite contrast ratio already gives it a major leg up over the MacBook Neo’s IPS display.
Under the Hood: Intel Wildcat Lake Core 5 320
HP equipped the StarBook Plus 14 with the Intel Core 5 320, a mid-range chip from the new Wildcat Lake family. This processor packs six CPU cores and a two-core Xe3 integrated GPU. It’s not the highest-end silicon Intel has to offer, but it should handle everyday multitasking, 4K video playback, and light creative work without breaking a sweat.
The Xe3 iGPU is particularly interesting – it’s Intel’s latest graphics architecture, and while we don’t have benchmark numbers yet, it promises better efficiency and modest gaming performance compared to previous generations.
HP pairs the Core 5 320 with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM (soldered, likely) and a 512GB NVMe SSD. The good news? The SSD appears to be upgradeable. If you need more space, you can swap in a larger drive. Speaking of which…
Storage upgrade tip: If you’re planning to boost that 512GB SSD to 1TB or more, the Samsung 990 Pro is a fantastic choice. Check the current price on Amazon here – it’s one of the fastest PCIe 4.0 drives on the market.
Slim, Light, and Surprisingly Port-Rich
Weighing just 1.3kg (about 2.86 lbs) and measuring a razor-thin 13.7mm, the StarBook Plus 14 is clearly designed for road warriors. But unlike many ultraportables that force you to carry dongles, HP managed to squeeze in a generous selection of ports:
- 2x USB Type-A (for your old mouse or flash drive)
- 2x USB Type-C (10Gbps, with Power Delivery and DisplayPort Alt Mode)
- 1x HDMI 2.1 (connect to external monitors or TVs)
- 1x 3.5mm audio jack
That’s more than what you’ll find on most 13- or 14-inch laptops today. Two USB-C ports supporting DP Alt means you can run dual external displays, and HDMI 2.1 is future-proofed for high refresh rate monitors.
Battery, Camera, and Charging
HP packed a 59Wh battery inside this slim chassis – a respectable size for a 14-inch OLED laptop. With 65W fast charging support (via USB-C), you can top it up quickly. Real-world battery life will depend heavily on that OLED panel (dark mode users, rejoice), but we’d expect a full workday with moderate use.
The webcam setup is also worth noting: an IR infrared camera with physical shutters. That means you get Windows Hello face login for convenience, plus a hardware shutter for privacy – a thoughtful touch that more laptops should adopt.
Price, Availability, and Global Launch Hopes
In China, the HP StarBook Plus 14 launched at CNY 5,998, which converts to roughly $882. That’s a very competitive price for an OLED ultraportable, though HP themselves admit it’s a “slightly expensive rival” to the MacBook Neo – likely referring to the Neo’s aggressive pricing in some regions.
Will we see this laptop outside of China? Almost certainly. HP has been teasing a whole family of Wildcat Lake laptops, and industry insiders expect a global debut within the next few months. When it lands internationally, expect the price to land somewhere between 1,000 depending on configuration.
How It Stacks Up Against the MacBook Neo
Let’s be honest – the MacBook Neo is a fantastic device with incredible battery life and Apple’s efficient M-series chips. But HP’s StarBook Plus 14 fights back with:
- OLED vs IPS – no contest for media consumption
- More ports – no dongle life here
- Touchscreen – something Apple still refuses to offer on MacBooks
- Windows flexibility – for those who prefer not to live in macOS
The MacBook Neo will likely outperform the Core 5 320 in raw CPU and GPU tasks, and its build quality is second to none. But if you value a vibrant OLED display and don’t want to pay the “Apple tax” for a comparable screen, HP’s offering is incredibly tempting.
Sources and Related Reads
This article is based on HP’s official listing on JD.com (machine translated). You can view the original product page here:
🔗 HP StarBook Plus 14 on JD.com
In other recent laptop news, Lenovo just unveiled the ThinkPad X13 Gen 7, and Intel is taking aim at Qualcomm with its “Project Firefly” chips. Check out those stories below:
- Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Gen 7 lands with AMD Strix Point and Intel Panther Lake options
- Intel’s Project Firefly takes aim at Qualcomm with ultra-efficient Lunar Lake offshoot
Final Thoughts
The HP StarBook Plus 14 won’t win any performance crowns, but it doesn’t need to. By combining a gorgeous OLED touchscreen, a slim and light body, a future-proof port selection, and Intel’s new Wildcat Lake efficiency, HP has crafted a compelling alternative to the MacBook Neo. The missing peak brightness spec and 60Hz refresh rate are minor quibbles – for under $900, this is shaping up to be one of the best value OLED laptops of 2026.
We’ll update this space once global pricing and availability are confirmed. Until then, if you’re in China, the StarBook Plus 14 is already up for pre-order. For the rest of us – patience will pay off.
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| Core specs of the StarBook Plus 14 with Wildcat Lake CPU (machine translated) |