When you’re trying to work out the difference between two of the biggest laptop brands, you need to break things down and compare them. HP vs Apple laptops is one of the questions that many people ask, which signifies that they both must be doing something right! As premium brands, they both offer pretty solid laptops.
But if you’re trying to decide between the two, which one should you opt for? Well, lets take a look at both brands and see which is best for your needs.
HP vs Apple
The main difference between these two brands is in their qualities. Apple have the best customer service of any laptop brand, and their laptops typically give a great user experience. However, HP laptops provide you better value for money than Apple, so you’ll get more for your money.
Although both of these brands are headquartered in the United States, most of their parts are still made in China. Let’s look at the differences between the two in more detail.
Apple
Out of the two brands, Apple is the one that has grown exponentially in the last decade or so. HP have long been at the forefront of computing, but it’s fair to say that Macbook’s have become increasingly popular in recent years. However, it’s still true that in the laptop industry, there’s still more than treble the amount of HP laptops sold in comparison to Macbooks.
But what has contributed to the popularity of the Macbook? Well, let’s take a look at their two popular offerings, the Macbook Pro and the Macbook Air.
Macbook Pro
The main laptop that Apple sell is their beloved Macbook Pro, which is popular with both individual consumers but also commercially too. Many universities give Macbooks to their students, and many tech companies favour the Macbook for their employees.
This is largely due to their ease of use – after you have a few weeks to get used to using a Macbook, you’ll ask yourself why you ever used anything else.
In many people’s eyes, the interface of the Mac OS is better than the Windows OS that comes with HP laptops. So although it might be daunting to make the switch, it’s could be worth it unless you need a Windows laptop.
It’s not only the UX that people love about the Macbook. There are other benefits too, like the facts that most viruses are designed for Windows PC’s and you’re unlikely to have any security issues with a Macbook.
They also come with handy software installed ready for you to use, like iMovie for editing video clips. The design of Macbooks are also preferable to the competitors for many people, too.
Of course, you also get the great customer support that Apple are famous for when you opt for a Mac too. This is another major selling point – knowing that if you have any issues with your Mac, you can easily get it fixed at the technicians at the Apple store.
Macbook Air
For those looking for something cheaper, then you can also look at the Macbook Air as an option. It’s the cheaper of the two, but the base model still costs around £1000, so don’t expect any bargains from Apple.
The good news is that Apple have actually improved the Air a lot in terms of design in recent years, making it more on par with the Macbook Pro.
One thing to mention is that in the past, the base model of the Macbook Air used to come with an i3 processor. This was quite surprising for many people, seeing as it the laptop itself retails at around £1000 – for an i3 processor?
In comparison to this, if you were to spend £1000 on a HP laptop, you’d get at least an i5 processor. So, this was a clear divide between HP and Windows processors, and the processor you’d get with a Macbook Air.
However, this all change for Apple with the introduction of their custom made M1 processor. This CPU has catapulted the Apple Macbook Air and the Pro ahead of the competition, as it is an 8-core processor that can hold its own with an i5 or even an i7 processor.
Related Read: Apple M1 Chip vs Intel: Is the new CPU the best choice?
So whilst last year there may have been a gap between what you can get with a HP laptop for your money in terms of power, Apple have certainly narrowed this down this year.
HP
Some people overlook HP as a brand because they’re busy looking at Apple, or cheaper Asian brands like Lenovo, Acer and ASUS. However, it’s still worth taking HP into consideration as they produce some good laptops at a decent price.
The brand formerly known as Hewlett Packard have been around for decades, and they still make some of the bestselling laptops worldwide.
HP Spectre
HP have many different models to choose from, and they’ve released some good series like the Envy series and the Omen series, which is specifically for gaming. However, one of their best ranges of laptops is the HP Spectre, with one of the most popular this year being the Spectre x360.
This is one of the more premium ranges that HP offer, so it’s considerably more expensive than other products that they have. However, for a similar price as an 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD, i5 Processor Macbook Pro, you can actually get a 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD and i7 processor x360.
This shows the clear advantage of opting for a brand like HP in comparison to Apple – you’re going to get a more powerful laptop for your money. This is the common criticism of Apple, and it’s just one reason why many people prefer to go for a Windows laptop.
HP have one of the widest ranges to choose from, and when we compare that to Apple’s famous two laptop selection, it gives us more room to decide. Though the Spectre range is expensive, it’s worth taking a look at if you’re looking for a new laptop.
Conclusion
The reality is that both of these brands have a lot to offer, and it really depends on what you’re looking for from a laptop. You can check out Spacehop’s Guide to Laptops, which features both of these brands.
If you want to stick with the standard Windows operating system and you want the best value for money, then you’ll want to consider HP’s range of laptops. But if you want the best in design, customer service and user interface, then Apple typically makes better laptops for this.
