HP Omen 16 review: Performance for a very fair price

(Pocket-lint) - The HP Omen 16 is a part of a laptop computer development even depressing previous so-and-sos like us can get on board with. It is a highly effective gaming PC - however would not look an excessive amount of like one. 

That is a part of why Razer's laptops caught our consideration years in the past. The idea of 'fashion' did not begin and finish with making the laptop computer equal of a Lamborghini. 

As such the HP Omen 16 has develop into a gaming equal of the good HP Envy 13. It is a efficiency laptop computer that is fairly priced, seems to be fairly good and has huge attraction. 

Design

  • Dimensions: 369.2 x 248 x 23mm / Weight: 2.25kg
  • Mica Silver aluminum keyboard body

Simply two design parts mark the HP Omen 16 as a gaming laptop computer. And the primary is one thing you possibly can 'repair', should you like: its RGB-lit keyboard and the colorful diamond on the lid. Even this seems to be extra like jewelry than a basic gamer motif although.

Older Omens have been among the extra putting gaming laptops, with an odd tapered half beneath the display. However these days HP appears to have made a concerted effort to make the entire vary look fairly, effectively, 'regular'.

HP Omen 16 review photo 8

We welcome this as a result of there are nonetheless loads of extra overtly gamer-ish laptops on the market from Acer and Asus in order for you the extra eye-catching stuff. 

HP's high quality is strong too. The Omen 16 keyboard plate feels stiff, doubtless helped by means of an aluminium keyboard encompass. Its lid and underside appear to be plastic, however there is a nice consistency to the design meaning you may in all probability overlook this inside a day or two anyway. 

It is slightly heavy for use as a day-to-day transportable laptop computer at 2.25kg, however it's no monster. 

Display screen

  • 16.1-inch IPS LCD show
  • 2560 x 1440 decision
  • 165Hz refresh price
  • 300 nit brightness
  • 1257:1 distinction

The HP Omen 16 has a display much like its key rival, the Lenovo Legion 5 Professional. It is a 16.1-inch matte end IPS LCD with a refresh price of 165Hz and backbone of 2560 x 1440 pixels. 

These final two components are nice for gaming. You get the step-up in sharpness from 1080p, whereas at 165Hz the copy of quick movement on this show is reassuringly blur-free. 

HP Omen 16 review photo 3

This is not an ultra-wide color display and brightness is nothing too particular at 300 nits. However every is well ok for an at-home gaming PC. Distinction is excellent for an LCD too. 

There may be one little challenge with our HP Omen 16, although. It has a transparent patch of backlight bleed, trying as if the panel has been pinched in a single nook, inflicting slight harm to the construction. 

Subsequently this isn't a star show in each space, however we love the 1440p decision, the dimensions, and the overall picture high quality.

Keyboard & touchpad

  • 4-zone RGB lighting
  • Anti-ghosting tech
  • Multi-touch plastic touchpad

The HP Omen 16 has a reasonably commonplace chiclet keyboard with membrane keys. Key motion is sweet amongst laptops usually, however among the top-end gaming designs have deeper motion keys. 
Their really feel is gentle and quick, although, which isn't a foul fashion for a gaming laptop computer. 

HP Omen 16 review photo 5

There may be an RGB backlight too, however not essentially the most fascinating per-key sort. As an alternative, there are 4 zones you possibly can set independently, together with a smaller one for the WSAD buttons. The depth of the color and the utmost brightness is not so good as a per-key system. 

That is no massive shock when the HP Omen 16 is a considerably value-led laptop computer. Its arch-rival, the Lenovo Legion 5, would not have an RGB backlight in any respect, only a single-colour one. 

There are some related compromises within the touchpad. At first look it seems to be nice - it is of dimension for a gaming laptop computer and appears the half. Nevertheless, it has a plastic floor relatively than a textured glass one. 

HP Omen 16 review photo 10

As such the clicker would not have the refined really feel of a life-style laptop computer just like the Microsoft Floor Laptop computer 4 both. Nevertheless, let's get actual: HP should not be spending a lot of the Omen 16 price range on a flowery touchpad, and it hasn't. This pad is completely respectable, and there isn't any annoying useless zone to the clicker. It simply will get a bit stiffer proper in direction of the highest. 

Efficiency

  • AMD Radeon RX 6600M 8GB
  • AMD Ryzen 7 5800H CPU
  • 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM

The HP Omen 16 is a strong match for 1080p gaming with new titles. Nevertheless, our evaluate Omen 16 has an AMD Radeon RX 6600M GPU, which is not fairly as effectively outfitted because the rival Nvidia RTX 3060. That may deal with ray-tracing higher and helps Nvidia's fab DLSS upscaling characteristic.

Nonetheless, perfrormance is strong. Treatment Leisure's Management provides view of what you possibly can anticipate from the laptop computer. Play it at 1080p decision, excessive settings, and you may see body charges that head between the excessive 50s and 60fps. Wish to use the native 1440p? You will need to put up with mid-30s, or low-mid 40s fps should you drop the graphics right down to medium settings. 

HP Omen 16 review photo 9

So what is the level of the 1440p display? There are a great deal of video games that may run completely on the show's native decision - and at 60fps. 

Nevertheless, in the meanwhile we do barely favour the rival RTX 3060 when working with this type of price range. It's a lot higher outfitted for ray-tracing - you possibly can't even change it on in Management on the time of evaluate - though at this degree of GPU you may typically be higher off with out ray-tracing.

The AMD RX 6600M additionally lacks DLSS (an Nvidia know-how), which helps you to render video games at a decrease decision and upscale them to your show's native res, with glorious outcomes. AMD has its personal model, Constancy FX Tremendous Decision, however it isn't fairly as highly effective. 

Nonetheless, in order for you Nvidia tips, you possibly can have them. There's an Intel/Nvidia model of the Omen 16  that prices extra, and makes use of the Intel Core i7-11800H CPU, with an RTX 3060 GPU. Nevertheless, by this level you are going head-to-head with the Lenovo Legion 5 Professional, which we like barely extra.

We're pretty impressed by the HP Omen 16's administration of warmth too. This isn't a super-thick laptop computer, and the selection to make use of an aluminium keyboard plate does end in notable heating of the little grille above the keyboard after some time. 

HP Omen 16 review photo 7

Nevertheless, we're not speaking about something like the recent temperatures you would possibly see in an ultra-thin gaming laptop computer just like the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14. Its fairly giant diameter followers transfer warmth away from the internals earlier than it turns into too evident, they usually accomplish that with none distracting high-pitch sound. We did hear the Omen 16 shift up a gear after about quarter-hour of play, however given it began from a really low noise base, we're not complaining. 

Battery life & connectivity

  • 83Wh battery
  • Stereo audio system
  • 10Gbps USB-C

A gaming laptop computer doesn't essentially want wonderful battery life. However one like this - that may simply double as a productiveness all-rounder - might actually do with it. The Omen 16 begins off from place, as a result of it has an AMD Ryzen processor, which usually lets a laptop computer last more off a cost than the Intel equivalents.

HP Omen 16 review photo 4

Should you merely do gentle work on the HP Omen 16, we discovered it lasts 4 hours and 20 minutes. Not nice. Nevertheless, by our estimation it ought to do higher than that. We then engaged the battery saver mode, began streaming video, and it then lasted 5 hours and 50 minutes. Significantly better.

It's best to see related longevity should you hold the display brightness modest, do not do something taxing, and follow the battery saver mode. It is barely higher than the Lenovo Legion 5 Professional managed, by round 50 minutes. 

And the remaining? The HP Omen 16 has OK audio system. Their tone is okay and most quantity is appropriate, however as with nearly all gaming laptops there isn't any precise bass occurring right here, only a pattern dimension pack of mid-range. 

HP Omen 16 review photo 6

Connections are pretty complete, although. You get three basic USB-A 3.0 ports, one USB-C, an Ethernet connector, DisplayPort, and an SD slot. 

The HP Omen 16's HDMI is specced to the two.1 commonplace, however the USB-C doesn't have Thunderbolt. It is a slower 10Gbps connection. The step-up Intel/Nvidia does have a Thunderbolt 4, which is not any shock because the connector commonplace was designed by Intel in collaboration with Apple. 

Verdict

The HP Omen 16 is a flexible gaming laptop computer. It has a pleasantly low-key design, however the 4-zone RGB keyboard backlight can provide slightly color while you need it. The aluminium keyboard plate offers it among the flavour of a slim and light-weight fashion laptop computer too, even when the Omen just isn't notably slim or gentle. 

Its keyboard is strong, the touchpad respectable, albeit manufactured from plastic. The efficiency is an effective match for 1080p gaming, whereas AMD's upscaling tech allows you to upscale that to 1440p in titles that assist it. 

We predict the Lenovo Legion 5 Professional collection has a slight edge over the HP Omen 16, however not an enormous one. As ever when looking for a gaming laptop computer, your selection must be guided by the offers out there while you come to purchase.

Additionally think about

Alternative photo 2

Lenovo Legion 5 Professional

A savvy different for the same value.

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