HP OmniBook Extremely 14 Overview: Beautiful Design, Robust Efficiency Make It a MacBook Killer

Professionals

• Intel and Qualcomm CPUs supplied
• Robust general efficiency with lengthy battery life
• Compact, skinny and inflexible design
• Prime-notch keyboard, touchpad

Cons

• HP’s pricing fluctuates wildly so chances are you’ll should be affected person earlier than shopping for
• Sharp, polished edges are pointy and liable to scratches
• Restricted ports

If I had $2,000 to spend on an on a regular basis, do-it-all Home windows laptop computer, HP’s flagship OmniBook Extremely 14 can be the choose. Particularly, the Qualcomm Snapdragon X2-based mannequin. HP affords each Intel and Qualcomm choices, and I examined each. With higher general efficiency and longer battery life, the Snapdragon X2 Elite mannequin is the winner of the 2, until you understand you will run into Home windows-on-Arm compatibility points. (Given the broad help, I might wager most individuals will not.)

I examined loaded variations of the OmniBook Extremely 14 with 64GB of RAM, a 2TB SSD, a 3K OLED and a worth hovering close to $3,000, relying on the scale of the fluctuating HP low cost on any given day. I might hold the OLED improve, however most individuals do not want that a lot RAM or storage. Scale these again, and you may find yourself within the candy spot of the road with a worth lower than $2,000 if you happen to time HP’s low cost proper. At this worth, it unseats the Dell XPS 14 as my favourite MacBook Professional various. 

The OmniBook Extremely 14 is thinner and lighter than both the XPS 14 or 14-inch MacBook Professional, and it has the perfect keyboard of the bunch. The construct high quality is the same as its Extremely title, and the general design is head-turning. The underside panel’s concave platform makes the laptop computer look even thinner than it’s — and it is already actually skinny! There’s little to complain about with the OmniBook Extremely 14 apart from its sharp edges and restricted ports. Plus, HP’s fickle pricing scheme could pressure you to attend and discover the suitable time to strike.

The newest fashions of the OmniBook Extremely 14 have both an Intel Panther Lake CPU or a Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 sequence processor. The Snapdragon X2-based OmniBook Extremely 14 begins at $1,900, however I’ve seen it as little as $1,200 when HP’s sizable low cost lands on it. This entry-level mannequin has a Snapdragon X2 Plus X2P-64-100 chip, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and a 2K (1,920x,1,200-pixel) OLED touchscreen show.

My check system maxes out the CPU, reminiscence and storage whereas additionally together with the lone show improve. It has a Snapdragon X2 Elite X2E-90-100 chip, 64GB of RAM, a 2TB SSD and a 3K (2,880×1,800-pixel) OLED touchscreen show. These upgrades add to the price considerably, elevating the value to $3,430, although I’ve seen it on sale for as little as $2,730.

That is a princely sum for a laptop computer with built-in graphics. Personally, I’d be loath to spend greater than $2,000 on a laptop computer that lacked a devoted GPU. With that self-imposed restrict in thoughts, I discovered the candy spot within the lineup. With HP’s $650 low cost, I used to be in a position to construct a config for $1,980 that has the Snapdragon X2 Elite X2E-90-100, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD and the 3K OLED show.

On the Intel aspect, the OmniBook Extremely 14 begins at $1,700 (and I noticed it slashed to $1,200) for an Intel Extremely 7 356H, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and a 3K OLED show. (Oddly, the 2K OLED show is not supplied for the Intel sequence.) My Intel check mannequin was equally loaded because the Qualcomm unit I acquired, with a Core Extremely X9 388H, 64GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD.

The OmniBook Extremely 14 begins at £1,500 within the UK with both an Intel Panther Lake or Snapdragon X2 CPU. In Australia, you may get the OmniBook Extremely 14 with a Snapdragon X2 Elite for AU$2,999 and an Intel Panther Lake for AU$3,399.

HP OmniBook Extremely 14 efficiency

After testing each variations of the OmniBook Extremely 14 — every with the identical 64GB of RAM — the sting goes to the Snapdragon X2 Elite mannequin. It topped the Intel mannequin on each multi- and single-core efficiency on each Geekbench 6 and Cinebench 2024. It additionally edged the M5 MacBook Professional on the multicore Geekbench 6 check, which is a declare not many Home windows laptops could make. 

Because of the Snapdragon X2’s NPU able to 80 TOPS, the OmniBook Extremely 14 additionally excelled on the Geekbench AI check. It simply outperformed the Intel mannequin, which is not stunning because the Core Extremely X9 388H has a 50-TOPS NPU.

The one space the place the Intel mannequin had the benefit was with 3D graphics. The Core Extremely X9 388H has Intel’s built-in Arc B390 GPU and affords larger 3D functionality than Qualcomm’s Adreno X2-90 GPU that is built-in with the Snapdragon X2 Elite CPU. On 3DMark’s Metal Nomad check, which runs natively on x86 and Arm programs, the Intel OmniBook Extremely 14 simply gained its matchup towards its Qualcomm counterpart.

To additional discover the 3D capabilities of the OmniBook Extremely 14, I ran two of our gaming benchmarks on each programs. The outcomes verify the Intel unit’s dominance. It averaged 72 frames per second on our Guardians of the Galaxy benchmark (1080p at Excessive settings) and 59 fps on Shadow of the Tomb Raider (1080p at Highest). The Snapdragon X2-based OmniBook Extremely 14 sputtered on these benchmarks, averaging 23 fps and 35 fps, respectively.

The sting returned to the Snapdragon X2 mannequin with battery life. It ran for 19.5 hours on our YouTube streaming battery drain check, which was greater than two hours longer than the Intel mannequin. Bringing again the M5 MacBook Professional into the dialogue, it lasted longer than each OmniBook Extremely 14s, with a time of almost 23 hours on the identical check.

Ultrathin, if a bit pointy

HP affords three colour choices for the OmniBook Extremely 14: two for the Intel mannequin and one for the Qualcomm mannequin. Select an Intel chip, and you’ve got a alternative of eclipse grey or silk sand. The previous is a charcoal grey, and the latter is a shade of beige with a touch of pink. I acquired the Silk Sand, which could possibly be mistaken for rose gold. Additionally observe: Silk Sand provides $20 to the invoice.

Paradoxically, all Qualcomm fashions are available in an Intel Blue hue that HP calls stone blue. It is a pleasing shade of grayish gentle blue.

Just like the MacBook Neo, the keyboard is color-matched to the OmniBook Extremely 14’s chassis to current a novel, unified design ID that is a break from the standard black keyboard towards a grey or silver enclosure. And its all-aluminum physique has the inflexible, premium really feel of a MacBook’s.

Just like the Dell XPS 14, the OmniBook Extremely 14 is a compact 14-inch Home windows laptop computer. The show bezels are razor-thin, and there is little area wasted across the keyboard and touchpad. That is about as cosy as a 14-inch laptop computer will get. The OmniBook Extremely 14 weighs simply 2.8 kilos, which is a 3rd of a pound lighter than the three.2-pound XPS 14. It is also appreciably lighter than the 14-inch MacBook Professional, which weighs 3.5 kilos. The truth is, it is almost as gentle because the MacBook Air, which weighs 2.7 kilos however has a barely smaller 13.6-inch show.

The OmniBook Extremely 14 has a barely bigger footprint than the compact XPS 14, measuring 12.3 inches broad by 8.5 inches deep. However each are exceptionally skinny at roughly half an inch thick, and the OmniBook Extremely 14 seems to be even thinner than it truly is, because of the entrance and sides of the laptop computer that slope gently away from the aspect edges. 

HP appears pleased with the skinny edges that encompass the OmniBook Extremely 14 and polished them as much as present them off. The shiny edges are supremely skinny and catch your eye, however I discovered that their polished end scratches simply. 

The skinny-and-light design is enhanced by the concave platform on the underside panel that lifts the laptop computer off of your desk or desk, giving the OmniBook Extremely 14 the phantasm of floating above no matter floor on which it is resting. The concave form additionally makes it extremely snug to hold, which I first observed on HP’s OmniBook 3 16. The gently sloped rubber foot on both finish of this concave platform is angled completely to offer a cushty grip under your fingertips when selecting up the laptop computer. 

Much less snug are the sharp, squared-off edges on each aspect of the laptop computer. On a MacBook, for instance, the highest of the aspect edges is squared off, however the backside of those aspect edges is rounded. On the OmniBook Extremely 14, each the highest and backside of the aspect edges are squared off. This makes carrying the laptop computer a bit uncomfortable as a result of the underside edge digs into your hand. The identical factor occurs when utilizing the laptop computer in your lap; the underside edge alongside the rear of the laptop computer digs into your thigh.

Regardless of the OmniBook Extremely 14’s trim dimensions, the keyboard is superb. After utilizing the laptop computer for the higher a part of the previous two weeks, it has change into one in every of my favourite laptop computer keyboards. It has a latticeless design (no spacing between the keys) just like the Dell XPS 14’s, however I just like the HP’s keyboard extra as a result of the keys are sculpted to offer the phantasm of getting just a little distance between every key. The keys have a secure really feel and deal with off-center strikes effectively. Additionally they have surprisingly deep journey for such a skinny laptop computer, however typing does not really feel mushy. The important thing response is lush but vigorous. It is also one of many quietest laptop computer keyboards I’ve used.

The touchpad runs straight from the underside fringe of the keyboard to almost the underside fringe of the laptop computer, giving it as beneficiant of proportions because the compact OmniBook Extremely 14 permits. I like its giant dimension and luxuriate in its constant and customizable haptic suggestions. Each keyboard and touchpad are top-notch.

The 3K OLED show affords contact help and a variable refresh charge. Colours are vibrant and vibrant, and the distinction is incredible with the OLED’s means to ship successfully zero-nit black ranges. It is rated for 500 nits of brightness, however my measurements come up in need of that determine. It hit a peak of 462 nits on my exams with a Spyder X Elite colorimeter, which continues to be a lot vibrant for an OLED with such deep black ranges.

The quad audio system produce respectable sound for a laptop computer. Dialogue and results sounded clear with Netflix exhibits, and sounds from the sector and crowd noise after I watched World Cup video games additionally had extra punch than the typical laptop computer’s audio output.

The 5-megapixel webcam captures crisp 1440p video with correct colour, and it is an IR cam that you should utilize with Home windows Hi there for safe, face-recognition logins. The OmniBook Extremely 14 lacks a fingerprint reader, so the IR digital camera is the one choice for logging in while not having to enter a password.

The OmniBook Extremely 14 lacks USB-A and HDMI ports, however you ought to be all set, even if you happen to would possibly want to make use of an adapter every now and then. The laptop computer affords three speedy USB-C 40Gbps ports — two on the left and one on the suitable — together with a headphone jack.

Ought to I purchase the HP OmniBook Extremely 14?

If you happen to like the concept of Apple’s MacBook Professional however need that premium design, sturdy general efficiency and prolonged battery life in a Home windows machine, the OmniBook Extremely 14 is the transfer I might make. Select the Snapdragon X2 mannequin for higher normal efficiency and higher battery life, or go for the Intel Core Extremely system for higher 3D graphics capabilities and no Home windows-on-Arm compatibility worries. It is good to have each choices in a single nice design.

You do not essentially must spend the $3,000 or extra on a loaded config like people who I examined. A nonetheless well-equipped system for nearer to $2,000 will meet most individuals’s wants. Simply you should definitely observe HP’s consistently fluctuating costs to catch it when it is discounted by lots of. I’ve seen it on sale for as a lot as $650 off to offer you an concept of the kind of low cost you’ll be able to anticipate finding.