execs and cons
- Smooth design
- All-day battery
- Stable efficiency
- Shiny touchscreen
- Common webcam
- Dear choices
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At first look, the 2026 HP OmniBook Extremely 14 would possibly remind you of the MacBook Air, however it’s something however a toned-down model of one thing extra Professional. I not too long ago examined the OmniBook Extremely 14, and it is a high-end laptop computer in its personal proper — constructed for professionals searching for a refined product that does not compromise on battery life or high quality.
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The OmniBook Extremely stands as one of many extra compelling premium ultrabooks of the yr. It combines a light-weight kind issue with robust {hardware} and a few of the longevity I’ve examined on a Home windows laptop computer. Admittedly, there are some things that I did not actually like about this machine, however the expertise was largely optimistic.
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Cool blue design
Aesthetically, I am a giant fan of how the OmniBook Extremely appears to be like. HP presents its laptop computer in three colours, with my evaluation unit adorning a wealthy Stone Blue. What’s attention-grabbing is that the colour signifies the kind of {hardware} the machine is operating on. Stone Blue fashions ship with Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, whereas the Eclipse Grey and Silk Sand variants home Intel {hardware}.
As you may see from the photographs, the PC is sort of smooth. At its thickest level, the OmniBook measures simply 10.7mm — that is thinner than the M5 MacBook Air — then tapers to a paper-thin 7.3mm; all whereas weighing just below three kilos. And it by no means feels flimsy; the recycled aluminum chassis is remarkably sturdy, giving the machine a confidently sturdy really feel.
The keyboard was nice, too. It sports activities a “latticeless” design that not solely offers it a extra refined look but additionally evenly areas the keys to make sure comfy typing. Key presses themselves are concurrently quiet and tactile. Possibly not on the identical degree as a mechanical keyboard, however it’s removed from mushy.
Beneath that’s HP’s “waterfall” haptic touchpad, seamlessly mixing in. It is responsive, clean, and helps a number of hand gestures for larger cursor management. Because the cherry on prime, the OmniBook Extremely passes the one-finger carry take a look at with flying colours.
Excessive-quality touchscreen
Befitting a laptop computer of this caliber is a shocking 3K OLED touchscreen. The panel covers the whole DCI-P3 colour gamut to assist a variety of colours. HP states that the show has a colour accuracy of Delta E < 1, that means the on-screen colours are very near their real-world equivalents.
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Mix all this with OLED’s deep distinction, and you’ve got top-of-the-line touchscreens for a piece laptop computer. The truth is, it is virtually overkill. That is the kind of panel you’ll count on to see on a devoted creator laptop computer. It is a kind of issues it’s important to see for your self, I am afraid the photographs on this evaluation do not fairly do it justice.
My greatest criticism, nevertheless, is how shiny the display screen is. Indoors, colours pop superbly, however outdoors, it is a completely different story. Beneath direct daylight (even on overcast days), reflections are overwhelming, making the show virtually unviewable.
Above the touchscreen sits a 5MP webcam. It is a first rate lens, though nothing particular. The digicam will get the job performed for video calls. I simply want it have been higher, given the laptop computer’s price ticket. Colours within the recordings appeared desaturated with seen picture noise. I wasn’t anticipating a movie-level digicam, however I did count on extra pure colour replica. To the webcam’s credit score, picture decision is fairly good, and it helps helpful Home windows Howdy options. Automated framing, for instance, retains you targeted within the shot throughout calls.
Snappy {hardware}
My evaluation unit got here outfitted with a Snapdragon X2 Elite chipset alongside a whopping 64GB of RAM. Unsurprisingly, the OmniBook Extremely 14 carried out extremely effectively. Whether or not I used to be juggling dozens of browser tabs, modifying pictures in Paint.NET, writing articles, or working between a number of apps, it by no means as soon as slowed down. All the things felt exceptionally quick. Benchmark scores mirror my expertise. Earlier than I get into the numbers, under is a desk evaluating the OmniBook Extremely to different high-end work laptops.
Throughout the assorted benchmark assessments, the laptop computer posted robust outcomes, notably in shorter bursts. As proven above, it beats the M5 MacBook Professional within the Geekbench 6 processor assessments. It is a high-end machine that excels at productiveness duties and heavy workloads. Nonetheless, prolonged stress testing revealed an attention-grabbing story.
Whereas single-core (SC) efficiency stayed excessive over longer take a look at periods, multicore (MC) efficiency noticeably dropped. For instance, in Cinebench 2024, the OmniBook Extremely hit 156 SC and 1212 MC. In the course of the longer stress assessments specifically, these numbers fell to 131 SC and 690 MC.
Now that does not imply that the laptop computer performs poorly below stress. To me, evidently as soon as warmth begins to build up, the OmniBook prioritizes effectivity and thermal administration over efficiency. The query is: will you expertise this? Most definitely not. I did not expertise any points throughout my hands-on testing, whilst I pushed the {hardware}. However in sure excessive situations, you would possibly.
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Battery life is improbable. Its longevity comes remarkably near the HP OmniBook 3, though it falls barely behind. Throughout my testing, the laptop computer lasted slightly below 24 hours on a single cost earlier than lastly tapping out. Whereas it does not attain the 28-hour runtime of the OmniBook 3, that’s nonetheless an impressive quantity and top-of-the-line battery performances I’ve seen from a premium Home windows laptop computer this yr.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
Costs for the HP OmniBook Extremely 14 begin at round $1,200 for the bottom Intel Core configuration, which could be very effectively priced for a brand new laptop computer of this caliber. Moreover, HP presents a number of processors, storage capacities, reminiscence choices, and shows. If you would like a extra high-end choice, my evaluation unit lands extra round $2,910, however comes with excellent efficiency and battery life.
I extremely advocate the OmniBook Extremely 14 to any energy person or skilled searching for a brand new premium work laptop computer, as it may possibly deal with nearly the whole lot you throw at it. The Snapdragon mannequin is arguably the higher selection for marathon battery life, whereas the Intel variants are housed within the extra budget-friendly choices. Each, nevertheless, appear and feel like premium, pro-ready laptops.
