Verdict
The HP Omen overstep 16 is the blade ’s effort to total a sprint of discreetness to its gaming range . It for the most part follow , with a great plan , pleasing keyboard and relatively low weight , but a high terms and low comparative performance is the main hindrance .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The HP Omen range has been a strong option in the gambling laptop computer market for several years now .
The unexampled HP Omen Transcend 16 look to build on it with some nice finishing signature to broaden its appeal , and potentially even furrow theMacBook Procrowd as well as the gamers , with the choice ( at least in the USA ) to upgrade to a Mini LED screen door .
It ’s a gamy bar to shoot for but HP ’s take on the pattern looks to have gotten its antecedence correct , even if the £ 1700/$1699 monetary value of entry may be too high and the carrying into action may not quite keep stride with central rivals . This is my review .
Design and Keyboard
Those familiar with the HP Omen range wo n’t be immediately struck by the look of the Transcend , unless you opt for the striking White semblance selection . The inglorious version looks typically Omen , but its material arrange it aside .
It has a delicate - touch finish , which is a joy to pick up , and the Mg and aluminum combination reduces the overall system of weights – making this 16 - inch machine feel rather portable despite its size . The proportion total in at 2.17 kg and 19.9 mm slender . It ’s not astonishingly thin and lightheaded , but overstep many 16 - inch competitors in this expanse .
The stealthy dark flavor means this laptop will match well into any environs , whether that ’s amongst your gamer friends or an office setting .
The keyboard is right up there with the well of them too . It does n’t shine into the trap of erring on the side of a more productiveness - friendly keyboard , a veritable issue with laptops that smear the melodic line of creativity , gaming and a lightweight pattern . This is a gaming keyboard , offering plentifulness of travel and a decent amount of feedback .
My main scruple is that the key could be a tad big , to make for a more well-fixed typewriting experience , and this is also obstruct by retaining a numpad which move everything to the left slightly .
The RGB backlighting is wondrous and refreshfully vibrant , with tweak enabled within HP ’s satiny and easy - to - use Omen software . On the trackpad , it ’s well - sized but the click offers low - locomotion , make it feel quite obtuse .
The Omen Transcend 16 is well - equipped in the ports section , unhindered by its trim dimensions , offer 2 x USB - A 5Gbps , 2 xThunderbolt 4 , 1 xHDMI 2.1 , 1 x Ethernet and a headphone jack . It ’s a skilful option only let down by the lack of an SD or MicroSD card slot .
HP has heavily study sustainability with the build of this machine . The laptop itself uses agrarian waste for its keyboard mechanism , in particular telling given how it retain strong performance in this area , as well as ocean - bound plastic for the bezel , inner - form and speaker enclosure . The keycaps and scissor mechanisms usePCRwhile reuse metal is used in the base and hinge . For the promotional material , HP does n’t mention any sustainable practice session in use of goods and services here and it does n’t look to habituate recyclable cloth .
Display and Sound
A fully grown selling point of the new HP Omen Transcend 16 is the option to equip it with a QHD Mini LED 240Hzdisplay but , regrettably , my review manakin sport the regular ol’ FHD IPS 165Hz . This is the only version presently on sale in the UK but the US offers extensive contour selection , including the Mini LED .
But , focusing on the model I do have to test , it ’s a utterly fine display . The main takings is that this is n’t a cheap equipment so a FHD IPS 165Hz panel on a laptop computer that costs more than £ 1700/$1600 really hurts it as a value proposal . Nevertheless , the presentation is expectedly speedy and , to the eye , the IPS engineering science offers satisfactory levels of colour and detail . It ’ll serve you well for gaming and worldwide role , but you are n’t going to be wow .
However , our presentation benchmark testing may leave Jehovah consider the Omen exceed 16 rather disappointed – score 100%DCI - P3but just 78%Adobe RGBand 78%sRGB . As such , the IPS model is n’t an choice for serious creatives . The Mini LED edition should offer melioration but that ’ll come at an even higher cost than this already pricey machine . What you do get is a strong peak light of 486.3 nits accompany by a lustrelessness covering on the exhibit , meaning this is a strong option for those who operate in awkward kindling environments .
When it total to hope of this laptop being aMacBook Procompetitor , the lacking display is met by audio that is n’t even in the same league as its Apple rival . The auditory sensation is fairly elaborate but lack any kind of bass and does start to color as you take advantage of its , admittedly , gamey volume . It tops many gaming sharpen competition , but falls short of creative competitors . The webcam is n’t anything to save plate about either , with acceptable detail if a tad fond in shade – it ’ll do for most .
Performance
When testing laptops with similar specifications , the results are often quite confining , with the declamatory differentiation happen when manufacturer tinker with size and weighting . Well , the HP Omen Transcend 16 seems to meet for its design , with our testing showing its performance lags behind rivals with similar specs to the Intel Core i7 - 13700HX C.P.U. and Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU .
As a productiveness machine , this laptop expectedly performs super aptly . But , that is n’t what the Omen Transcend 16 is made for . As you’re able to see for our testing resolution , the HP is comfortably outshone by theRazer Blade 14that put on similar specifications .
The much cheaperAsus TUF Gaming A15is where the disappointing gaming performance of the Omen Transcend 16 really come to the fore , with the Asus just coming up unawares despite the around £ 600 Mary Leontyne Price gap .
When accent , this laptop could also get very hot and produce forte fan noise , potentially explaining the miss performance with some strangling likely at play .
It performs surprisingly well in our creative PugetBench for Adobe Premiere Pro bench mark psychometric test with a 628 score , top the the likes of of the Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra ( and its stronger RTX 4070 chip ) at 492 and just outwit the Blade 14 at 597 . As such , it is utterly able of intensive editing work , but the display rent it down in my review configuration .
The performance of the SSD in the HP Omen Transcend is another area of disappointment given its high price and aims to rival graphically strong rival with both gaming and creative chops .
The results of my tests were 3542MB / s learn and 4944MB / s write . This is well below many fundamental rivals that top 5000MB / s translate and write almost across the panel . It did n’t observably hinder performance , but if you care about best - of - the - best conveyance swiftness then you should look elsewhere .
Software
HP is n’t shy about including its own software and there is a unsatisfying amount of bloat when it come to the non - gaming side of things .
HP Support Assistant , HP Connection Optimizer , HP QuickDrop and MyHP can be largely ignored for more platform agnostic options . McAfee LiveSafe , ExpressVPN and LastPass Premium are all pre - installed too , with the latter two offering innocent 30 - day test . You also get an Xbox Game Pass 1 - month liberal test with this gimmick .
But , the HP Omen play hub is an extremely useful tool , with the Light Studio , Performance Control , Optimizer and connection Booster all included to help you get the most out of the RGB lighting , functioning and meshwork capabilities . It keeps thing simple with uncomplicated visuals and menus .
Battery life
The battery living on offer is n’t half sorry for a machine with a consecrate GPU . My examination showed the Omen Transcend 16 to be capable of 6 hour and 3 second for a productivity work load . This is more than the 4 hours and 37 minutes of the Razer Blade 16 , but falls well timid of the 10 hour and 18 minutes of the Razer Blade 14 .
Some of the differences can be explain by the more powerful GPU in the Blade 16 , while the Blade 14 has the very same graphic chipping as the HP . For gaming , you may expect around 60 - 90 minutes of gameplay depending on how ask the title is you ’re play .
The HP Omen Transcend can be recharged apace with a knock-down 230W charger included , stick you back to 100 % from 0 % in not much more than one 60 minutes .
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Should you buy it?
- : The HP Omen Transcend 16 is a hard antidote for those who may fear the damage a large gaming laptop computer could do to their back .
The Omen exceed 16 is n’t a knock - for - your - horse laptop computer . It do badly when compare with smaller or tatty challenger such as theAsus TUF Gaming A15 .
Final Thoughts
The HP Omen Transcend 16 feels like a missed opportunity at this form , lacking the Mini LED instrument panel that HP has heavily touted when promoting this gadget . However , reviewing what ’s in front of me , it offers a pleasingly epicurean feel to rival the likes of theRazer Blade 16andAsus ROG Zephyrus M16while feeling comparatively light to carry around too .
The eminent £ 1700/$1609 cost of this laptop is likely to be its master stupidity . When compared with the fantabulous £ 1100/$1199Asus TUF Gaming A15it looks positively silly , with the Asus demonstrate comparative performance at the much lower price . Whereas other RTX 4060 - sporting devices , like the Razer Blade 14 , bring off to get a whole raft more graphical oink from this splintering .
Those who care about stake prowess and good value should look to the TUF Gaming A15 or , if you ’ve got a budget closer to the £ /$2000 mark , consider theAsus ROG Strix Scar 16 ( 2023 ) . For a broad selection , have a browse of ourBest Gaming Laptop , Best MacBook AlternativesandBest Laptop for Video Editingguides .
Trusted Score
How we test
Every laptop we review go bad through a series of uniform handicap designed to gauge cardinal things , admit build caliber , performance , screen quality and assault and battery life history .
These include formal celluloid benchmark and scripted trial , plus a series of real - populace checks , such as how well it runs democratic apps .
FAQs
The HP Omen Transcend use upgrade cloth to offer a lighter and more deluxe feel to the Omen . But , the Omen 16 offer gamy - closing constellation .
No , the HP Omen overstep 16 does not feature a feeling show .
Test Data
Full Specs
