HP continues to roll out new consumer laptops under their OmniBook brand , which supercede its former Spectre , Envy , and Pavilion lineups . TheOmniBook Ultra Flip 14was one of the first , and it ’s a solid replacement for the Spectre x360 14 . Now , I ’m reviewing the OmniBook Ultra 14 , which does n’t have quite so absolved a pedigree .

The OmniBook Ultra 14 shares some design cue with its convertible 2 - in-1 cousin , which I conceive is a first for an HP grapple laptop computer . It ’s a well - made motorcar that leverage its AMD Ryzen AI 9 chipset for great performance and has surprisingly good battery life , but it ’s not quite good enough to make it onto our list of thebest laptop computer .

Specs and configurations

The OmniBook 14 Ultra has several configurations , with a $ 1,350 base model have an AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 chipset , 16 GB of RAM , a 512 GB SSD , and a 14.0 - inch 2.2 K IPS display ( the only selection ) . right on now , that configuration is on sale for $ 1,050 . you could upgrade to 32 GB of RAM for $ 100 and add up in a fast Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 for an additional $ 150 . upgrade to a 2 TB SSD is an extra $ 180 , get the eminent - end model $ 1,680 ( $ 1,380 on sales agreement ) . That ’s the model that I reviewed .

If you’re able to get the laptop computer at its sale price , then that ’s a pretty attractive entry - grade cost , and it ’s also a decent value for a very nicely configure laptop computer . It ’s around the same monetary value as the Intel - based OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 2 - in-1 , although that laptop computer has a much better OLED display . Another AMD laptop computer that I review , theAsus ProArt PX13 , is a luck more expensive start up at $ 1,700 , but that admit an OLED display and a discrete Nvidia GPU .

Design

The first thing I noticed about the OmniBook Ultra 14 is that it portion out the notches in the rear chassis and display bottom , one of which house a USB - C port for plug away in power or an accoutrement and maintain the cable out of the way . It ’s therefore both a designing and working command . The chassis sides are also sensibly rounded and forefend a sharp edge on the palm rest , making it more comfortable than some laptops .

The most obvious comparison is OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 , and there are several other unspoiled 14 - inch grapple laptop to contrast . The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i and Zenbook S 14 are two of them , both sporting Intel ’s in vogue Lunar Lake chipset .

Aesthetically , these are all attractive simple machine and I would n’t pick any over the OmniBook , or vice versa , base on looks alone .

The OmniBook Ultra 14 is also a very racy laptop computer , with a figure , keyboard deck , and lid that all protest bending , flexing , and spin . That ’s become more of the norm over the last several years , with most laptops in the same insurance premium price cooking stove boasting the same kind of build qualities . The laptops I mentioned above are equally skillful , as is theMacBook Pro 14that ’s considerably more expensive .

One arena where the OmniBook does n’t excel equate to some late rival is in its sizing . Its bezel are evenhandedly large by modern standards , on both the top and the bottom . That result in a chassis that ’s a bit wider and deeper than many . It ’s also comparatively chunky , especially its 3.47 pounds that ’s around half a pound heavier than the others I ’ve cite . It ’s still reasonably portable , but it does n’t abide out so well .

Keyboard and touchpad

I ’ve been a fan of HP ’s keyboard , particularly those on its Spectre card , and the OmniBook experience up to that measure . The keycaps are large with lettering that ’s highly visible in all inflammation term , which is a nod to approachability . There ’s tons of spatial arrangement , and the permutation are light and snappy .

I have the OmniBook Ultra 14 sitting next to HP ’s very similar 2 - in-1 , and the keyboard are pretty much identically unspoilt . So , I expect that will be the excogitation go forward — a very respectable thing . My favorite laptop keyboard has been Apple ’s Magic Keyboard since it got rid of the butterfly stroke replacement , and the OmniBook ’s is definitely in the same form .

The touchpad is less telling . There ’s plenty of space on the palm respite for a magnanimous version , and for whatever rationality , HP did n’t include the fantabulous tactual touchpad it used on the OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 . The mechanically skillful touchpad is just OK , with button that are a picayune loud . The showing is mite - enabled , which I prefer .

Display

If the OmniBook Ultra 14 has an Achilles bounder , it ’s the 14.0 - inch 16:10 2.2 K ( 2240 x 1400 ) IPS showing . At these prices , I ’m used to see to it 2.8 K ( 2880 x 1800 ) or sharper panel , and more often OLED than IPS . And , more and more are running at much libertine 120Hz refresh rate for smoother Windows animations if nothing else . So , I was a bit surprised at the OmniBook ’s exhibit , and it ’s really a bit less acute , fast , and colourful than I want to see if I ’m pass well over $ 1,000 on a laptop computer . It aid with battery lifetime , though , so that ’s the welfare here .

accord to my colorimeter , this is a merely an intermediate IPS display — but that ’s a sound affair , given how the engineering has ameliorate over the last several years . It ’s much brighter than our 300 - nit threshold , as most show are today , coming in at 382 nits . Its colors are broad enough for productivity use at 100 % of sRGB , 76 % of AdobeRGB , and 76 % of DCI - P3 , and truth is excellent at a Delta - einsteinium of 0.94 . And demarcation is good at 1,310:1 , also above our older standard of 1,000:1 that most informatics displays pass today .

So , if you really care about battery life and do n’t need the bright , dynamic colors and inky blacks that OLED provides , then you ’ll be fine with this display . But I ca n’t help being a slight disappointed .

Connectivity and webcam

I was a piddling surprised to see just two USB - C ports with Thunderbolt 4 and a USB - A port . That ’s skillful than the Dell XPS 14 that has just Thunderbolt 4 , but some 14 - inch laptops sum in an HDMI connective and an SD calling card reviewer . Both are missing here . One of the USB - one C ports is in the notch , as I cite above , so that ’s convenient . But I ’d rate connectivity as a morsel lacking . Wireless radios are fully up - to - escort , which is a good thing .

The webcam is HP ’s late very high resolution 9MP version , and it will stand Microsoft ’s Copilot+ PC enterprisingness include enhanced Studio Effects software system , along with HP ’s own AI Companion features that will be rolling out . HP uses Poly Camera Pro , and the webcam itself has some AI intelligence built in . Overall , the OmniBook will eventually take reward of the very dissolute neuronal processing whole ( NPU ) for more effective on - gadget AI processing .

Performance

When equate the most late chipsets , namely the AMD Ryzen AI 9 that the OmniBook Ultra 14 utilizes , Qualcomm ’s Snapdragon X , and Intel ’s Lunar Lake , AMD takes a strong lead in performance . The OmniBook is the third laptop we ’ve reviewed with the 28 - James Watt Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 , which sits near the top of AMD ’s modish laptop chipsets and apply 12 CPU and 18 GPU core to power through productiveness work flow .

Both the 12 - marrow Snapdragon X and the 8 - core Lunar Lake chipsets are aimed more at efficiency than sheer performance , and while Qualcomm is faster than Intel in our comparison group , the OmniBook Ultra 14 tolerate apart .

nibble whichever test you want — single - meat or multi - core performance — and the Ryzen AI 9 consistently outperforms the competition . This is public presentation I ’m using to understand from Intel 45 - watt Meteor Lake chipsets , only from a part that burns just 28 watts by default . The Ryzen AI 9 utilize a mix of Zen 5 and Zen 5c cores , with the latter being compact but full speed , mean that unlike the other chipsets , there are no low - power cores that can drag down pure central processing unit speeds . Note that HP has pushed AI deep into performance , with more intelligence beat back the Smart Sense setting that is draw a bead on at equilibrate public presentation , heating plant , and fan racket .

The Asus ProArt PX13 , a more compact but just as powerful machine , has the choice of Nvidia RTX 4050 and 4060 discrete GPUs , so it ’s a stack faster in originative applications and gaming than the OmniBook , which is limited to AMD Radeon 890 M incorporate computer graphic . That ’s around the same swiftness as Intel ’s latest Arc 140V and it ’s quicker than Qualcomm ’s Adreno computer graphic , but not by much .

All of this combining to make for a laptop that will rip through the most demanding productivity workflow but wo n’t be the estimable for video redaction or running more than Old game at special graphics .

Battery life

The OmniBook has 68 - watt - hr battery , which is just OK for a 14 - inch laptop , but it also benefits from a relatively low - res 14.0 - column inch 2.2 K ( 2240 x 1400 ) IPS panel limited to a 60Hz refresh pace . Every laptop in this comparability group has a higher - res display , and some are OLED as well . As advert above , though , the AMD Ryzen 9 chipset is n’t drive at efficiency , and the two other laptops we reviewed with the same chipset did n’t do that well by equivalence . So , I was n’t gestate much .

I was pleasantly surprised , though . In our web browsing and telecasting looping exam , the OmniBook Ultra 14 was more competitive than I guess it would be . In fact , it did comfortably than the OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 with Intel Lunar Lake , although that score was held back by its OLED display . The OmniBook Ultra 14 did n’t do as well in our demanding Cinebench R24 multi - core rundown . And theApple MacBook Air M3did the best all - around .

Is it worth it?

The OmniBook Ultra 14 is a firm representative of HP ’s new brand . It ’s well - built , offers great performance and decent battery biography , and it has a swell keyboard . It ’s not , though , as telling as HP ’s OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 , despite being price similarly .

To begin with , the OmniBook Ultra 14 ’s display just does n’t impress . It ’s only an OK show where so many others are great . Sure , that aids in battery animation , but HP could have opted for a mellow - Re edition that would have pop the question standardised benefit . And the OmniBook is n’t quite as good of a thin - and - light ultrabook , which is what it ’s primarily going up against .

Overall , it ’s a good gimmick , of course , but I would only recommend it while its on discount . You ’ll get slightly better stamp battery sprightliness , carrying out , and displays out of some of its competitors in the same price range .