The HP Omen 16 2023 gaming laptop, which boasts several significant improvements. The Omen 16 now offers the option of the HX processor, available with either the Intel Core i7 or i9, with the formidable RTX 4080 GPU, featuring a robust Total Graphics Power (TGP) of 145 watts. One standout feature is the high-resolution display, boasting a remarkable 240Hz refresh rate and an impressive three-millisecond response time, making it a perfect choice for avid gamers.
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Design and Ports
Inside the box, you’ll find the Omen 16 laptop itself, along with some essential documentation that includes warranty details. Additionally, there’s a power cord and a robust 280-watt power adapter featuring a barrel pin connection.
The laptop’s design is undeniably appealing, featuring a sleek shadow black color that adds to its overall charm, despite being prone to fingerprints. Constructed primarily from plastics, the build quality is surprisingly impressive, emitting a high-end vibe. This sturdiness is advantageous for travelers, as the laptop appears durable.
In terms of weight, the laptop itself weighs approximately 2.412 kg. When considering the power adapter and cord, the total travel weight increases to 3.233 kg. While it’s on the heavier side, it’s entirely reasonable for a gaming laptop, given the powerful hardware it houses.
On the left side, you’ll find two USB Type-C Thunderbolt 4 ports and a 3.5-millimeter microphone and headphone combo jack. Shifting to the right side, there’s a full-size USB-A port. On the rear, you’ll discover the remaining ports, including the power port, Gigabit LAN port, HDMI 2.1 port, and another USB Type-A port. The array of ports on this laptop is impressive.
A thoughtful design choice is positioning the primary ports at the back, away from the user, facilitating cord management and organization. However, unlike last year’s model, this iteration lacks an SD card reader, which may be a drawback for users who relied on it previously.
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User Upgradeability
The RAM is upgradable, with my review unit equipped with 16 gigabytes of DDR5 4800 RAM. HP’s website offers the option to configure it with up to 32 gigabytes of RAM, achieved by installing two 16-gigabyte sticks. This flexibility enables users to adjust the laptop’s memory capacity according to their requirements.
| All | Read (MB/s) | Write (MB/s) |
|---|---|---|
| SEQ1M Q8T1 | 7144.43 | 6396.74 |
| SEQ1M Q1T1 | 4766.51 | 3661.04 |
| RND4K Q32T1 | 408.85 | 534.26 |
| RND4K Q1T1 | 69.33 | 153.82 |
The SSD provide impressive read and write speeds, aligning well with the expected Gen 4 speeds for 2023. This contributes to the laptop’s overall swift performance. As for the wireless card, it’s worth noting that it’s slotted in rather than soldered, offering flexibility for future upgrades. The combo card provides Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 capabilities, both of which have been performing exceptionally well without any reported issues. Additionally, the inclusion of an 83-watt-hour battery offers substantial capacity for extended usage, particularly noteworthy for a gaming laptop.
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The Omen 16 lid can be effortlessly opened with just one finger, and the screen offers the flexibility to tilt back a full 180 degrees. Notably, the hinges have seen improvements compared to previous iterations, resulting in less screen wobble than in past generations – a positive and welcome development for users seeking stability and durability in their laptop.
The keyboard provides excellent tactile feedback, responsive actuation, and satisfying key travel distance, ensuring comfortable and efficient typing for documents, emails, and even gaming. Its RGB backlighting, customizable through settings, offers various effects like breathing, catering to enthusiasts of RGB lighting. Although not a personal preference, the laptop offers substantial customization for RGB fans.
The touchpad is responsive, with effective two-finger scrolling and gestures, making it a capable component, particularly for a gaming laptop.
Display and Audio
The 16.1-inch IPS display features a 2560 by 1440 resolution, adhering to the 16:9 aspect ratio, resulting in a pixel density of 182 pixels per inch. Notably, it’s a non-glossy display, sparing users from bothersome glare or reflections, which has been satisfying.
For gaming, the display boasts an impressive 240Hz refresh rate with a three-millisecond response time, ensuring smooth and fluid gameplay, a crucial attribute for a gaming laptop. In terms of brightness, it slightly undercuts the claimed 300 nits, measuring at 299 nits, although brightness exceeding 400 nits would be preferable.
While the display exhibits respectable coverage of the color gamut, it’s essential to note that this laptop is primarily tailored for gaming rather than content creation. However, its color accuracy is commendable, evident from its 1.97 Delta E score, with a contrast ratio of 880:1 and solid black level of 0.31.
For media consumption, the 16:9 aspect ratio proves optimal, eliminating black bars at the top and bottom of the screen. However, for productivity tasks, a 16:10 ratio would have been slightly better, offering more screen real estate.
The audio quality is a delightful surprise, showing a marked improvement over the previous version. Typically, gaming laptops prioritize other features, but the Omen 16 stands out with noticeable enhancements in volume, midrange tones, and bass, making its audio quality quite impressive.
FHD Webcam
The camera on the HP Omen 16 2023 is a 1080p camera, equipped with a physical shutter switch for added security and privacy, which is a nice touch. While having a 1080p camera on a gaming-focused laptop is great, it’s important to note that this isn’t an infrared (IR) camera, so there’s no facial recognition or built-in fingerprint scanner. However, as the emphasis here is on gaming performance rather than secondary features like advanced security, you can still log in using a PIN or password to access Windows.
Performance and Gaming
| PCMARK 0 | 7,325 |
| GEEKBENCH 5 (Single-Core) | 1,873 |
| GEEKBENCH 5 (Multi-Core) | 13,501 |
| CINEBENCH R20 | 5,890 |
| CINEBENCH R15 | 2,814 cb | 207 fps |
| CINEBENCH R23 | Single-core 1,878 | Multi-Core 16,246 |
| 3DMARK Time Spy | 10,014 |
| 3DMARK Fire Strike | 21,230 |
The Omen 16 comes with the Core i7 13700 HX processor, but you can opt for the Core i9 13900 HX for more power. It also features the Nvidia RTX 4080 GPU with a 145-watt total TGP, providing robust performance for gaming and productivity tasks like Lightroom, Photoshop, and video editing in Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve.
| Lenovo Legion 5 Pro | 19,219 |
| MSI Stealth GS66 | 16,246 |
| HP Omen 16 | 16,031 |
| Aorus 17 XE4 | 16,029 |
When testing with DaVinci Resolve, I rendered a three-minute 4K gaming video in H.264 format in just one minute and 49 seconds, a commendable outcome. However, it doesn’t quite match up to some dedicated creator laptops. Rendering the same video in a different codec, H.265, took only one minute and 26 seconds. Overall, for users seeking a versatile laptop that excels in gaming, content creation, and video editing, this laptop delivers on its promises.
| Games | Low (1920 x 1080) | High (1920 x 1080) |
|---|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 131 FPS | 94 FPS |
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 | 127 FPS | 87 FPS |
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 204 FPS | 128 FPS |
| GTA V | 175 FPS | 164 FPS |
| Dota 2 Reborn | 181 FPS | 149 FPS |
| X-Plane 11.11 | 151 FPS | 113 FPS |
Performance control is managed through the Omen Gaming app, which provides extensive customization options including Eco Mode, Balance Mode, and Performance Mode. Thermal control settings can be adjusted automatically or manually, offering users a range of customization possibilities. The powerful CPU-GPU combination results in impressive gaming performance, demonstrated by consistently playable frame rates across popular titles. Even demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077 can be played smoothly, achieving respectable frame rates even at 4K resolution. While performance may vary based on game settings, the overall results are strong.
Thermals and Surface Temps
During the Time Spy stress test, it achieved a score of 88.5 percent, falling short of passing but not exhibiting excessive thermal throttling. Although there was a minor indication of thermal throttling, the score revealed. A passing score would have been 97 percent or higher.
Regarding surface temperatures, the area above the keyboard and beneath the display registered temperatures of around 40 degrees Celsius. Conversely, there’s a hotspot reaching approximately 55 degrees Celsius, as indicated in the diagram. Overall, the laptop maintained relatively cool temperatures. The exhaust vent on the rear reached temperatures of about 46 degrees Celsius, which is reasonable. However, the area where your hands typically rest remained comfortably cool.
In terms of fan noise, it measured around 58 decibels under maximum load while playing AAA titles. This level of noise is quite typical for a gaming laptop operating in this mode.
Battery Performnce
| Laptop | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| HP Omen 16 (2023) 83Wh, Core i713700HX | 5 hours 33 minutes | 4 hours 49 minutes | 1 hours 07 minutes |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7 16 99.9Wh, Core i9-13900HX RTX 4080 (175W) | 5 hours 11 minutes | 4 hours 22 minutes | 2 hours 08 minutes |
The HP Omen 16 features a 6-cell, 83-watt-hour battery, running for 5 hours and 33 minutes on the PC Mark 10 modern office battery test, which exceeded my expectations. Given its focus on performance over battery life, this result is quite satisfactory.
Comparing it to similar laptops like the Legion Pro 7 16-inch, both exhibited comparable performance in various tests. During gaming, expect approximately an hour of battery life, which is typical for gaming laptops. However, the Legion Pro 7 notably outperformed, nearly doubling the runtime for gaming tasks.
Conclusion
My impression of the HP Omen 16 2023 gaming laptop highlights several standout features. The 16.1-inch display with a 240Hz refresh rate and a three-millisecond response time is exceptional for gamers. The spacious and comfortable keyboard, coupled with excellent CPU and GPU performance, makes it ideal for competitive gaming without significant throttling issues. Accessibility for servicing and Thunderbolt 4 support are added advantages, all while maintaining a relatively slim and lightweight profile.
However, there are some drawbacks to consider. Fan noise can be noticeable under heavy loads, which may bother some users. The absence of an SD card slot is disappointing, and the battery life falls somewhat short of expectations, although this is typical for this type of gaming laptop.