HP Omen 15 (2020) review: A generational refresh turns this gaming laptop into one of the best values around
Source: Windows Central
Previous generations of the HP Omen 15 had an eye for flair, with tribal logo, brushed aluminum and grooved chassis, centered hinges, and angled lines. It was conspicuously a gaming laptop within and out. With the 2022 refresh, the Omen xv's design was toned down for a much more mature await, similar to what Lenovo did with its Legion lineup a couple of years ago. The consequence is a laptop that can fit comfortably into more environments without sacrificing gaming operation. I've been using a high-end configuration of the 2022 Omen 15 for well-nigh a calendar week to meet how it has changed, how information technology performs, and whether or non it's worth your money.
Unreal Gaming Value
HP Omen xv (2020)
Lesser line: The HP Omen xv, refreshed for 2022, is one of the best values in gaming hardware today. The mature design fits meliorate into casual and professional settings, robust thermals continue the laptop cool nether load, and the 4K display selection is ane of the best we've ever seen. If y'all're looking to maximize the return on your investment, the Omen 15 should exist seriously considered.
Pros
- Most-perfect AMOLED 4K brandish with HDR
- Value pricing
- Unthrottled gaming performance
- Lots of ports
- Proficient camera and speakers
Cons
- Keyboard might exist dividing
- On the chunky side
- All the same waiting for NVIDIA RTX 30-series GPUs
HP Omen 15 at a glance
Source: Windows Central
HP supplied Windows Central with an Omen 15 complete with 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10750H processor (CPU), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q graphics card (GPU), 16GB DDR4 dual-channel RAM, 1TB One thousand.two PCIe solid-country drive (SSD), and a 15.6-inch display with 3840x2160 (4K) resolution. There are 2 slots hands accessible for RAM upgrades after purchase, and there are likewise two One thousand.2 SSD slots you can use to upgrade storage.
NVIDIA's next-gen RTX 30-series mobile GPUs are expected to be coming soon to the HP Omen 15, but for now this is the top configuration available in terms of graphics. This exact review configuration is available for almost $1,450 at Best Buy.
HP's website doesn't currently offer the 4K brandish in any configurations, but yous can otherwise find plenty of options with a wide range in price. A configuration with 10th Gen Intel Core i5-10300H CPU, NVIDIA GTX 1650 GPU, 8GB of RAM, 256GB M.two PCIe SSD, and FHD display with 250 nits brightness starts at almost $850.
Here are the exact specs as plant in my review unit of measurement.
| Category | Spec |
|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 Home |
| Processor | 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10750H half-dozen cores, 12 threads Upwardly to 5.0GHz |
| RAM | 16GB DDR4-1933MHz Dual aqueduct |
| Graphics | NVIDIA RTX 2070 Super Max-Q 8GB GDDR6 VRAM |
| Storage | 1TB Thousand.2 PCIe NVMe SSD Samsung PM981a Two One thousand.2 slots |
| Brandish | 15.6 inches 3840x2160 (UHD) AMOLED Anti-reflection, HDR 60Hz refresh rate |
| Ports | Thunderbolt 3 Iii USB-A 3.2 HDMI 2.0 Mini DisplayPort ane.iv Ethernet SD menu reader 3.5mm sound |
| Sound | Dual stereo speakers Blindside & Olufsen tuning DTS:X Ultra |
| Connectivity | Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (2x2) Bluetooth 5 |
| Photographic camera | Front end-facing 720p |
| Keyboard | Per-key RGB lighting Anti-ghosting |
| Touchpad | Precision |
| Battery | 70.9Wh 200W AC adapter |
| Dimensions | fourteen.09 ten 9.44 x 0.89 inches (357.9mm x 239.8mm x 22.6mm) |
| Weight | 5.2 pounds (2.35kg) |
| Color | Black |
Plastic and aluminum
HP Omen 15 design and features
Source: Windows Central
The Omen fifteen's redesigned look moves it somewhere between a stylized gaming laptop and an Ultrabook. Information technology's primarily made of plastic, no incertitude to keep the price and weight downward, so there is some flex in the lid. Nothing apropos. The main chassis is much more rigid, and it seems like HP has used aluminum for the keyboard deck and palmrests. The old Omen tribal logo has been replaced with an iridescent diamond on the lid, offsetting the flat black finish nicely. There is a tendency to pick upward fingerprints and smudges, simply they wipe off rather easily.
The HP Omen 15's redesign is a consummate success.
Instead of hinges clustered to the eye of the hat, they're now spaced more than to the outside for amend stability and a more than mature look. The hinges feel great with simply enough grab to keep the lid firmly in place, but not enough that yous can't open up the hat with one hand.
Below the hinges is an frazzle vent that runs along the entirety of the laptop's back edge. Whereas some gaming laptops are using this space to house ports for easier cablevision management, HP'due south formidable cooling organisation requires the room to miscarry hot air. Every bit we'll encounter, it pays off. The right side of the laptop has a smaller exhaust vent tucked in between some ports. For intake, at that place'southward a big raised section on the bottom of the laptop that prevents fans from being choked off if the laptop is sitting on a soft surface. You'll frequently meet a small cutout for each fan, just here the cutout beneath the grille runs along the entirety of the heat pipes for extra cooling.
The Omen 15 is on the heavier and thicker side of the average gaming laptop, weighing in at 5.two pounds (2.35kg) and measuring 0.89 inches (22.6mm). It tin can't compete with something like the Razer Blade in terms of dimensions, only it's still going to tuck into a 15-inch backpack or laptop handbag hands. Configurations with FHD display and lesser functioning hardware will likely weigh less.
HP makes good use of infinite on the chassis, adding two USB-A, Thunderbolt 3, and Mini DisplayPort on the right side, equally well as HDMI, USB-A, RJ45 Ethernet, 3.5mm audio, and an SD card reader on the left side. You shouldn't take any effect connecting the best PC gaming accessories if you lot're setting up a more permanent gaming expanse.
Sitting open, the laptop'southward minimalist look is fetching. The palm residuum and touchpad are raised merely slightly above the keyboard deck, and there's a stylized grille to a higher place the keys. I thought at first it would pump out some top-firing audio, merely it seems like it's just for looks. Speakers reside instead along the angled edges at the front end of the laptop. With the laptop sitting flat, they remain unmuffled. The sound is loud and full if merely lacking a bit of bass. Still, if you're working without a gaming headset, the speakers are going to easily drown out the fans.
The front end-facing 720p camera in a higher place the display is surprisingly good, even in low-calorie-free situations. I wouldn't be shy to use information technology as a master camera for video conferencing and meetings. If you're going to utilise the laptop for streaming, however, you'll probably still want something from our drove of best webcams for Twitch.
Overall, I love the changes HP has made to the Omen line. The laptop's straight lines, understated logos, and flat black finish all contribute to a wait that tin can fit into a gamer's station or an role setting. Infinite has been used intelligently to maximize thermal cooling, and there's a solid collection of ports for hooking up accessories.
Clean layout
HP Omen 15 keyboard and touchpad
Source: Windows Primal
HP made the best of bachelor space when planning the keyboard layout. Keys stretch from side to side with only a bit of room on either side. Arrow keys sit lone and aren't doubled up with other functions, and at that place's a cluster to a higher place for the standard Insert, Dwelling house, Pg Up, etc. In that location are also defended keys for the Omen Gaming Hub and estimator. The power button resides next to the F12 key to keep it in line with the residuum of the look.
The review unit came with per-key RGB customizable through the Omen software, though you can go with four-zone RGB or a standard white backlight if you're not really ane who goes out for the extra lighting. The Fn key is programmed out of the box to highlight the top two rows of keys when pressed; piffling features like this are a dainty touch.
Source: Windows Central
Overall, typing is just OK. Keys are on the small side and are spaced out a bit more than I'm used to. As someone who uses Ctrl to hunker in games, the small size had me bashing the Fn key more often than not. However, I was still able to type at a speed close to where I'm commonly at. There's decent travel, but the overall feel is soft. Anti-ghosting helps with gaming performance, simply notation that this is non a keyboard designed specifically for gaming with special switches.
Again HP makes good utilize of infinite for the laptop's Precision touchpad. It's large plenty to promote better productivity, and information technology tracks without error. In that location's no rattle or hollow feel when clicking, and I'd put it on the same level every bit some loftier-end Ultrabooks.
Merely nigh perfect
HP Omen 15 display
Source: Windows Fundamental
The Omen 15'due south 4K AMOLED display is just stunning. Even without HDR enabled, color and contrast are spot on. And information technology only gets better with compatible HDR content. I've seen a lot of laptop displays, and this 1 still gave me break when I first booted the machine. It checks most of the boxes we look for, including an anti-cogitating end and plenty of brightness. This fashion, you still get the premium glossy expect without nearly as much glare interfering with the picture.
The bezel has been slimmed down, and while in that location's nonetheless a significant chin below the display due to the 16:9 aspect ratio, the display is large enough and bright plenty that it's not besides noticeable. Measuring color accuracy with my SpyderX Pro colorimeter, I saw some fantabulous results. The brandish hit 100% sRGB, 95% AdobeRGB, and 100% DCI-P3 color reproduction, with 534 nits effulgence at the top. Whereas it's mutual for displays to take a high reproduction percentage in one or two of the color gamuts we exam, this 1 pushes all three to the top.
Source: Windows Central
Because it seems like you tin only nab the 4K display selection with the RTX 2070 Super Max-Q GPU, HP likely wanted to orient this config to those who game and deal with specialized blueprint and development work. The display is more than upwards to the task.
HP also offers three FHD brandish options, which are no doubtfulness amend cut out for people who want to enjoy demanding AAA games with maxed-out in-game settings. You can opt for a 144Hz or 300Hz refresh rate at 300 nits effulgence. There's also a standard FHD display without refresh rate listed, which should probably be avoided if you're a gamer who takes FPS seriously.
Listed in some documentation is another 4K selection that omits the AMOLED panel and instead shoots for a 120Hz refresh charge per unit. As I'll comprehend in the side by side section, this is likely overkill for the available operation hardware.
Cool and serenity
HP Omen xv gaming
Source: Windows Primal
HP bundles in Omen Gaming Hub software for better control over the machine. Along with plenty of add-ons, like remote play, AI-based coaching for sure games, desktop gallery, and games library, yous tin can check your system's diagnostics with the press of a button. Undervolting the CPU is possible hither, as is adjusting overall functioning. A network booster lets yous prioritize apps and games when you're non hooked up to Ethernet. And, finally, the graphics switcher allows you to choose between hybrid and discrete graphics.
If you're sitting downwards to tackle productivity work, the hybrid manner will merely enable the GPU when it's truly needed. Otherwise, integrated Intel graphics take over to preserve battery life. On the other hand, yous tin gear up the laptop to use discrete NVIDIA graphics at all times, lowering battery life but boosting performance across the board. For all the post-obit tests, I kept the laptop on detached mode to go the well-nigh power.
Source: Windows Central
Stress testing the CPU and GPU together for 15 minutes saw some impressive results. The Omen xv has a beefy dual-fan cooling system with large intake and vents that run along the entirety of the back of the chassis every bit well as a bit on the right side. Altogether, this allows the fans to get enough air to keep the gaming hardware inside cool enough to perform to its full potential. Fans initially are loud while the Intel CPU hits its Turbo, but once clocks level out the fans current of air downward besides, averaging about 46 decibels at this betoken.
The HP Omen 15 showed no signs of thermal throttling during an extended stress exam.
During the stress test, the CPU leveled out to 78 degrees Celsius with a 3.2GHz clock speed and 34.9W power describe. The GPU at the same time leveled off at 67 degrees Celsius with a 1.56GHz clock speed and 79W power depict. Just shy of the 10-minute mark, the fans sped upwardly to hitting nearly 55 decibels. This test was performed with the laptop connected to power and charging, which generally causes actress rut inside.
Thermal throttling is an consequence that plagues even the all-time gaming laptops. During the 15-minute stress examination, however, at that place was absolutely no recorded thermal throttling in the HP Omen 15. I ran some synthetic benchmarks to see how the Omen 15 compares to other laptops we've recently reviewed.
Adjacent, I tested a few games with built-in benchmark tests at 4K resolution. Starting with Ruddy Dead Redemption ii on Balanced in-game settings, the HP Omen 15 averaged 38.8 FPS with a maximum of 50.2 FPS and a minimum of 27.6 FPS. Moving on to Far Cry 5 with High in-game settings, I got back an average of 45FPS with 37 FPS minimum and 52 FPS maximum. Finally, I ran Shadow of the Tomb Raider with High in-game settings and saw an average of 44 FPS.
From these results, it'due south clear that unless y'all want to plow downwardly in-game settings significantly in intensive games, opting for an FHD display with a high refresh rate is probably the smarter way to go. At to the lowest degree until HP adds NVIDIA's RTX xxx-serial GPUs into the mix. If you're playing less intensive games like esports and indie titles, 4K is yet a viable option every bit long every bit you go with the higher-stop RTX 2070 Super GPU. HP also currently offers the RTX 2060, GTX 1660 Ti, and GTX 1650, though I'd reserve them for an FHD display.
Surprising bombardment life
HP Omen 15 operation and battery
Source: Windows Central
Overall performance from the Omen 15 is first-class. The laptop can go on itself cool without a lot of fan racket, and battery life is surprisingly skilful. Even with the 4K brandish and RTX 2070 Super Max-Q GPU, the Omen 15's 70.9Wh bombardment lasted an hr and 18 minutes in PCMark's gaming rundown test. This was with effulgence around fifty% and performance at maximum.
As for PCMark'southward part rundown test, the Omen xv lasted three hours and 40 minutes. These numbers don't come close to touching what mod Ultrabooks can practice, just for a gaming laptop, these results are higher up average. Opting for an FHD brandish and bottom CPU and GPU would undoubtedly drive those numbers upwards, as would using the built-in hybrid performance mode.
The combination of a mature look, most-perfect 4K display, and performance hardware inside makes the Omen 15 a great selection for professional designers and creators. As for general productivity piece of work, the laptop expectedly excels. I ran some further synthetic benchmarks to meet how the hardware stacks up.
Should you purchase the HP Omen 15?
Source: Windows Central
Who it's for
- Gamers and creators who want an outstanding 4K AMOLED display with HDR
- Those who want a powerful gaming laptop without thermal bug
- Those who want a laptop with mature design
- Those who want to spend between $850 and $ane,500
Who information technology isn't for
- Those who desire NVIDIA RTX 30-series GPUs (for now)
- Those who desire a not bad keyboard
- Those who want a gaming laptop that's every bit thin and lite every bit possible
Considering the value pricing of the Omen 15, the fast Samsung SSD, higher up-average battery life, dazzling 4K display, loftier-finish operation hardware, and overall build quality are surprising. The laptop is like shooting fish in a barrel to upgrade thanks to dual RAM and dual Thou.ii SSD slots, and it runs cool and relatively quiet even under load. HP has been on quite a run lately with its Spectre lineup — just cheque out our HP Spectre x360 fourteen review for proof — and it's clear the success has bled over into the Omen lineup.
The unit I tested sits at the acme of the Omen 15 configuration options, yet it still costs less than the introductory model of the Razer Blade 15. Our Lenovo Legion 7i 15 review shows that it's a flake closer in terms of pricing and functioning compared to the Omen 15, though it doesn't have an optional 4K brandish. And HP's laptop is yet a better value. NVIDIA RTX 30-series GPUs are on the way, which volition make the 4K brandish a lot more tenable for pure gaming.
Even if y'all go with a low-end Omen 15 choice, you become fantabulous cooling and design. I recommend upgrading to at least the FHD display with 144Hz refresh rate, but that still comes with a starting price of about $920. And if yous do want to become all out with the same config every bit the review unit tested here, you're still only spending about $1,450. That's an excellent price-to-performance ratio, and it helps phase the Omen fifteen most the top of the pack when it comes to the all-time gaming laptops available today.
Unreal Gaming Value
HP Omen 15 (2020)
The combination of virtually-perfect 4K display, high-stop performance hardware, mature pattern, and good audio makes the HP Omen 15 an piece of cake buy for anyone who wants to maximize their spending. The keyboard could exist better and it's not the thinnest or lightest gaming laptop out at that place, merely these downsides are easy to justify in the face of all the refreshed Omen lineup does right.
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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/hp-omen-15-2020-review
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