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HP Omen 17 Review: Heavyweight Champion

It won’t be an over-exaggeration to claim that the 2023 variant of the HP Omen 17 with the RTX 4080 GPU and 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13900HX is the best gaming laptop money can buy right now. It comes with a hefty price of ₹2,69,990, which confused me as to whether a gaming purist would invest this much in a laptop rather than custom building their own desktop. But after spending a reasonable amount of time with the HP Omen 17, I can confidently say that even the hardcore gaming desktop user will consider it their primary gaming device. There’s a lot to love with this gaming beast but also two major issues which can be a deal breaker for many.

Design: Nothing New

The HP Omen 17’s 2023 model does not bring any changes in the design section but boasts the latest hardware. It has a simple and plain black design with an HP Omen logo on the lid which reflects lighting. People looking for an aesthetically pleasing laptop cannot consider this one as it is not exactly eye candy. The first thing you’ll notice when you pick it out of the box is how bulky this machine is. This by no means is a lightweight laptop as it weighs a huge 2.78 kg. The ‘Heavyweight Champion’ title for this one suits it the best! It has a sturdy metallic build with a matte finish all over it. This is a double-edged sword as while the matte finish itself flaunts a classy aesthetic, it is also a fingerprint magnet. The 17.3-inch QHD display rests strongly on a solid hinge but the lid wobbles a little too much for my anxious self.

It sports an optical-mechanical keyboard which does not come with a dedicated number pad. Thus, heavy-duty typing will not be an issue for users. HP has shown no stringency when it comes to the port selection of this laptop. On the left side, you get a Gigabit Ethernet port, a USB 3.2 Gen1 (USB-A) Port, a Mini DisplayPort, an HDMI 2.1 port, One Thunderbolt 4 port, an audio jack and an SD card slot. The right side features just two USB 3.2 Gen 1 (USB-A) ports.

Display: Standout

The Omen 17 brings in a 17.3-inch IPS display with a high refresh rate of 240Hz. It sports a QHD resolution of 2560×1440 pixels with a peak brightness of 300 nits. The brightness is good enough for indoor settings and given the weight of this laptop, very few would consider carrying it around so it won’t be an issue. There’s a lot to love with the display as it produces punchy colours and has great viewing angles coupled with a high refresh rate. While it was not a problem with me, some would definitely not appreciate HP sticking with the 16:9 aspect ratio while many companies have now moved on to 16:10.

Performance: One Complaint

With a laptop which boasts features like a 13th Gen Intel i9 and RTX 4080 GPU and 32GB of DDR5 RAM, you don’t really worry whether it will perform well. It handles pretty much everything you throw at it ranging from gaming to editing high-resolution videos. I played Detroit: Become Human and Marvel’s Spider-Man on this machine resulting in optimum performance for an immersive gaming experience. Sure, the laptop needs to dissipate heat and its fans get loud, but never loud to the point where it takes you out of the game. You can barely notice any frame rates dropping during extensive gaming sessions on the HP Omen 17 which is simply amazing.

However, there is one major complaint when it comes to this laptop. You simply cannot run it without keeping it hooked to the power source. It does not matter if you’re playing games or consuming content on OTT platforms, the battery drains quickly. This is the quickest battery drain I’ve ever experienced on a laptop with a 100 to 50 power drop in just half an hour of YouTube. Additionally, the weight of this laptop coupled with the weight of the bulky charger packaged by HP in the box makes it impossible to call it portable.

Verdict

The HP Omen 17 is the quintessential laptop for all gamers out there who do not wish to invest in a desktop setup. The NVIDIA 4080 GPU coupled with 32GB DDR5 SDRAM and 13th Gen i9 makes it a complete package.

Rating – ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Amen, Omen: HP Omen 15 review

Hewlett Packard, known in the computing world as HP, has always been keen on providing maximum performance at a minimal price. Well, minimal if you consider the value on offer and the competition. When Intel came up with the latest 10th series mobile CPUs, HP jumped on the bandwagon to upgrade its offering in the gaming industry.

While the baseline HP Pavilion Gaming gets a 16-inch model as an update, the flagship Omen series has undergone considerable changes. While the Omen X acts as the top boss in the lineup, I will be exploring the Omen 15 in detail, which I got a chance to review. Here are my thoughts.

First Impressions:

If the Omen had to mean what it is named after, it would be a rather good omen. Not that it doesn’t have its share of drawbacks and shortcomings, but more on that later. A glance at the laptop defines its purpose and HP has done a fantastic job keeping it straight, sophisticated, and subtle. The lack of RGB lighting on the exterior gives the laptop an understated look, but probably that’s where its stealth factor comes in. Displaying its logo in a shiny diamond background is the only telltale sign of what lies underneath. The new update has made the laptop sleeker and stealthier, making it more powerful and purpose-oriented.

As I opened the lid, I was greeted by the ‘015’ branding on the keyboard deck. This is the first sign of the laptop being a gaming-oriented machine. Its chassis has a metal finish and a matte black colour. While it does look appealing, it tends to attract a lot of smudges. The shiny logo will immediately start to look worn and used if not taken proper care of. The lid itself is quite flimsy and was unable to hold its position as I moved and jerked the laptop around. Not that it was a pressure test, but HP Omen 15 could use a bit better build quality.

Another parameter that seems unnecessary is the 180-degree flat hinge. It appears useless as there would be hardly any ardent gamer who would lay the laptop flat on the table to play. Add to that a weight of 2.36 kilos, and you have a good “chunky” laptop at your disposal.

According to HP, the Omen 15 gaming laptop has the smallest footprint in the 15-inch gaming laptop segment. However, it is in no way lightweight and will give you a decent arm workout should you choose to carry it around in a handbag. However, carrying it on your back is relatively easier.

Display

The unit I reviewed displayed all its content on a Full-HD (1920×1080) resolution, with 144Hz refresh rate screen (though it can scale up to 300Hz as per the model) compatible with Nvidia G-Sync. The IPS panel offers 300 nits of brightness, 72 per cent NTSC, and 90 per cent sRGB colour gamut coverage.

While it isn’t the best offering for gamers, it is a pretty solid deal for the price tag it commands. Narrow bezels surround the display on three sides, which offers a decently immersive experience. Continuing the “matte finish” theme, the laptop also features a non-reflective display which is great for gaming.

Connectivity and Hardware

HP does not like to comprise on connectivity and it shows. Armed with three USB-A ports, a USB-C port with Thunderbolt 3 support, an HDMI, Mini DisplayPort, and a 3.5mm connector for your headphones or microphone, the laptop can connect to practically anything you throw at it. It also gets an SD card reader, should any content creator or photographer wish to unload the data onto its super-fast 1 TB SSD, more on that later.

The laptop charges via a standard barrel charging pin and can sustain light to medium use for 6-8 hours a day on a full charge. However, for heavy gaming, it is recommended to keep the charger plugged in as AAA games will drain the battery otherwise.

Coming to the keyboard, it is a pleasant sight to look at. With full-sized arrow keys, it took us straight back to the time when I used to play 8-bit games with blocky controls. The keyboard has RGB lighting, though the one present under the keyboard isn’t the best of the lot either.

I found it best to use a single light, or switch it off altogether. The keyboard misses out on the Numpad, though it compensates for it with a few handy shortcut keys.

Typing on the keyboard for prolonged periods would have been easier if it wasn’t for the laptop’s jagged edges, starting digging into the wrists after some time.

HP has sent me the Omen 15 with a 10-gen Intel Core i7-10750H, 16GB of RAM and GeForce GTX 1660Ti with 6GB VRAM. Since I had to use the laptop for general office work, it neither took load on itself nor gave me trouble.

For the average office-goer, the laptop will be a boon as it will be lag-free and sustainable for as long as you would like. Ardent gamers, however, will be slightly underwhelmed by the hardware. However, this should be the perfect pick for someone running on a budget.

The heat dissipation was also remarkable, and the laptop managed to stay cool as I enjoyed hours of gameplay! The fan did become slightly noisy and could be heard over the keyboard, but it wasn’t too intrusive or distracting. Bang and Olufsen have provided a sound system for the laptop, which sits under a somewhat quirky design on the keyboard’s top.

While the sound output is decent, I didn’t use the speakers a lot as my headphones were almost always plugged in. Overall, I’d like to say that HP Omen 15 is a compelling package at its price point if you overlook its few drawbacks.

Verdict

Priced well above the Rs 1 lakh mark, the Omen has to be a well-researched and thought out pick for someone looking for a good gaming experience. While it does its job well, its shortcomings might dissuade some buyers who have a higher budget. Nevertheless, it is a value for money machine that’ll be capable enough for your productivity and gaming needs.

HP introduces esports scholarship at OMEN FanFest 2020

HP India today announced the inaugural ‘esports Gold Quest’ scholarships at the OMEN FanFest 2020, in support of the rise of PC Gaming culture in India. The ‘esports Gold Quest” scholarship is a program that will provide gamers with the necessary financial support, equipment, skills, and exposure to help them in their quest to compete on the global stage and become future esports stars.

With esports becoming a global phenomenon, HP recognizes the need to provide Indian talent with the right set of tools and guidance to compete at the world stage and bring the country its recognition in esports. The esports Gold Quest scholarships will select three applicants and will offer them an annual scholarship worth Rs 12 lacs each, which will include a full esports kit from OMEN, a monthly salary of 50k and an international training stint.

The scholarship will be open to Indian applicants in the 16 – 20-year age group. The nationwide talent hunt program for selection will roll out in Jan 2021 with final selections in June 2021.

With gaming breaking down boundaries and merging seamlessly with popular culture, a platform was needed to showcase its rise. The OMEN FanFest accomplishes this by bringing together influential figures in the world of esports, contemporary culture and gaming enthusiasts on a common stage, and celebrates PC gaming in a manner never seen before.

Ketan Patel – Managing Director, HP India Market said, “Gaming and esports are among the fastest-growing competitive pursuits in India and globally. It is a stage on which Indian talent has the potential to compete with the best in the globe. As a market leader, we are working towards making the gaming ecosystem more inclusive for everyone, fueling the passion for gaming, and providing a launchpad for budding esports talent in the country. The scholarship program announced today is in line with our philosophy of ‘Play to Progress’ and we hope to see champions at the world stage from India soon.”

As a confluence of gaming and popular culture, the OMEN FanFest will bring together some of the biggest names in the world of esports and entertainment. These include Tirth Mehta, India’s first esports medalist; Ulrich Schulze, SVP, Product Management at ESL; Akshat Rathee, MD & Founder, NODWIN gaming, Abish Mathew- Standup Comic and other enthusiast gamers among many more.

The OMEN FanFest will also feature a contest that will offer participants the chance to become the fifth member of the HP OMEN Squad – which brings together people of diverse origins with one unifying goal to merge gaming with mainstream culture. Current members of the OMEN Squad include esports pro gamer Hellranger, professional live streamer Manasvini, gamer and content creator Ocean Sharma and stand-up comic Abish Mathew.

To further enhance the gaming ecosystem, HP is also announcing the ‘OMEN Crib’ – an entire gaming setup designed for the ultimate gameplay experience. The OMEN Crib comprises a dual monitor desk, keyboard, headset, mouse, mousepad, speakers and the OMEN gaming chair – all in a minimalist but stylish package.

Gamers stand a chance to win one OMEN Crib every week through a contest all through December exclusively on Flipkart.

The OMEN FanFest follows the recent unveiling of the brand-new range of OMEN laptops and accessories, updates to OMEN Command Center, and the HP Pavilion gaming 16. The OMEN range offers “First of its kind” hardware technologies in the industry enabling Gameplay experience to the next level and offers unmatched power without any compromise. OMEN and Pavilion PCs, and accessories provide an immersive experience to the gamers helping them stay connected, relaxed, and entertained while at home.