HP OmniBook 5 Review: A MacBook Air Alternative at a Competitive Price

The HP OmniBook 5 is an exceptional alternative to the MacBook Air, especially with its attractive price of $900 for the 32GB version. This laptop stands out for its amazing long battery life, lightweight design, and powerful performance. However, there are some points that warrant attention, such as its glossy screen which may hinder clear visibility in bright lighting, and the limited number of ports that may necessitate the use of an additional docking station.

Familiar Design

At first glance, the OmniBook 5 greatly resembles a MacBook. This resemblance is evident in its glossy silver color, elegant chiclet-style keyboard keys in their contrasting gray color, and its clear 2K display. Most striking is the device's lightness; weighing 2.84 pounds (about 1.29 kg), the OmniBook gives you the feeling of a paper notebook when held.

Like the MacBook Air, this device features a limited number of ports. One side houses two super-fast Thunderbolt 4 ports (10 Gbps), while the other side contains a USB-A port next to the headphone jack. For those who need wider connectivity options, it will be necessary to use a laptop docking station.

The speakers on the HP OmniBook 5 laptop are located at the front, directly below the palm rest. Although this placement may not be optimal, the speakers deliver powerful performance and rich sound quality thanks to HP Audio Boost technology. This technology, often integrated with Bang & Olufsen audio expertise, enhances and amplifies sound output quality to deliver louder, clearer audio with powerful bass, providing the user with an immersive and distinctive audio experience. (Source: HP Tech Takes, HP Care Forum). The internal speakers are capable of producing deep and tangible bass sound in the lower part of the device.

The keyboard on the OmniBook 5 offers a comfortable typing experience, with excellent key response and quiet, rubberized keycaps. The device also successfully passes the "one-finger test," remaining stable and secure when lifting the lid with one hand.

Screen Quality

The screen in the reviewed version is an OLED 2K (1900 x 1200 pixels) display, featuring a maximum brightness of 300 nits, with support for 95% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. This provides a vibrant and color-rich visual experience, making images and videos appear lifelike.

Vision Challenges: Glossy Screen Brightness

The only negative point noted is the excessive glossiness of the screen. Even with brightness set to the highest level, the user may experience difficulty with clear visibility due to significant light reflections, and this problem is exacerbated with the deep black colors characteristic of OLED screens.

Powerful Performance in a Lightweight Design

Since the HP OmniBook 5 is a laptop powered by ARM processors, performance evaluation can be complex due to the incompatibility of some standard benchmarks. The device comes equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus processor, 32GB of RAM, and a Qualcomm Adreno X1-45 graphics card. The presence of 32GB of RAM in this compact laptop was surprising, as the usual expectation was 16GB.

The 16GB version of the HP OmniBook 5 is available for $549 at Best Buy, an economical option suitable for many users. While the 32GB version offers slightly more powerful performance, making it more capable of handling increasing software demands. This amount of memory ensures excellent performance for the OmniBook to work well. The device has shown superiority over the Zenbook in Geekbench tests, reflecting above-average processing power, but it lags behind the latest MacBook Air with the M4 chip. The OmniBook sits in an intermediate position between the two devices in terms of performance. However, Cinebench 24 results indicate that it may face some challenges with heavy graphics workloads, such as high-definition video editing or 3D model design.

Everyday Performance

During the testing period, the OmniBook 5 proved its high efficiency as a reliable work device. For example, the device was able to seamlessly handle high-resolution photo editing, even while running multiple live streams on YouTube at 1440p, displaying 10 looping GIFs, and browsing multiple lists on Amazon via Chrome simultaneously. No slowdown in performance was observed, allowing photo editing tasks to be completed efficiently. In an additional stress test, 50 Chrome tabs were opened, with "Breaking Bad" streaming on Netflix in one of them, and the device showed good responsiveness. Interacting with the HP AI Companion was also smooth, with no interruptions in conversations with the smart assistant, allowing questions about optimizing cardio exercises or suitable running shoe types to be asked without any noticeable delay. Chrome did experience some slowdown, but this was a common issue related to the browser's ability to handle such a large number of open tabs.

Windows App Compatibility on ARM Processors

Given that the HP OmniBook 5 is powered by ARM processors, this may raise concerns about the compatibility of some traditional Windows applications. Not all applications are fully optimized for this architecture, although recent developments have significantly improved the situation since the early versions of these processors. During tests, no major issues were recorded with common third-party applications such as Google Chrome, Steam, and Discord. However, the possibility of some incompatible applications always remains, so it is advisable to check the compatibility of critical applications before purchase.

ZDNET Buying Advice

HP offers multiple configuration options for the OmniBook 5 device. Currently, the 32GB version of the HP OmniBook 5, equipped with a 2K OLED touchscreen, can be obtained from HP's website for $899.

For users who don't need maximum power and are looking for an economical option, the 16GB version is available at Best Buy for $549. This is a very competitive price for a device that includes an OLED screen and a 512GB SSD. Apple's MacBook Air M4 is a strong alternative to the OmniBook 5, and it is currently available for $100 less. If you prefer to stay within the Windows 11 environment, the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus is recommended, which is on sale at Best Buy with a 42% discount, making it an attractive option.