HP Omen 15 review: an ideal laptop to combine work and play at a reasonable price
One of the first classic computer brands that decided to offer a family of gaming laptops was HP. Since then, Omen has been a recognized brand within the sector.
The HP Omen 15 is one of its new, more balanced gaming laptop models. With it, the user takes home a computer with which he can play amply at 1080p at a reasonable price, and all this with a design suitable for the general public.
HP Omen
I still remember like it was yesterday (a few years actually) the design of previous generations of Omen laptops. Its more radical appearance and seeking, above all, to impress based on muscular hardware responded to a first strong push from the gaming world in non-specialized brands.
The HP Omen 15 that we have analyzed has already left behind the superficial appearances of the previous generation, and this new model reaffirms its commitment to a more elegant design with gaming touches just where it is needed.
The design of the HP Omen 15 is elegant and attractive, but we would have liked a more robust finish.
The case of this laptop only offers a black tone with a matte finish. It is attractive, although you have to be careful with the grease on your fingers because it is not difficult for the fingerprints to leave a trace that is not easy to remove. Still, they are not very visible. The renewed Omen logo stands out much more, which gives the team a lot of personalities. And it offers a changing tone depending on the incidence of light on it.
The finish of the HP Omen 15 is in plastic, something that is transferred directly in the feeling of the robustness of the equipment, somewhat less than in the models with finishes based on metal alloys. In any case, we have found it to be a resistant device with good details, such as the 180-degree opening of the screen, which allows it to be raised comfortably and smoothly with one hand.
The HP Omen 15 remains a reasonably standard device in weight and thickness. We are talking about 2.5 kg and a little more than 2.2 cm on the sides.
A laptop screen adjusted to the price of the equipment
The versatile and off-road spirit that many families of gaming laptops have been assuming for a few years is perfectly reflected on the screen of this new HP Omen 15.
The HP Omen 15 bets on a standard screen with 1080p resolution and 144 Hz refresh rate
Here we have a panel that we can consider standard for a gaming laptop. They are 15.6 inches, IPS and FullHD resolution. It offers, yes, a refresh rate of 144 Hz (and FreeSync) but a response time of 7 ms, something that not all gamers will like.
In addition, the panel is matte, with anti-reflective protection so that we can use it with some comfort outdoors or with powerful indoor lights. But this takes away some of its spectacular nature even though the brightness is 300 nits and quite regular across the panel’s entire surface, which can also boast a correct viewing angle.
The aspirations of a laptop for something more than gaming are covered in a solvent way, being a panel that covers the NTSC color space at 72%.
The sound of this equipment is basically in charge of Bang & Olufsen, which puts its experience to “tune” the two speakers that have HP Audio Boost technology.
Omen-Audio
Those speakers are positioned, taking advantage of the beveled shape of the bottom of the laptop. They offer a good balance between sound power, fidelity, and bass boost. Logically we have an application to customize the sound experience and adjust equalization.
Ryzen 7 + RTX 3070: a combination that falls in love
HP has been one of the brands that have opted for AMD processors for its gaming equipment. They are not alone, as there are configurations with Intel chips.
But given the performance of this combination of the RTX 3070 with a processor like the Ryzen 7 5800H both for gaming and for any demanding or leisure/work task, it would be the choice that we would choose in this Omen team if we look at the performance/price balance.
A laptop screen adjusted to the price of the equipment
The versatile and off-road spirit that many families of gaming laptops have been assuming for a few years is perfectly reflected on the screen of this new HP Omen 15.
The HP Omen 15 bets on a standard screen with 1080p resolution and a refresh rate of 144 Hz
An amazing cooling system
Omen Tempest Cooling. This is how HP baptized the cooling system for its range of laptops, which we have been able to test in this new HP Omen 15.
The system comprises two fans supported by five heat pipes, which are responsible for reducing the temperature inside and extracting said air out of the equipment via the three ventilation slots.
As we have seen first-hand, the system is highly effective in reducing component heating, albeit at the cost of a relatively high noise level.
When gaming and having the performance profile active in the HP control suite, the fans make an impressive appearance at operating speeds above 5500 rpm, quickly translating into a reasonably loud sound that requires us to play. We must use headphones that isolate us from that noise.
This continuous care of the cooling system concerning the system translates into controlled temperatures at all times, at least without us having to indicate that they reached levels that could damage the components or affect the overall performance of the equipment.