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After years as (almost) the only game in town, Intel is suddenly just one of several fine choices for your next laptop‘s silicon, with the chip giant’s new Core Ultra Series 2 processors challenged by other AI-ready CPUs including Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X and AMD’s Ryzen AI. And unlike past years, the Intel alternatives are widely available in flagship contenders like HP’s OmniBook Ultra 14 (starts at $1,349.99; $1,679.99 as tested). The OmniBook’s Ryzen AI chip doesn’t disappoint, delivering both strong performance and impressive battery life, but the HP overall isn’t quite as refined as some 14-inch competitors.
Design: Bland But Well-Executed
AMD configurations of the OmniBook Ultra 14 start at $1,349.99 with a Ryzen AI 9 365 CPU with AMD Radeon 880M integrated graphics, 16GB of memory, and a 512GB solid-state drive. Our loaded review unit rose to $1,679.99 direct from HP with a Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 processor, AMD Radeon 890M integrated graphics, 32GB of onboard RAM, and 2TB of storage. All models have a 14-inch IPS touch screen with 2,240-by-1,400-pixel resolution.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
HP’s design doesn’t make much of an impression straight out of the box. The Ultra 14 is attractive, but its gray metallic exterior doesn’t immediately stand out from competitive slimlines from Acer, Asus, and Lenovo. The laptop’s only unique trait is a Spectre-like 45-degree cutout at each rear corner. That aside, I doubt most people would know the OmniBook was an HP laptop if not for the badge on the lid.
While the OmniBook isn’t much to look at, HP delivers on the fundamentals. The laptop can be opened with a single finger, the exterior materials have a luxurious metallic luster, and the chassis seems slate-like when handled. Even the display lid, a weak spot for many laptops, doesn’t warp or flex as the display is opened or closed. The Dell XPS 14 is similarly solid, but the Asus Zenbook S 14 and Acer Swift X 14 don’t feel as premium.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
The laptop’s rigidity makes it easy to forget it’s close to our three-pound ultraportable cutoff (3.47 pounds) and measures just 0.65 inch thick. It’s not the thinnest or lightest laptop around, as competitors like the LG Gram SuperSlim offer a wafer-thin chassis, but the OmniBook’s size and weight are comparable to other 14-inch frequent fliers including the abovementioned Asus and Dell and the Lenovo Yoga 9i.
Connectivity: That’s It?
HP took a hatchet to the OmniBook Ultra 14’s physical connectivity, though what it does have isn’t bad. You’ll find two USB4 Thunderbolt 4 ports on its right flank. Both support 40Gbps data rates and power delivery, meaning they can be used to charge the laptop, and DisplayPort dongle compatibility for connecting an external monitor. They’re fine, versatile ports, though I wish there were one on each side instead of placing both on the right.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
Otherwise, the OmniBook has just one USB Type-A port and a 3.5mm combo audio jack. There’s no dedicated video output (i.e., HDMI), and a wired Ethernet port is absent. The inclusion of just one USB-A means many users will need to buy a hub or dock to expand USB-A connectivity.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
While the HP’s physical connectivity is lacking, its wireless connectivity is excellent. The laptop supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, the latest versions of each wireless standard. Most people don’t yet own a Wi-Fi 7 router or Bluetooth 5.4 devices, but support for these specs helps future-proof the notebook.
Using the OmniBook Ultra 14: The Keyboard Needs Work
The Ultra 14 has a spacious keyboard that immediately felt familiar under my fingertips, but that’s where my praise ends. This is a thin, portable laptop, and that means space is at a premium. As a result, the OmniBook settles for short-travel keys that activate with a quick, vague action. The keyboard is usable, but not as pleasant as the more precise, tactile units found on Lenovo’s Slim laptops or the most recent iterations of Apple’s MacBook Pro and Air.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
I don’t have much love for the touchpad, either. It measures a tad under 5 inches wide and about 3 inches deep. That’s comparable to alternatives like the Acer Swift X 14 and Asus Zenbook S 14, but smaller than the Dell XPS 14 or Apple MacBook Pro 14. The pad’s surface is responsive, but I thought it had an unpleasant, plasticky texture.
Audio performance, on the other hand, is a strength. The OmniBook’s keyboard is flanked by a pair of upward-firing speakers that deliver crisp, clear, and enjoyable audio. Their maximum volume is a bit low, but the speakers are still well above average and fine for watching YouTube, listening to podcasts, or playing music at low volume while working.
Testing the HP OmniBook Ultra 14: A Strong Performer With Great Battery Life
As mentioned, the OmniBook Ultra 14 I tested was the most powerful configuration available. Its AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 processor has a total of 12 cores (four Zen 5 cores and eight less performant Zen 5c cores) with a maximum clock frequency of 5.1GHz, as well as AMD’s currently fastest available integrated graphics, the Radeon 890M platform. The AMD silicon was paired with 32GB of RAM and a 2TB solid-state drive.
I compared the HP’s performance to that of several similar 14-inch lightweights reviewed by PCMag in the past year. The Asus Zenbook S 14 has Intel’s new Core Ultra 7 258V, a direct competitor to AMD’s Ryzen AI chip. Other comparison systems include the Dell XPS 14, the Acer Swift X 14, and the Framework Laptop 13, all of which had prior generations of Intel hardware. The Dell and Acer also ditched integrated graphics for Nvidia’s entry-level GeForce RTX 4050 discrete GPU.
Productivity and Content Creation Tests
PCMag’s productivity testing begins with UL’s PCMark 10, a thorough benchmark that simulates real-world tasks like document editing, managing large spreadsheets, and videoconferencing. This test evaluates multiple aspects of a laptop’s performance including the CPU, GPU, and memory and also includes a storage benchmark.
Next, we conduct three essential CPU benchmarks. Maxon’s Cinebench challenges the processor by rendering a complex scene using the Cinema 4D engine. Geekbench 6.3 Pro, developed by Primate Labs, measures performance across a variety of everyday tasks including PDF rendering and speech recognition. We also put a stopwatch on systems while using HandBrake 1.8, an open-source video transcoder, to compress a 4K video to 1080p resolution.
For a final, demanding test we turn to Puget Systems’ PugetBench for Photoshop. This Adobe extension automates tasks like image resizing, masking, and applying filters in the popular image editor.
The HP was a clear winner in these tests, taking the lead in six of seven tests (and landing in the middle of the pack in storage performance). The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 takes most of the credit, posting big wins in multicore benchmarks like Cinebench and HandBrake. Overall, the OmniBook leaves most 14-inch laptops eating its dust and can even keep pace with some 16-inch desktop replacements, like the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 16 and Lenovo Yoga 7i 16 Gen 9.
Graphics Tests
Our graphics tests rely on UL’s 3DMark test suite, specifically the Wild Life (standard and Extreme), Steel Nomad (standard and Light), and Solar Bay benchmarks. Run at varying resolutions, these tests provide a good sense of how a laptop will perform with a variety of 3D content, from less demanding indie titles to the fanciest AAA games.
The OmniBook’s AMD integrated graphics predictably trailed the entry-level Nvidia dedicated GPUs of the Acer and Dell, but the performance gap between the Radeon 890M silicon and the GeForce RTX 4050 wasn’t always as dramatic as you might expect. In the Wild Life test, the Nvidia duo was only about 30% quicker instead of doubling the HP’s performance (and in the Dell’s case, opting for discrete graphics adds $400 to the price). Though not meant for high-end gaming, the OmniBook can reach a frame rate of 30fps in many games if you stick to 1080p resolution and low to medium detail settings.
Battery and Display Tests
PCMag tests laptops’ battery life by continuously looping a locally stored 720p video (the short film Tears of Steel) in full-screen mode, with screen brightness set to 50% and audio volume at 100%. Before starting, the laptop is fully charged, and Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and keyboard backlighting are turned off.
We use a Datacolor SpyderX Elite monitor calibration sensor and software to test the display. This colorimeter measures the screen’s color gamut across the sRGB, Adobe RGB, and DCI-P3 palettes, with results expressed as percentages. It also measures brightness in nits (candelas per square meter) at both 50% and 100% brightness levels.
The OmniBook Ultra 14 lasted almost 21 and a half hours in our video rundown, far longer than most laptops we’ve tested. The Dell XPS 14 wasn’t far behind, but others trailed by six to nine hours.
Display quality, on the other hand, is a weakness. The HP’s touch screen has a crisp resolution of 2,240 by 1,400 pixels, which works out to a density of roughly 188 pixels per inch, which is better than a 27-inch 4K monitor. However, its in-plane switching (IPS) panel can’t compete with more vivid OLED alternatives. The OmniBook’s display looks fine on its own, but seems dull and flat when compared to the more brilliant color and far superior contrast of the likes of the Zenbook and Swift X.
Verdict: A Powerhouse, But Not Perfect
HP’s OmniBook Ultra 14 proves that AMD’s latest Ryzen AI processors can meet and beat their Intel rivals, giving the 0.65-inch-thin laptop CPU performance more akin to that of 16-inch laptops. The HP also defeated Asus’ Zenbook S 14, which had Intel’s new Core Ultra 7 258V “Lunar Lake” chip. Battery life is outstanding as well, and AMD’s latest integrated graphics silicon is near the top of its class, if no match for the discrete GPUs of gaming laptops.
However, the OmniBook’s performance is tempered by an unimpressive keyboard, limited physical connectivity, and a lackluster IPS touch panel. None of these is a deal-breaker on its own, but users who don’t need the Ryzen AI’s horsepower for demanding apps may tilt toward like-size alternatives like the Asus Zenbook S 14 and the Dell XPS 14.
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The Bottom Line
Thanks to AMD’s new Ryzen AI chips, HP’s OmniBook Ultra 14 delivers strong performance and great battery life in a compact package. However, it falls behind competitors in connectivity, display quality, and the typing experience.
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