ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The OmniBook X 14, HP’s new Copilot+ AI PC, is offered now beginning at $1,150 (presently on sale for $100 off).
- It is extraordinarily moveable and has maybe one of many longest-lasting batteries available on the market proper now.
- The mediocre show and modest {hardware} configuration might depart this laptop computer overshadowed by different Snapdragon PCs.
Upon first look, Home windows on ARM with Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X Elite processor is identical expertise as wherever else, besides it is noticeably quicker, snappier, and extra responsive.
Such is the case with the OmniBook X 14, HP’s first era of consumer-facing laptops with the Snapdragon chip: a mid-range Copilot+ PC with none earthshaking options however a powerful battery and improved efficiency in an ultraportable kind issue.
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First impressions of the OmniBook reveal a well-optimized laptop computer that boots up rapidly, awakens from sleep nearly instantly, multitasks effectively, and is completely silent. It additionally runs cool, has a incredible battery, and is skinny and lightweight, making it best for digital nomads or professionals with a hybrid work format.
Nevertheless, I used the OmniBook X 14 as my predominant driver for 2 weeks throughout the testing course of, and the nearer I checked out it, the extra difficult the image turned. Extra on that in a bit. Let’s break down the specs first.
The OmniBook X 14 comes with 512GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD however could be upgraded to 1TB of storage, bringing the value as much as $1,250. The Snapdragon X Elite’s sturdy efficiency is clear in methods shoppers will care about: apps open and shut rapidly, webpages spring to life immediately, and the machine has no drawback switching between completely different duties with out lacking a beat.
Throughout benchmarking in Cinebench 24, I obtained a single core rating of 2326, and a multicore rating of 13160, putting it proper across the likes of fellow Snapdragon-equipped Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x, and the Dell XPS 14 with the Intel Core Extremely 7 155H. Each of these machines have OLED shows, nonetheless, with the previous being much less barely costly.
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Moreover, the OmniBook X comes with the XIE-78-100 mannequin of the Snapdragon Elite chip, which, at 3.4GHz, is the slowest configuration, basically the identical because the Snapdragon X Plus, (the lower-tier mannequin) with no dual-core enhance.
Turning to the 14-inch touchscreen show on the OmniBook, it is tremendous, nevertheless it’s not an OLED, and it isn’t very shiny. The colour gamut is respectable, however It faucets out at 300 nits of brightness and a 60Hz refresh price. I might have appreciated to see a brighter show and/or a 120Hz refresh price on the OmniBook.
Transferring to the laptop computer’s kind issue, issues look higher. It is surprisingly mild and skinny, at simply 2.97 kilos, and is available in both a impartial chrome colour or a matte ceramic white mannequin, which is sharp-looking and smudge-resistant.
Connectivity is okay, with two USB-C Thunderbolt ports, a USB-A, and three.5mm headphone jack. There is no SD card slot, which, paired with a barely higher show, would have gone a good distance towards making this laptop computer just a little extra premium. On that notice, the keyboard is not high-end, however it’s satisfying and practical, smudge-resistant (a giant one for me), and has a pleasant key journey distance with enticing backlighting.
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The machine’s 5MP webcam can also be fairly good and contributes to its use case as a conveyable workstation for digital nomads or hybrid professionals tethered to day by day videoconferencing.
Additional supporting that truth is HP’s AI-powered Poly Digicam Professional software program, which comes loaded on the OmniBook with a variety of templates and quality-of-life settings for the webcam, together with spotlighting, delicate look touchups, background blurring, and a digital enterprise card overlay function that shows your identify and phone info in quite a lot of designs.
For those who’re taking calls with any diploma of regularity, the Snapdragon chip feels nice to make use of, with near-instant load instances for the webcam and related conferencing apps, and regardless of the 60Hz refresh price, a silky-smooth video feed.
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Alright, I saved the very best a part of this laptop computer for final. Merely put, the battery on this factor is spectacular. HP states that the 59Wh battery on the OmniBook X 14 will get as much as 26 hours of battery life, and I discovered this to be kind of correct.
The AI within the Snapdragon chips modify energy provide to the processor based mostly on present want, dropping to nearly zero when the machine is off or asleep. In apply, the objective behind that is for the laptop computer to easily not lose battery when not in use.
Whereas utilizing the laptop computer, the battery life can also be fairly good. In reality, throughout my two weeks of utilizing the OmniBook, I not often even thought concerning the battery, simply plugging it in when it was handy to take action, as an alternative of being prompted to by Home windows.
Even higher, I obtained nearly similar outcomes when benchmarking plugged into energy versus whereas working on battery. This implies efficiency would not take a dip if you do not have entry to an outlet, sealing the deal as a stable laptop computer for ultra-mobile distant staff. Remember the fact that I obtained these outcomes solely after a number of back-to-back Home windows updates and restart cycles that rolled out throughout testing, together with a BIOS replace.
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Efficiency and bodily specs apart, the OmniBook X 14 is a part of the primary era of Snapdragon X laptops, which operates on ARM in comparison with any Home windows machine on x86. Which means sure applications do not run effectively but, and a few do not run in any respect, an necessary issue to contemplate relating to early adoption.
There are going to be hiccups as builders optimize and make their applications appropriate. And even apps which might be appropriate with Home windows on ARM aren’t totally optimized. Once I first fired up DaVinci Resolve on the OmniBook, it was laggy, with stuttering and skipping. After a Home windows replace a number of days later, efficiency improved.
Gaming is just not totally supported by Home windows on ARM but too. Many titles do not work, and in the event that they do, the efficiency is subpar. The OmniBook is not a gaming laptop, so I would not be attempting to run video games on this machine anyway, however proper now we do not have a lot of a alternative both means.
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This will get to the meat of the difficulty right here. Sure, the CPU is quick and environment friendly, and the NPU on these processors runs AI-related duties higher than the rest available on the market, however the chips are held again by Home windows’ performance (at the very least for now), and this stress between the 2 might be on the root reason behind a whole lot of points till the rising pains subside.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
The HP OmniBook X 14 is a stable alternative for distant staff, digital nomads, and professionals who want a strong laptop computer with a marathon battery. I might additionally advocate this laptop computer to those that are actively engaged with AI-related duties and all in with its future functions.
For those who’re in search of a Copilot+ PC with a greater show, you would possibly need to take a look at the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x. For those who’re in search of an HP laptop computer with an Intel chip, check out the HP Envy x360 2-in-1.