HP OmniBook 16" 5 Silver

The HP OmniBook 5 is a surprisingly light 16-inch laptop with a sharp touchscreen and great port selection, perfect for office work and streaming. The display's color accuracy is poor and the integrated graphics limit it to basic tasks, but at sale prices under $1000 it's a solid value. Skip it if you need to game or edit photos.

The Core Ultra 7 255U handles everyday tasks without breaking a sweat. In our database, the CPU lands in the 61st percentile, which means it's solidly above average for this class of laptop. You can expect snappy app launches, smooth multitasking with dozens of Chrome tabs, and no hiccups during video calls. The 16GB of fast LPDDR5X helps here, keeping things responsive even when you're pushing the machine a bit.

The integrated GPU is where things get interesting, and not in a great way. It ranks in the 97th percentile for integrated graphics, which sounds impressive until you remember it's still integrated graphics. It's one of the best of its kind right now, but that just means it can handle light photo editing or very casual games at low settings. Don't expect to play anything demanding. The 512GB SSD is middle of the pack at the 53rd percentile, so it's quick enough for booting and loading files but nothing record-breaking. For a productivity machine, the performance is exactly where it needs to be, just don't mistake it for a workstation.

Stacked against the Apple MacBook Pro 14", the OmniBook 5 wins on screen size and weight but loses badly on display quality and GPU power. The MacBook's mini-LED panel and M-series chip are in a different league for creative work. The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 is a completely different animal, a gaming tablet that runs circles around the HP in graphics but is smaller and pricier. For a more direct comparison, the Lenovo Legion 5i 83F00008US offers a dedicated GPU and a high-refresh screen for gaming, though it's heavier and bulkier.

The Microsoft Surface Laptop ZGQ-00001 is probably the closest rival in spirit. It's also a sleek, productivity-focused machine with a great touchscreen and premium build. The Surface typically has a better display and a more premium feel, but you'll pay for it. The OmniBook 5 undercuts it on price when on sale and offers more ports, including that rare Ethernet jack. If ports and a big screen matter more than a pixel-perfect display, the HP makes a strong case.

Pricing on the OmniBook 5 is all over the map. We've seen it as low as $899 and as high as $1500, a $601 spread that makes a huge difference in whether this thing is a deal or a dud. At the lower end, you're getting a big, light laptop with a sharp screen and solid build for under a grand, which is pretty compelling. At $1500, you're stepping into MacBook Air 15-inch territory or a well-equipped ASUS Zenbook, both of which offer better screens and longer battery life. If you're buying, hunt for the deal. Memory Express and Newegg are both listing it, so keep an eye on who's got the best price this week.

The HP OmniBook 5 is HP's shot at a big-screen everyday laptop that doesn't weigh a ton. At 1.36kg, it's surprisingly light for a 16-inch machine, and the 2560x1440 touchscreen gives you plenty of room to spread out. It's built around Intel's Core Ultra 7 255U, a 12-core chip designed to sip power and handle light AI tasks, paired with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and a 512GB SSD. If you're hunting for a large laptop for office work, streaming, and general multitasking, this one sits in a pretty interesting spot.

HP is clearly aiming this at people who want a big canvas without the gamer aesthetic or a back-breaking bag. The anti-glare coating and Micro Edge bezels make the display feel modern, and you get a solid port selection with two USB-C, two USB-A, HDMI 2.1, and even an Ethernet jack. Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 are onboard too, so connectivity is current. The price bounces around a lot depending on where you look, from $899 to $1500, so shopping around is key.

But there's a catch, and it's a big one. The integrated Intel HD Graphics are fine for desktop work and video playback, but this is not a machine for gaming or serious creative work. The 62.5% sRGB coverage on the display is also a letdown for photo editing. For the right person, a student or someone who lives in browser tabs and Office apps, the OmniBook 5 makes a lot of sense. For anyone else, you'll want to keep reading.

Skip the OmniBook 5 if you do any kind of creative work that demands color accuracy, the 62.5% sRGB screen just isn't up to it. Gamers should also look elsewhere, the integrated graphics are a non-starter for anything beyond solitaire. If you need all-day battery life away from an outlet, the 59Wh battery and power-hungry big screen mean you'll be reaching for a charger by mid-afternoon. Consider a MacBook Air 15 for better battery and screen quality, or a Lenovo Legion 5i if you want gaming power in a similar size.

The HP OmniBook 5 is a good laptop for a specific person: someone who wants a huge screen in a light body for office work, streaming, and browsing, and doesn't care about gaming or color-accurate photo editing. The port selection is genuinely great, the keyboard is backlit, and the touchscreen is responsive. It's a practical machine that covers the basics well.

Should you buy it? If you can snag it for under $1000 and your workload is mostly web apps, documents, and video calls, yes. It's a comfortable, capable daily driver. If you need to edit photos, play games, or want a screen that pops with color, look elsewhere. The washed-out display and integrated graphics are dealbreakers for creative work. For everyone else, it's a solid, if unexciting, big-screen laptop that gets the job done.