Why you can trust Laptop Mag
Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
Cheap laptops are often forced to make some trade-offs, which shouldn’t come as a surprise. The challenge is to find one that matches the features you care about at a price you can afford. The HP OmniBook 5 AI Laptop is the latest contender for the best laptops under $1,000 to cross my desk, so let’s see how HP did.
This polished 16-inch laptop includes all the basic specs you need for casual use, studying, or light work tasks. If you’re eyeing a budget-friendly 16-inch laptop, you might stop there, but we need to dig deeper to see if it’s truly a good value.
As much as I wanted to like the HP OmniBook 5 Laptop AI, it has one major drawback and a couple of disappointments that killed some of my enthusiasm. Compared to the best laptops, it’s just not great bang for your buck at or near its full price. However, it is frequently available at a deep discount, which changes the equation if you have a hard cap on your laptop budget. So here’s what you should know before buying.
HP OmniBook 5 Laptop AI: Specs and benchmarks
Price: | $819 |
CPU: | AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 |
GPU: | AMD Radeon 840M integrated graphics |
RAM: | 16GB |
Storage: | 512GB |
Display: | 16-inch, WUXGA, 1920 x 1200, IPS |
Battery (HH:MM): | 11:30 |
Dimensions: | 14.08 x 10.03 x 0.73 inches |
Weight: | 3.97 pounds |
Click to view full benchmark test results
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024) |
|---|---|
Geekbench 6 (Higher is better) | 22,822 |
Handbrake conversion (Lower is better) | 2:38 |
BlackMagic Write (SSD speed) | 6640.5 MBps |
BlackMagic Read (SSD speed) | 5353.7 MBps |
Heat (Degrees Fahrenheit) | 90.5 |
Battery life (Higher is better) | 20:46 |
Display brightness (Higher is better) | 565 |
sRGB color gamut (Higher is better) | 115% |
DCI-P3 color gamut (Higher is better) | 81.4% |
Color accuracy (Lower is better) | 0.27 |
Sid Meier’s Civ VI: Gathering Storm (1080p) | 98 fps |
Borderlands 3 (1080p) | 43 fps |
Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 79 fps |
HP OmniBook 5 Laptop AI: Price and configurations
The HP OmniBook 5 Laptop AI pricing is messier than it should be. If you look at HP’s website, you’ll find it in several configurations, starting at $1,079. You should never expect to pay that price for this laptop.
We reviewed the base configuration, which includes an AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 processor, AMD Radeon 840M integrated graphics, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and a 16-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200) IPS display. As I write this review, shortly after the laptop’s release, this model is under $700 at Best Buy and under $600 directly through HP. This makes it a very different value discussion than the full retail price listed by HP.
A handful of upgrades are available for an extra cost, including an AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 processor, 24 or 32GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, and a touch display. You can also upgrade from Windows 11 Home to Windows 11 Pro for an additional $70.
The maxed-out configuration is listed at a full price of $1,608 and includes an AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 Processor, AMD Radeon 860M integrated graphics, 32GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, a 16-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200) IPS touchscreen display, and Windows 11 Pro. Once again, don’t pay that price. It was available for $1,118 at HP.
When on sale for under $600, the base configuration is a reasonable value; however, you’ll still want to consider the trade-offs that I’ll address in the rest of my review. I would also recommend configurations with the upgraded AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 processor, which will offer significantly stronger performance. However, even then, you may want to take a look at some rival laptops that are just a bit more expensive, including a few I’ll compare below.
HP OmniBook 5 Laptop AI: Design
HP didn’t break the mold with the OmniBook 5 Laptop AI, but that’s not necessarily bad. It features a simple, straightforward design with a plain aluminum chassis and a basic silver HP logo on the lid. It’s not flashy but will blend in at the office or school.
Inside, the OmniBook 5 has a full-size keyboard, which is perfect for productivity users. Unfortunately, it’s not perfect. The power button is in possibly the worst place possible: seamlessly blended into the rest of the keyboard.
It’s not even isolated in a corner of the keyboard; it’s sandwiched between the print screen and delete keys. It’s also the same size and texture, making it very easy to press the power button by accident. There’s so much room on this keyboard deck that I would’ve preferred HP to isolate the power button away from the main keyboard.
Since this is a 16-inch laptop, it’s on the larger side, measuring 14.08 x 10.03 x 0.73 inches and weighing 3.97 pounds. To put that into context, here’s how a few similar laptops compare:
HP OmniBook 5 Laptop AI: Ports
Image 1 of 2
The HP OmniBook 5 is surprisingly sparse on ports for a 16-inch laptop, but it includes the basics most people need:
- 3 x Thunderbolt 5 ports
- 1 x HDMI 2.1 port
- 1 x headphone/mic jack
- 1 x MagSafe 3 charging port
- 1 x SDXC card reader
One of the USB Type-C ports has to double as a charging port, so if you have many accessories to connect to your laptop, it may be a good idea to get one of the best laptop docking stations or a USB Type-C hub to connect to the HP OmniBook 5.
HP OmniBook 5 Laptop AI: Battery life
The HP OmniBook 5 Laptop AI isn’t challenging the laptops with the best battery life, but it lasted 11 hours and 30 minutes in our battery life test, which is enough for a full workday. However, if battery life is a primary concern for you, this is a case where spending a little more might make sense.
For instance, the Asus Vivobook 16 Flip lasted over two hours longer, and the MacBook Air M4 (15-inch) lasted nearly four hours longer. Even the Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 16, which underperformed in other areas, has a longer battery life than the OmniBook.
Click to view chart data in table format
| Header Cell – Column 0 | HP OmniBook 5 | Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 16 (2025) | Asus Vivobook 16 Flip (TP3607) | MacBook Air M4 (15-inch) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Battery life (Higher is better, HH.MM) | 11.30 | 13.19 | 13.47 | 15.22 |
HP OmniBook 5 Laptop AI: Display
If you’re considering getting the HP OmniBook 5 Laptop AI because of its roomy 16-inch display, think again.
If you’re considering getting the HP OmniBook 5 Laptop AI because of its roomy 16-inch display, think again. The 16-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200) IPS display is spacious, but the quality leaves much to be desired.
I noticed this immediately when I opened the OmniBook. Webpages and even my wallpaper looked less colorful than on other laptops or my desktop monitor. Everything is dull and washed out. Watching an episode of Survivor on the OmniBook was less enjoyable since Fiji lacked its usual tropical vibrancy on this display.
Considering my hands-on experience with the OmniBook’s display, I wasn’t surprised when I saw its display test scores. They’re shockingly low: the OmniBook covered 61.8% of the sRGB color gamut and a mere 44% of the DCI-P3 color gamut.
That’s on par with the equally disappointing Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 16-inch display. Both laptops are far behind the competition in terms of display quality. The Vivobook and the MacBook Air scored nearly twice as high on our color gamut tests, and the MacBook Air also has a dramatically brighter display.
If you’re looking for top display quality, I’d advise you to steer clear of the OmniBook and look at the Asus Vivobook 16 Flip or the MacBook Air M4 instead.
Click to view chart data in table format.
| Header Cell – Column 0 | HP OmniBook 5 | Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 16 (2025) | Asus Vivobook 16 Flip (TP3607) | MacBook Air M4 (15-inch) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Display brightness (Higher is better) | 306.0 | 316 | 356 | 475.6 |
sRGB color gamut (Higher is better) | 61.8% | 62% | 119.00% | 117.9% |
DCI-P3 color gamut (Higher is better) | 44.0% | 44.0% | 84.0% | 83.5% |
Color accuracy (Lower is better) | 0.18 | 0.19 | 0.22 | 0.22 |
HP OmniBook 5 Laptop AI: Keyboard and touchpad
One of the best features of the HP OmniBook 5 Laptop AI is its full-size keyboard.
One of the best features of the HP OmniBook 5 Laptop AI is its full-size keyboard. This isn’t uncommon for a 16-inch laptop, but it’s still worth mentioning since the inclusion of a number pad can be a huge plus for productivity users.
The keys on this keyboard have a nice, muted sound, but I felt like they had a slightly higher actuation force than most other laptop keyboards I’ve used. Depending on how you type, that might be preferable for some people, but I prefer a lower actuation force.
On the Monkeytype typing test, I scored 96 words per minute with 98% accuracy on the OmniBook, which is average for me. Still, a far cry from my personal record of 108 words per minute with 98% accuracy, scored on the HP EliteBook Ultra G1i AI.
The OmniBook’s touchpad is just as roomy as the keyboard. The surface is smooth and responsive, and clicking offers just the right amount of travel and feedback. I was happy with it, but you can always connect one of the best wireless mice if it’s not to your liking.
HP OmniBook 5 Laptop AI: Audio
The HP OmniBook 5 Laptop AI has dual bottom-firing speakers on the left and right edges of the keyboard deck. They get the job done and sound decent, but audiophiles will prefer headphones.
“Overcome” by Nothing But Thieves sounded fine with these speakers, with a surprising amount of depth and relatively good mids, but weak, muddy bass made for an underwhelming listening experience. Casual listeners won’t mind these speakers, especially since they get pretty loud (I never needed to turn the volume up past 50), but the sound quality could be better.
HP OmniBook 5 Laptop AI: Performance and heat
The AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 powers the HP OmniBook 5 Laptop AI. It’s fine for casual users and powerful enough for basic web browsing. The OmniBook’s processor is more than enough if you’re looking for a laptop for tasks like checking your email or doing homework.
However, if you’re searching for a business or productivity laptop or want to use your laptop for more resource-intensive tasks like video editing, this isn’t the laptop for you. It scored marginally on the Geekbench 6 overall performance benchmark at just 10,223, which is notably lower than similar laptops.
While the Asus Vivobook 16 Flip and Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 16 didn’t perform drastically better in this test, the MacBook Air M4 crushed the OmniBook. So, if performance is your top priority, the MacBook is a better choice.
It’s also worth noting that the OmniBook had an unusually high peak temperature in our thermal tests, reaching a maximum of 103 degrees. That’s nearly ten degrees above our 95-degree comfort threshold and noticeably higher than rival laptops peaked at. The overheating potential adds another reason for power users to think twice before going with the OmniBook.
Click to view chart data in table format.
| Header Cell – Column 0 | HP OmniBook 5 | Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 16 (2025) | Asus Vivobook 16 Flip (TP3607) | MacBook Air M4 (15-inch) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Geekbench 6 (Higher is better) | 10,223 | 11,050 | 10,987 | 14,921 |
Handbrake conversion (Lower is better, MM.SS) | 6.54 | 6.51 | 7.47 | 4.57 |
SSD transfer rate (Higher is better, MBps) | 1,686 | 1,796.0 | 1,755.0 | Row 2 – Cell 4 |
Heat (Degrees Fahrenheit, 95 comfort threshold) | 103 | 94.5 | 85.8 | 90.0 |
HP OmniBook 5 Laptop AI: Gaming and graphics
The HP OmniBook 5 Laptop AI relies on AMD Radeon 840M integrated graphics for all of its graphics processing, meaning this is by no means a gaming laptop.
AMD’s integrated graphics have impressed us in the past, but unfortunately, the AMD chip in this laptop’s base configuration falls short of the graphics greatness its more powerful siblings have achieved. If you’re set on getting this laptop, I’d recommend upgrading to the AMD Ryzen 7 350 processor, which offers a bit more graphics performance with its AMD Radeon 860M integrated graphics.
I mention that because our review configuration of the OmniBook 5 Laptop AI offered pretty lackluster graphics performance. It averaged just 32.5 frames per second in Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Gathering Storm and scored only 4,627 in the 3DMark Fire Strike graphics benchmark.
To put that into context, the Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 16 scored double that in the 3DMark Fire Strike test, and the Asus Vivobook 16 Flip wasn’t far behind. Both laptops, along with the MacBook Air M4, scored significantly higher than the OmniBook in Civilization VI.
The OmniBook’s graphics scores effectively mean that it can only run the lightest casual games. The dull display doesn’t help with the gaming experience on this laptop, either. Not only will you get low frame rates, but the graphics will look more washed out than they would on a better display. So, if you’re mainly looking for a device for gaming at this price point, I strongly suggest you consider one of the best cheap gaming laptops instead, or even a handheld gaming PC.
Click to view chart data in table format.
| Header Cell – Column 0 | HP OmniBook 5 | Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 16 (2025) | Asus Vivobook 16 Flip (TP3607) | MacBook Air M4 (15-inch) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Sid Meier’s Civ VI: Gathering Storm (1080p) | 32.5 | 56.8 | 56.5 | 44.7 |
3DMark Fire Strike | 4,627 | 9,249 | 8,830 | Row 1 – Cell 4 |
HP OmniBook 5 Laptop AI: AI features
As its name suggests, the HP OmniBook 5 Laptop AI has some AI features. It’s a Copilot+ PC, so it ships with Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant pre-installed and has a dedicated Copilot key on the keyboard. You can use that to launch the Copilot app quickly, which includes basic generative AI features like text and image generation.
If you’re not a fan of Copilot, the HP AI Companion app includes similar features. It’s also a bit more practical, offering tools that use AI to analyze your files or optimize your PC’s performance. It can also perform basic generative AI tasks, like summarizing or generating text content.
The OmniBook also includes a preview version of Microsoft Recall, an AI feature that periodically takes screenshots to “remember” all of your laptop activity in case you want to find something later.
I’d caution against using this feature due to its myriad privacy concerns. You can easily disable it through your settings by going to “Privacy & security” then “Recall & snapshots.” In this menu, simply turn off “Save snapshots.” Recall will also be disabled by default if you opt not to set up facial recognition sign-in through Windows Hello.
HP OmniBook 5 Laptop AI: Webcam
The built-in webcam on the HP OmniBook 5 Laptop AI isn’t the best I’ve ever tested, but it’s not the worst. It’s a 1080p FHD IR camera, which means you can use it for facial recognition sign-in. The video quality is acceptable for Zoom meetings, but looks dull and grainy. It’s clear enough that everyone will be able to see you fine, though.
The built-in mic isn’t bad, either. It captured my voice clearly and did a good job of cutting out background noise from my air conditioner. I didn’t notice it cutting out or spiking, either. Overall, it does the job for the introductory daily video or audio calls most people need the built-in mic for.
HP OmniBook 5 Laptop AI: Software and warranty
The HP OmniBook 5 Laptop AI includes Windows 11 Home, although you can upgrade to Windows 11 Pro for an extra cost. It comes with the standard suite of Microsoft apps pre-installed, including the Microsoft Store, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Copilot, and the Xbox app. It also has a few HP apps, including HP AI Companion, the OMEN Gaming Hub, and HP Support Assistant, where you can find troubleshooting tips and info on your device.
HP provides a 1-year limited hardware warranty for the OmniBook, which you can extend through HP Care Pack.
Bottom line
The HP OmniBook 5 Laptop AI has a few strengths, such as its touchpad and keyboard, but these are not enough to outweigh its flaws, including underwhelming performance and a dismal display. The display is disappointing, even at its often discounted price, while the performance and battery life are easier to take for under $700.
The OmniBook is fine for basic tasks like web browsing, but if that’s all you need a laptop for, you may consider going even cheaper with one of the best laptops under $500! On the other end of the spectrum, if you’re looking for a high-performance laptop for work or creative tasks, you will be much better off with the MacBook Air M4 or one of the best 16-inch laptops.
As much as I want to like every laptop I review, there are simply too many drawbacks to recommend the HP OmniBook 5 Laptop AI for most users unless it is deeply discounted.
