Yo what up gamers Leo in the house your local LA gaming guru. Im stoked to drop some knowledge on the latest tech thats hitting the streets.(omen 16 gaming laptop)
For a couple of years now Ive been deepdiving into the world of killer games and the gear that brings those digital worlds to life.
Trust me I know whats what when it comes to having a dope gaming setup. You can catch me chillin and testing out the latest rigs at 3215 Overland Ave Los Angeles California(CA) 90034.
Today were takin a look at the HP Omen 16 and Im gonna break it down for you in a way thats straight outta LA.
First Look The Bod and Feel
Alright so peep this the Omen 16 I checked out is kinda the budget friendly version clocking in around $1100. That means its a gaming laptop that wont totally drain your wallet.
When you first grab it youll notice the whole thing is plastic. Now dont get it twisted it doesnt feel cheap or anything it actually feels pretty solid.
Theres a little bit of flex on the screen if youre pressin on it but its not a biggie totally fine. I gotta say the design itself aint bad I actually kinda dig the look.
But heres the lowdown fam this thing is a fingerprint magnet. Seriously every time you touch it youre gonna see your grubby prints all over the body and I aint about that life.
Whether your hands are clean or got a little oil from those latenight snacks its gonna get dirty quick.
The hinge this year feels pretty good Im not gonna lie. Its an improvement over last years which was kinda janky.
Other brands like Asus and Lenovo might have smoother hinges but the Omen 16s is decent. Moving on to the keyboard its a 70% layout meaning no numpad on the right side.
But peep this you still get fullsize arrow keys which is clutch for some games. Its got your usual function keys too.
Honestly typing on this keyboard feels pretty smooth its up there with some of the best Ive used. The backlight is just white no fancy RGB colors but at this price point its understandable.
Some of yall who rely on that numpad might be bummed but it doesnt bother me none. The trackpad is plastic too but it feels good and is accurate and responsive so Im not complainin
Plugging It In The Ports Situation
Now lets talk about where you plug in all your gear. This Omen 16 comes with three USB TypeA ports.(omen 16 gaming laptop)
Two of em are the speedy USB 3.2 Gen 2 pushin 10 gigabits per second which is solid. The other one is a bit slower at 5 gigabits per second.
Then theres a single USB TypeC port. And listen up this is where things get a little sideways for me. In 2025 one TypeC port just aint gonna cut it for a gaming laptop.
Think about it Im tryin to plug in my mic which uses a TypeC cable and bam thats my only TypeC port gone. Its not even Thunderbolt 4 which wouldve been way more versatile.
Personally I think the ideal setup would be three USB TypeA ports and at least two USB TypeC ports. This single TypeC situation feels like a major drawback.
For the other connections you get an HDMI 2.1 port an RJ45 Ethernet jack and the charging port.
The charger can pump out up to 230 watts which is good for keepin you powered up during intense gaming sessions.
The charger itself looks alright but its a bit on the bigger side although its not too heavy thankfully.
Weightwise the laptop sits around 2.6 to 2.7 kilograms with the charger which is pretty standard for this class of laptop easy enough to toss in your backpack.
Overall for the price its a decent package but that single TypeC port knocks it down a peg for me. Id give it an 8 out of 10 dockin two points just for that port issue.
I wouldnt even consider buyin a laptop with just one TypeC port cause I know Id run into problems quick.
Seeing the Game The Display Deets
Lets scope out the screen. Its a good screen almost great with around 300 nits of brightness and full sRGB color coverage (100%) along with 75% Adobe RGB.(omen 16 gaming laptop)
Youre lookin at 1080p resolution with a smooth 165Hz refresh rate which is solid for fastpaced gaming. But heres the kicker the screen is 16.1 inches with a 169 aspect ratio.
Honestly in 2025 I was kinda hopin to see a taller 1610 aspect ratio which gives you more vertical screen real estate.
Because of that 169 ratio the bezels around the screen look pretty chunky makin the laptop feel a bit oldschool and dare I say not the prettiest.
The screen quality itself is a 7 out of 10 in my book but that aspect ratio and the thick bezels bring the overall vibe down.
Under the Hood Performance and Power
Now for the juicy stuff whats actually runnin this beast? The model I tested packs an Intel Core i513620H CPU with an NVIDIA RTX 4050 GPU.(omen 16 gaming laptop)
For a budget gaming laptop this combo is pretty sweet. The GPU is pushin around 120 watts of Total Graphics Power (TGP) which is a good amount for an RTX 4050.
In my tests the 4050 held its own pretty well. When we ran Cine bench R23 it scored over 14000 points which shows this laptop can handle the CPU without breakin a sweat.
The CPU temps did get up to around 90 to 100 degrees Celsius and the voltage was between 110 and 120 watts which is within the expected range.
As for upgradability get this HPs website says there are two SSD slots but we could only find one when we opened it up. Its a bit of a headscratcher.
Let me know in the comments if you find the second one But on the bright side the SSD speeds are insane clocking in around 7 GB/s for reading and 6.5 GB/s for writing.
We also threw Cine bench 2024 at it and it scored around 850 in multicore and 8000 in GPU solid numbers for this setup.
Geek bench gave us around 14000 points which is also respectable. In Time Spy for 3D applications and games it scored around 9000 right where I expected it to be.
For content creation Adobe Premiere Pro render times were a bit long at 6 minutes and 29 seconds which is expected for a 4050 and a budget gaming rig.
Extras Speakers Cam and Battery
The speakers on this Omen 16 are alright they get the job done. But if youre lookin to blast your tunes for a party youre gonna want to grab some external speakers.(omen 16 gaming laptop)
The 1080p webcam is surprisingly good quality and theres a handy camera switchoff button for privacy which is a nice touch.
Battery life with its 80watthour capacity was decent for a gaming laptop lasting around 7 hours in our testing.
While I always want more battery life in gaming laptops this is acceptable for gettin through most of the day without needing to plug in. I was pretty happy with the battery results.
HP Omen Built for Gamers
HP Omen aint just throwin together any old laptop theyre aimin for the serious gamers out there.(omen 16 gaming laptop)
Compared to their Victus line Omen is all about premium performance packin in powerful Intel Core processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics cards.
Theyre rockin advanced cooling tech like OMEN Tempest Cooling to keep things runnin smooth even when youre pushin your rig to the max.
Youre also gettin high refresh rate displays sometimes even up to QHD (2560 x 1440) with 240Hz refresh rates for that buttery smooth visual experience.
Some models even feature customizable RGB lighting on the keyboard to match your setups vibe. The design is usually sleek and gamer centric.
Victus on the other hand is more about solid performance at a price that wont break the bank caterin to the casual and intermediate players.
Omens the real deal for enthusiasts who demand the latest and greatest.
You can even find different models like the HP OMEN 16xd0015AX with a Ryzen 7 and RTX 4050 or the OMEN 16wf0262TX with an Intel i7 and RTX 4070 showin the range of power you can get.
Some even go all out with Intel Core i9 processors and RTX 4080 GPUs.
Diving Deeper OMEN Gaming Hub
HP aint just about the hardware theyve got the software game on lock too with the OMEN Gaming Hub. This is your onestop shop for takin your gameplay to the next level.
You can maximize your performance tweak your gear and find new ways to play.
The Light Studio lets you sync up the lighting effects across all your OMEN devices so your setup looks totally coordinated.
You can even choose different performance modes with the Performance Control feature so you can dial in the power depending on what youre doin.
Keep an eye on your systems vitals like CPU and GPU temps with the System Vitals dashboard.
The Network Booster helps keep your connection strong during those crucial online matches even lettin you prioritize gaming traffic over your wired connection while using WiFi for other stuff.
The Optimizer feature can automatically free up system resources you dont need while youre gaming to give you smoother faster gameplay.
And the EasyToUse Universal Game Launcher makes it a breeze to find and launch all your games.
Plus you can even snag some free trials of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Minecraft Realms Plus with a new OMEN laptop.
The OMEN Gaming Hub is all about givin you control and makin your gaming experience as smooth as possible.
Final Verdict Is the Omen 16 Right for You LA Gamer?
Alright so whats the final word on the HP Omen 16? If youre lookin for a solid gaming laptop on a budget (around $1200 or less) this is definitely one to consider.
It packs a decent punch with its Intel CPU and RTX 4050 the screen is good for gaming (despite the oldschool aspect ratio) and the keyboard feels great.
Battery life is surprisingly decent too. However that single USB TypeC port is a real bummer in 2025 and the finger print prone plastic body might bug some of you.
If youve got more cash to splash there are definitely more premium Omen models and options from other brands like Asus and Lenovo that offer more bells and whistles.
But for the price the Omen 16 gets the job done for 1080p gaming and everyday use. Its a good laptop but just be aware of its limitations. Thanks for tunin in and keep on gaming LA …
Resource
https://www.hp.com/in-en/gaming-pc/laptops/2023-omen-16-intel.html
https://www.omenplayground.com/gaming-laptops/omen_16-series/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEwxxt9o8vU
All Images and featured image used in this article was owned by hp.com and respective creators..