HP Omen review

For a 15.6-inch laptop, the HP Omen is a bit wider and squatter than normal, with its 15.07 x 9.67 x 0.78 inches or 382 x 245 x 19mm (W x D x H) dimensions. That said, this mobile gaming rig is also a fair bit lighter, weighing in at only 4.68 pounds (2.12kg).

By comparison, the Gigabyte P35K v3 is a fair bit heavier at 5.07 pounds (2.29kg) and larger with dimensions of 15.1 x 10.6 x 0.8 inches (383 x 269 x 20mm). The Asus ROG G501, meanwhile, is a bit lighter at 4.54 pounds (2.05kg), but once again the HP Omen is thinner than this 15.08 x 10.04 x 0.81-inch (383 x 255 x 20mm) machine.

Here is the HP Omen configuration sent to TechRadar for this review:

Spec Sheet

• CPU: 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-4720HQ (quad-core, 6MB cache, up to 3.6GHz with Turbo Boost)
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M (4GB GDDR5 RAM), Intel HD Graphics 4600
• RAM: 16GB DDR3L (1,600MHz)
• Screen: 15.6-inch, 1920 x 1080 Full HD WLED-backlit IPS touchscreen
• Storage: 512GB SSD
• Ports: 4 x USB 3.0 ports, mini DisplayPort, HDMI, headphone/microphone combo jack
• Connectivity: Intel 802.11ac WLAN and Bluetooth
• Camera: HP TrueVision Full HD WVA Webcam with Dual Digital Microphone
• Weight: 4.68 pounds
• Size: 15.07 x 9.67 x 0.78 inches (W x D x H)

The configuration as seen above is quite a step up from your standard HP Omen. Priced at $2,219 (about £1,442, AU$2,885), this setup includes a number of upgrades including 16GB of RAM and a 512GB solid-state drive. For now the updated Omen is only available in the United States, so those in the United Kingdom and Australia will have to sit on their hands with the old Nvidia 860M-powered unit for now.

The entry level Omen runs a significantly smaller sum of $1,699 (about £1,104, AU$2,209), and thankfully it doesn't come with any significant processor or graphics downgrades. Instead, interested buyers will have to settle for 8GB of memory coupled with 256GB of flash storage space.

Asus offers up an equally, if not more, compelling machine with the ROG G501 priced at $1,699 (about £1,104, AU$2,209). For the money, this 4K mobile gaming rig comes equipped with the same processor and GPU as the HP Omen. What's more, the Asus 15.6-inch laptop comes with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD by default, plus a 3,840 x 2,160 resolution display.

The Gigabyte P35K v3 is also a very good machine available for as little as $1,399 (about £909, AU$1,819) on Amazon. Once again the P35K v3 has an Intel Core i7-4720HQ on tap, paired with a slightly higher-end Nvidia GTX 965M GPU onboard. As for memory and storage, the Gigabyte P35K v3 is equipped with 8GB of RAM, plus a 128GB SSD and 1TB hard drive.