HP Omen 16 2023 Review: Uncompromising gaming excellence at a competitive price

The HP Omen 16 is relatively sleek — not as portable as some other laptops I've reviewed, such as the ASUS ROG Zephyrus 14 or Flow X13, but light and slim in its own right. It measures just over a foot in width, 26 cm in length and is about 2.4 cm thick. The entire package weighs 2.32 kilograms. That's a lot of horsepower in such a compact package.

The laptop is unabashedly matte black all around, with a brushed metallic finish on the top that gives it a classy feel.

The screen is 16 inches in size. It's a Full HD, anti-glare IPS display with a 165 Hz refresh rate and a response time of seven milliseconds. It boasts other features, such as low blue light to reduce strain on your eyes, and 300 nits of peak brightness, which is plenty unless you're playing outdoors, but why would you?

The laptop also packs a full keyboard replete with a numeric keypad with four RGB zones that can be customised using built-in software. The keys feel nice and clicky, and if you customise the colours just so, gaming is breezy even if all lights are off.

Connectivity is ample — the Omen 16 comes with two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB-A (3.2) ports, one HDMI 2.1 port, a Gigabit Ethernet port, and a 3.5mm headphone hack. Wireless options include Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. The only design quibble is the power connector's thin metal spindle, which protrudes from the back and seems somewhat precarious, but it is still better than plugging it into the side. It makes the gaming experience that much more immersive.

The Full HD resolution did not really take anything away from my gaming experience. The 165 Hz refresh rate ensures exceptionally smooth animations, enhancing immersion. The non-reflective matte finish reduces glare and reflections, further improving the viewing experience.

Audio quality, delivered through stereo speakers with DTS:X Ultra technology, is satisfactory for casual gaming and music, but audiophiles may want to plug in a dedicated headset.

I really pushed this machine to its limits, running demanding titles such as God of War: Ragnarok, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Marvel's Spider-Man and not once did it falter. The experience was ultra smooth, and going by how (mostly) silent the fans were, the innards were not unduly taxed either.

Gaming laptops always come with compromises, mostly in the battery life area. The demanding nature of the laptops means they can be extremely hard on the battery — which often delivers only a couple of hours of juice. And in most machines, which are behemoths that are likely to be confined to a desk and constantly plugged in, that's never a concern.

But in portable laptops, such as this one, battery life becomes a priority and the advertised 4.5-hour battery life — just over three hours during my testing — doesn't quite meet those expectations. You'd be better of treating this as primarily a homebound gaming machine.

HP's Omen 16 (2023) may have minor drawbacks, such as a limited battery life when running demanding tasks, but it excels where it matters most — gaming performance. With a potent processor-GPU combo and a high-refresh-rate display, the Omen 16 delivers smooth, detailed graphics that provide a competitive edge. For gamers seeking uncompromising performance without breaking the bank, the Omen 16 stands as a formidable option in the gaming laptop arena, especially at its very competitive starting price.