HP Omen Max

4.4

Overall Score

4.4/5

The Good Stuff

• Incredible performance
• Vivid 16-inch OLED display
• Sleek & crisp design
• Good thermals & runs quietly
• Vibrant RGB keyboard

The Bad Stuff

• Heavy in weight
• High in price
• Poor battery life

hp omen max review

HP Omen Max

“The HP Omen Max is one of the best gaming laptops to get this year. It’s fun. It delivers an impressive gaming experience with a beautiful display. It’s full of impressive hardware specs and features as well. Just use it as a desktop gaming machine and you’ll be fine.”

If you’re planning to get yourself a gaming laptop and want the best gaming experience, then I have great news for you. You found it! The Omen Max from HP is here, and it’s been rated as one of the best gaming laptops this year. With that being said, is it really the gaming laptop you’re looking for? Let’s dive into the HP Omen Max review, and see what’s in store for you once you get your hands on this premium gaming laptop.  

Overview

So what can you expect from the Omen Max from HP? Well, it is a gaming laptop so expect gaming in its most exquisite level. No joke. The Omen Max is one of the best gaming laptops that I got a hold of (and yes it was the entry model). Starting at $2500, you get a gaming machine with an RTX 50-series mobile GPU, and wow, this is an amazing gaming laptop.  

Honestly, this thing has pretty much everything you’d want in one of the best gaming laptops out there. The model used for the review was the Nvidia RTX 5070 GPU with 16GB of RAM. And get this, it absolutely crushed the most demanding AAA games out now, running them at high graphic settings and reach high refresh rates—especially with DLSS turned on. 

And get this: any game you play looks incredible on the vibrant 16-inch 165Hz display (I’m sure it would look even better on the top-range Omen Max that include an OLED 240Hz display). 

But it’s not just for gaming! That insane RTX 50-series power means you can tackle work without any hiccups, too. With the RGB keyboard with its thick keys, you have a comfortable gaming and typing experience. Plus, you’ve got a ton of ports to plug in all your essential gear like your favorite gaming mouse or keyboard.

You’ll also like the sleek design. If you turn off the RGB lights, it’s so subtle that you’d never guess it’s a gaming beast, which is awesome if you want to keep a low profile when you’re out and about. But, I’m sure that’s something you won’t be doing with this one. Why do I say that? Well, this is one heavy laptop. 

I wish it were a little lighter and cheaper, but honestly, all the amazing stuff it does completely outweighs those minor drawbacks. After all that’s said, let’s check out the review and see all the details. 

Specs – HP Omen Max

What’s to Like

1. Excellent Performance

Alright, let’s jump right into the good stuff: the gaming performance. The performance is excellent. The entry model may be less expensive yet it still packs in the performance department. You’re looking at specs such as an RTX 5070 GPU, an Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU, and 16GB of RAM. I had an absolute blast running games on high or max graphic settings and still getting well over 60 frames per second, thanks also to the DLSS feature turn on.   

Games like Cyberpunk 2077 at 1440p with ray tracing, and with DLSS 4 enabled, can easily cruise between 65 and 70 FPS. Even The new Assassins Creed: Shadows game ran comfortably at a 60 fps (and that’s without the DLSS). It goes to show that the Omen Max is for serious players that want a seriously good gaming experience.    

The big takeaway from all this testing is pretty clear: DLSS 4 is an absolute game-changer for getting maximum performance. But even if you turn it off, you’re generally still going to get super smooth frame rates. In the end: This is one of the best gaming laptops you can get. All you need to ask yourself is: What game do I wanna play first?

2. Vibrant 16-inch Display

You know how sometimes games look amazing but run terribly, or vice versa? Well, this thing manages to make games look fantastic and run super smoothly, and that’s all thanks to the 16-inch IPS display (even better on a 16-inch OLED screen). Sure, going with OLED screen makes it more expensive, but honestly, your eyes will be so happy you won’t care. Seriously, it’s a jaw-dropper. 

Playing Cyberpunk 2077 was a joy. The screen looked amazing. The deep blacks and bright lights had an incredible pop. The colors are a bit on the vibrant side, which makes all those neon signs and holograms look super realistic and cool. But it’s not just for super-colorful games. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which has more natural colors, looked stunning too.

The colors are rich and vibrant. While they aren’t perfectly accurate compared to some other laptops, it’s really not a big deal. It gets bright enough, no problem, but if you put it next to something like a MacBook, those screens can get way brighter. For me, though, the brightness on the HP Omen is just bright enough to make things pop without making you squint.

Plus, games feel incredibly fluid because of the 165Hz refresh rate. And since the response time is super-fast, I didn’t notice any delays between when I hit a button and when the action happened on screen. That high refresh rate is a huge bonus, especially since some games are fast enough to almost match it. Overall, impressive display with bright and accurate colors, and a high refresh rate. 

3. Reliable Gaming Hub

The Omen Gaming Hub is like your laptop’s command center. It lets you tweak and optimize performance (so your games run better), customize the cool RGB keyboard lighting, and keeps your whole game library organized. The best part? It’s super easy to use. The layout is intuitive, so you can quickly get everything set up exactly how you like it without digging through complicated menus.

Another great feature is that it can connect and control other Omen gear. If you have an Omen headset or monitor, you can manage their settings—like turning on or changing the monitor’s light effects—all from this one central spot.

Compared to a lot of other PC gaming launchers out there, the Omen Gaming Hub is a winner because it’s so user-friendly and gives you plenty of powerful customization options. It’s a useful piece of software.

4. Good Quiet Thermals

You know how most gaming laptops sound like a jet engine and feel hot enough to cook an egg when you’re really pushing them? Well, get this: the Omen Max 16 is surprisingly quiet and stays cool under pressure! It’s one of the best I’ve tested on both fronts. 

I won’t bore you with all the tech details about how they managed to keep it cool, but the important thing is you won’t feel like you have a loud, blazing-hot machine sitting on your desk. You’ll still hear the fans working—it’s a powerful gaming laptop after all—but they are way less noticeable than what we’re used to. Basically, it handles the heat and noise like a champ, which is a huge win for a powerful laptop! Anything else about it you’re curious about?

5. Sleek Design

Okay, let’s be real: at 16-inches and the weight of 6 lbs. (2.7kg), the HP Omen Max 16—is definitely a big, heavy machine. You’re not exactly going to be throwing this into a slim backpack and forgetting it’s there. Either than that, it’s undeniably a beautiful premium gaming laptop. 

The design is actually pretty low-key for a gaming laptop, which I like. It’s got this sleek, “Shadow Black” look with just a glossy Omen logo and some small text—not a bunch of flashy vents and aggressive angles. It’s built super solid, too. The aluminum top and bottom make it feel sturdy; you can’t easily bend or flex it, which is great. The lid is firm but opens and closes smoothly—I love that I can just use one thumb to pop it open.

Since I’ve got pretty big hands, I really appreciate the roomy keyboard deck. It gives you a ton of space to rest your wrists and move around. The keys themselves are nice. They are thick and bouncy, which is surprisingly good. Plus, it has a full number pad. You don’t see those often anymore, and it’s a nice bonus even if you don’t use it all the time. The touchpad is also large and very responsive.

Like I said, the look and design is subtle, so it doesn’t scream “GAMER” when you’re just using it normally. But if you want to spice things up, you can turn on the RGB lighting. When the colors are glowing and spilling over the keyboard, it looks absolutely stunning and reminds you that this machine can party.

Just a little warning, though: the lid picks up fingerprints and smudges way too easily. So if you want to keep that cool, pristine look, you’ll definitely want to keep a little cleaning cloth handy. Overall, it’s a big, beautiful beast that’s built like a tank. Does that sound like a trade-off you could live with?

What’s Not to Like

1. Poor Battery Life

Since the Omen Max 16 is a heavy-duty gaming rig, you already know the battery life isn’t going to be amazing. When we put it through the test, it tapped out in less than 90 minutes—just enough time for one focused match! Even when I was just browsing the web, it only lasted around three and a half hours. I personally threw on a game like Cyberpunk 2077, and the low-battery warning popped up after barely an hour. It handled YouTube better, but honestly, it was still draining faster than I was comfortable with.

The good news is, if you’re seriously gaming, you’ll need it plugged in anyway to get the best performance. But if you were planning on taking this machine to your favorite outdoor spot for gaming or to get some work done, you need to bring your charger. Seriously. Don’t forget it, or you’ll be looking for the nearest power outlet. 

2. Very Expensive

Okay, so here’s the lowdown: Games look absolutely stunning and run incredibly smooth on the Omen Max 16. It’s a killer experience, but prepare yourself for the price tag, because it’s steep. Seriously, this thing is not cheap.

It starts at a whopping $2,499 for the most basic model. And if you want the fully-specced one, you’re looking at paying a ridiculous $4,299. Bottom line: this is a premium experience, and you’re definitely paying a premium price.

3. Heavyweight

If you need weights to put into your backpack for your exercises, use the Omen Max instead. Why? Because this gaming laptop is a total tank. I know there are bigger, and heavier, gaming laptops out there, like the Razer Blade 18, but trust me, lugging this thing around is no fun.

Every time I travel with it, I feel it’s weight on my back. This thing weighs close to 3kgs (6 pounds), so moving around feels like a workout. In the end, this is a heavy gaming laptop. If you’re strong enough to handle it, that’s great. But others might feel it and will end up considering it as a gaming desktop. 

Omen Max Alternatives

If you don’t like the short battery life, the fact you have to carry a heavy gaming laptop, or the high price tag, then here’s a list of other alternative gaming laptops for you to consider.

Read Next

Verdict

The HP Omen Max is one of the best gaming laptops to get this year. It’s fun. It delivers an impressive gaming experience with a beautiful display. It’s full of impressive hardware specs and features. Just use it as a desktop gaming machine and you’ll be fine.

If price is a factor to you, look at the alternative gaming laptops here and see which one suits you. But if you’re looking for a great gaming experience, and can afford this one, then get ready for a ride of a lifetime only a few can experience.     

So what’s your take on this gaming laptop. Is it the gaming laptop you’re looking for? What features do you like most on gaming laptops? What of the alternatives, is there one that’s the apple of your eye? Let me here on the comments below.

And if you wanna find out more, or wanna buy it, then click on the red button on top. That’s all from me, folks. Check out some more gaming laptops, or any other tech goodies right here on wildbreaktech. Stay safe. Until next time 😀