HP’s slim Omen gaming laptop sets its sights on the Razer Blade
It’s not a beast, but then again, it doesn’t look or cost like one either
Ever since announcing its company split, HP has shown renewed gusto. The 3D-modeling Sprout desktop is fascinating and new, but even a gaming laptop is fresh territory for the company.
But the just-announced HP Omen isn’t a chunky, ultra-powered, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink kind of games-centric notebook. Instead, it’s a clear attack on the Razer Blade, and it’s similarly a slim, distinctive laptop tuned for gaming purposes – with the name and logo a reference to the former VoodooPC brand that HP bought and buried back when.
The Omen packs a 15.6in 1080p touch display, and is powered by a quad-core Intel Core i7 processor with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M graphics card. With a thickness of 19.9mm and a weight of just 4.68lbs with a matte black aluminum chassis, it’s designed to be pretty portable for a computer built for games.
All ports are located on the back to keep cords out of the way of any gaming accessories, and the customizable backlit keys let you set seven different zones of colours for at-a-glance reactions. Even the Beats Audio speakers – HP’s using that last bit of branding before the deal runs out – have multicolour lighting options, as well.
The HP Omen is available now in the United States at a starting price of US$1,499.99 (about £940) for the base model, which has the 2GB GDDR5 version of the NVIDIA GTX860M, along with 8GB DDR3 RAM and a 128GB SSD. No, it’s not as well-stocked as the current Razer Blade, but it’s also significantly cheaper for the base model.
Premium options are available to double or even quadruple the size of the SSD, as well as double the graphics memory and system memory, and HP will have a branded Omen mouse and backpack out this month, as well. No word yet on a UK release for any of it, however.
READ MORE:
HP Sprout is a PC with a 3D scanner and a huge tactile touchpad
Razer Blade is revealed as the world’s thinnest gaming laptop
Andrew Hayward
Freelance Writer 
