The new HP Omen 16 Slim isn’t actually that skinny, but it is a surprisingly good budget gaming laptop – if you can get it at the right price

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HP Omen 16 Slim: Two-minute review

In these strange times where PC memory prices seemingly double by the day, an affordable gaming laptop is a tantalising prospect. But is it actually realistic? Enter the HP Omen 16 Slim, HP’s latest mainstream gaming portable.

There are two core variants of the Omen 16, a standard-sized model and this so-called “Slim”. Long story short, this Slim model is a little skinnier but still isn’t exactly super compact for a 16-inch laptop, thanks to not only a fairly hefty lower screen bezel, but also a chassis that sticks out beyond the base of the display. At least the slightly tanky proportions translate into a tanky chassis with a solid feeling keyboard bed.

Anyway, it’s the value proposition that matters and that means getting into the specs. CPU-wise, we’re talking Intel Core Ultra 7 255H, which is a pretty modern 16-core chip from Intel’s Arrow Lake generation. Here it’s configured with 24GB of DDR5 in dual 12GB SoDIMMs. But various configs are available, including 16GB and 24GB.

HP Omen 16 Slim review: Price & availability

HP Omen 16 Slim gaming laptop — (Image credit: Future)

Available for £1,499 in the UK with 24GB of DDR5
The closest US config rocks 16GB of DDR5 for $1,599
Looks out for deals on sites like Newegg

In this precise configuration with 24GB of DDR5 RAM, the HP Omen 16 Slim weighs in at £1,399 in the UK. That’s actually very good given current memory prices, right now. Indeed, you could argue it would make sense to knock that back to 16GB, keep everything else the same, and save some money.

Indeed, in the US, just that configuration is available, while the 24GB option is not. With 16GB, you’re currently looking at $1,599, which is a fair bit less appealing. Currently, an otherwise identical version but with an RTX 5050 instead of the RTX 5060 can be had for $1,198 on Newegg, which implies you might be able to bag one with the 5060 and 16GB for around $1,400 at some point if you hang around and wait for a deal. At that price point, the HP Omen 16 Slim would start making a lot of sense.

HP Omen 16 Slim review: Specs

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Row 0 – Cell 0	Base spec	Review config
Price	$1,189 / £1,100 (estimated UK price)	£1,399 / $1,799 (estimated US price)
CPU	Intel Core Ultra 7 255H	Intel Core Ultra 7 255H
Graphics	Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop GPU	Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 Laptop GPU
RAM	16GB DDR5	24GB DDR5
Display	16-inch 1200p (1,920 x 1,200), 144Hz, IPS, 300 nits	16-inch 1200p (1,920 x 1,200), 165Hz, IPS, 400 nits
Storage	1TB NVMe SSD PCIe Gen4	1TB NVMe SSD PCIe Gen4
Ports and Connectivity	1x USB Type-C 10Gbps (USB Power Delivery, DisplayPort 1.4), 3x USB Type-A 5Gbps, 1x ethernet, 1x headphone/mic combo jack, 1x HDMI 2.1, Wi-Fi 76E Bluetooth 5.4	1x USB Type-C 10Gbps (USB Power Delivery, DisplayPort 1.4), 2x USB Type-A 5Gbps, 1x ethernet, 1x headphone/mic combo jack, 1x HDMI 2.1, Wi-Fi 76E Bluetooth 5.4
Battery	70Whr	70Whr
Weight	5.35lbs / 2.425kg)	5.35lbs / 2.425kg
Dimensions	14.1 x 10.6 x 0.9 inches / 35.75 x 26.9 x 2.27 cm	14.1 x 10.6 x 0.9 inches / 35.75 x 26.9 x 2.27 cm

HP Omen 16 Slim review: Design

Not actually that “Slim”
Solid, well-built chassis
Connectivity is only OK
Cooling is well executed

The HP Omen 16 Slim is mostly plastic, just the bottom cover is metal. But it still feels very solid and durable. The Keyboard is nice and stable, with only a touch of flex when pushed hard. The keyboard, while we’re on the subject, has four configurable RGB lighting zones, but at this price point, you’re not going to get per-key lighting.

HP has done a nice job with the cooling, too. The twin fans draw air from the bottom cover and push it out the back and do so without making too much noise. However, despite the “Slim” branding, this is not a super compact laptop.

Coming in at 1.99cm to 2.27cm thick, where the standard Omen 16 measures between 2.39cm and 2.54cm, the 16 Slim is thinner than its sibling. But it’s still not that compact.

Thanks to a rather large chine bezel and the way the rear of the chassis sticks out beyond the screen hinge, the Omen 16 Slim actually has a larger footprint than many laptops that trade on pure performance rather than portability and also tips the scales at 2.42kg. So, it’s no featherweight.

In that context, the somewhat limited connectivity is a touch disappointing. You get three USB-A ports, but just one USB-C and even the latter is limited to 10Gbps, though it does at least support video out and charging the laptop itself.

HP Omen 16 Slim review: Performance

Decent frame rates at 1200p with DLSS
Seriously quick SSD
Fan noise is reasonable

HP Omen 16 Slim benchmarks

3DMark: Night Raid: 57,311; Fire Strike: 25,198; Time Spy: 10,454; Port Royal: 6,372
Geekbench 6: Multicore: 14,468; Single-core: 3,114
Cinebench R24: Single Core: 134; Multi Core: 2,713
Crossmark: Overall: 1,992; Productivity: 1,888; Creativity: 2,182; Responsiveness: 1,783
Passmark Overall: 10,817; CPU: 38,631; 2D Graphics: 819; 3D Graphics: 17,174; Memory: 3,094; Disk: 36,232
CrystalDiskMark: Read: 7,025MB/s; Write: 5,895MB/s
Shadow of the Tomb Raider: (1200p, High): 132fps; (1200p, High, DLSS Quality): 139fps
Total War: Warhammer III: (1200p, Ultra): 83fps; (1200p, Low): 205fps
Cyberpunk 2077: (1200p, Ultra, no RT): 70fps; (1200p, RT Ultra, DLSS Balanced): 51fps
Doom: Dark Ages: (1200p, Ultra): 57fps; (1200p, Ultra, DLSS Quality): 83fps
Battery Life (TechRadar movie test): 12 hours and 32 minutes

Intel’s Core Ultra 7 255H is very much a known quantity, what with its eight Performance and eight Efficient CPU cores. It’s all you need for gaming in CPU terms, so the HP Omen 16 Slim’s critical gaming component compared with the competition among the best gaming laptops is that Nvidia RTX 5060 GPU and how well it’s been implemented.

This thinner HP Omen 16 Slim model does suffer slightly in the wattage department, with the Total Platform Power shared across the GPU, CPU, memory and more capped at 110W. But that doesn’t absolutely hobble gaming performance.

For instance, running at the 16-inch display’s native 1,920 by 1,200 resolution, you can crank Cyberpunk 2077 right up, with Ultra RT settings and Quality DLSS scaling and still get 44fps average frame rate.

HP Omen 16 Slim gaming laptop

(Image credit: Future)

OK, that’s not spectacular. But it is acceptable for a single-player title. Switch off the ray tracing and you’ll be looking at frame rates nearer 100. Moreover, in less demanding games, let’s say something a little older like Shadow of the Tomb Raider, you can hit over 130fps even without DLSS upscaling and really make the most of the 165Hz refresh rate of the 16-inch display.

Speaking of the screen, the 16:10 aspect is a little odd and adds a little GPU load versus a vanilla 1080p panel. But it’s reasonably vibrant, with nice-ish colours and contrast and decent 3ms response times. It’s nothing special, but probably what you’d expect at this price point.

Just note the panel reviewed here is the upgrade 400 nit option. The base display is only 300 nits, runs at 144Hz and has much less colour fidelity. Avoid that if at all possible.

HP Omen 16 Slim gaming laptop

(Image credit: Future)

The 16 Slim’s thermal performance is pretty impressive, too. It doesn’t get too hot under load and the fan noise is reasonable. Well, it is unless you enable “Unleashed Mode” in the Omen Gaming Hub app. That cranks up the fans, but doesn’t do much for frame rates.

Elsewhere, the SSD is particularly nippy, clocking over 7GB/s for reads and nearly 6GB/s for writes. For what is pitched as a value-orientated system, that’s impressive. As for other elements, the sound quality from the speakers is tolerable at this price point, but the volume could be a little higher, and the webcam quality is OK.

In terms of physical performance, the chassis feels robust, even though only the bottom cover is made of metal, and the keyboard base is nice and solid with minimal flex. As for the trackpad, it’s mechanical and doesn’t have niceties like a glass cover. But it’s large and works well enough. It’s also worth noting that the memory, storage and Wi-Fi cards are all upgradeable, which is welcome in an age where too many laptops have everything soldered on.

HP Omen 16 Slim review: Battery life

Surprisingly good for a budget gaming laptop
USB-C charging is supported
Not actually all that portable

Undoubtedly one of the HP Omen 16 Slim’s more impressive aspects is battery life. OK, you’re not going to get more than a couple of hours of light gaming off the mains, but for watching video, this laptop has some real legs.

Our local video playback test netted over 12 and a half hours with the screen at half brightness. That’s a realistic setting for use on, say, a plane, albeit you might want to wind the screen up a little in bright daylight.

Whatever, that’s a very impressive result for a gaming laptop and makes this portable much more plausible as an all-round computing device to take with you on trips and outings. The caveat to that is that the fairly large proportions and relatively hefty 2.4kg kerb weight mean this isn’t a laptop you’re going to sling into a small shoulder bag and forget about.

Should I buy the HP Omen 16 Slim?

HP Omen 16 Slim: Scorecard

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Attributes	Notes	Rating
Value	Prices are pretty variable depending on spec and location. But certain Omen 16 Slim configurations do look appealing. You may need to keep your scanners peeled for a good deal, however.	4 / 5
Design	The “Slim” branding suggests something very compact, but this is actually a fairly beefy 16-inch laptop. That said, it is solidly built with a decent keyboard. It’s just a pity the connectivity isn’t a touch more comprehensive.	4 / 5
Performance	This is a value-orientated gaming laptop, so expectations should be kept in check. But the RTX 5060 GPU matches well with the 16-inch display and you can run pretty much any title at high detail settings with the aid of DLSS upscaling.	3.5 / 5
Battery life	If there’s one metric where the HP Omen 16 Slim delivers beyond expectations, it’s battery life. You can expect over 12 hours of video playback, which is well beyond what most affordable gaming laptops can manage.	5 / 5
Total Score	Much depends on the price you can bag on the HP Omen 16 Slim. But if you can find a good deal, you’ll get good performance, solid build and a nice all-round package.	4 / 5

Buy the HP Omen 16 Slim if…

Don’t buy it if…

HP Omen 16 Slim review: Also consider

How I tested the HP Omen 16 Slim HX

Used as my daily rig for two weeks
Threw my Steam library at
Got forensic with the screen and build quality

I’ve been round the block when it comes to gaming laptops. My first portable ran a GeForce 2 Go, if you can remember back that far. My current lappie runs an RTX 4080, and there have been plenty more in between. ANd those are just my personal machines. I’ve long since lost count of how many gaming laptops I’ve reviewed. There are always a few knocking around.

Over the years, I’ve learned a lot about what makes a good gaming laptop and I applied that to the HP Omen 16 Slim over a couple of weeks. That means throwing everything in my Steam Library at it, from classic strategy titles like Total War to graphics fests including Cyberpunk 2077. All round performance, including the SSD, is also important, as is battery life for what is, ultimately, meant to be a portable machine.

I’m also very picky when it comes to screen quality and keyboard feel and have something of a forensic obsession with laptop build quality. You have to be realistic at this price point, but build quality is particularly important to gaming laptop longevity. Bendy chassis usually end up in flakey performance, eventually.

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