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8.3 / 10 Score Cnet Score CNET provides expert, unbiased reviews of products and services. When we assign a score, we use a scale of 1-10. Each product we score is evaluated by criteria specific to its category with most assessing pricing, quality, features and performance. Read more on: How we test HP OmniBook Ultra 14 $1,700 at HP Pros Intel and Qualcomm CPUs offered
Strong overall performance with long battery life
Compact, thin and rigid design
Top-notch keyboard, touchpad Cons HP's pricing fluctuates wildly so you may need to be patient before buying
Sharp, polished edges are pointy and prone to scratches
Limited ports
If I had $2,000 to spend on an everyday, do-it-all Windows laptop, HP's flagship OmniBook Ultra 14 would be the pick. Specifically, the Qualcomm Snapdragon X2-based model. HP offers both Intel and Qualcomm options, and I tested both. With better overall performance and longer battery life, the Snapdragon X2 Elite model is the winner of the two, unless you know you'll run into Windows-on-Arm compatibility issues. (Given the wide support, I'd wager most people won't.)
I tested loaded versions of the OmniBook Ultra 14 with 64GB of RAM, a 2TB SSD, a 3K OLED and a price hovering near $3,000, depending on the size of the fluctuating HP discount on any given day. I'd keep the OLED upgrade, but most people don't need that much RAM or storage. Scale those back, and you'll end up in the sweet spot of the line with a price less than $2,000 if you time HP's discount right. At this price, it unseats the Dell XPS 14 as my favorite MacBook Pro alternative.
The OmniBook Ultra 14 is thinner and lighter than either the XPS 14 or 14-inch MacBook Pro, and it has the best keyboard of the bunch. The build quality is equal to its Ultra name, and the overall design is head-turning. The bottom panel's concave platform makes the laptop look even thinner than it is -- and it's already really thin! There's little to complain about with the OmniBook Ultra 14 other than its sharp edges and limited ports. Plus, HP's fickle pricing scheme may force you to wait and find the right time to strike.
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