The 2018 HP Omen Laptop: A Significant Improvement Over Its Predecessors

When it comes to gaming laptops, HP's Omen series has always been a contender. In this article, we'll take a closer look at the 2018 model, which boasts significant improvements over its predecessors.

Design and Build Quality

The design of the 2018 HP Omen laptop is unmistakably Omen. The iconic red face and classic red accents are still present, but with some notable changes. The chassis is smaller and more compact than before, making it easier to carry around. However, this has come at the cost of durability in certain areas. The bottom half of the laptop features an aluminum keyboard deck and a plastic bottom panel, both well-made and sturdy. On the other hand, the top half of the laptop isn't as robust, with a plastic material that can flex slightly under pressure.

The hinge mechanism is another area where HP has improved. Unlike some companies that tend to do it poorly, HP's design is smooth and quiet, with no clicking or weird tension issues. The screen itself is also a significant upgrade over previous models, featuring a 144Hz panel that's perfect for gaming. Although the GPU may not be the fastest, the GTX 1060 still delivers respectable performance for most AAA titles.

Thermal Performance

One of the biggest changes between the 2018 model and its predecessors is thermal performance. The 2016 and 2017 models had thermal issues, which led to reduced performance due to throttling. However, the 2018 model has significantly improved in this area, with no thermal throttling under benchmarks. While temperatures still run higher than ideal, at least there's no longer the risk of throttling.

Fan Performance

While fan performance is generally good, there are some issues worth mentioning. On idle, the fans can be quite loud and aren't silent like some other laptops. This may not be a concern for everyone, but it's something to consider if you plan to use this laptop for general tasks without intense gaming sessions.

Keyboard and Trackpad

The keyboard is comfortable and features lighting in zones, although individually lit keys are not included. The layout is good, making it easy to get used to quickly. However, the trackpad is a different story. While it doesn't have Windows Precision Drivers, which are becoming increasingly common, the performance is still adequate.

Speakers

The speakers on the Omen laptop are located on the side of the device and sound quite good. They're not bass-heavy, but they're sufficient for mid-tier gaming laptops. Overall, the speaker quality is a pleasant surprise given the laptop's price point.

Internals and Accessibility

One of the best features of the 2018 HP Omen laptop is its ease of access. The internals can be easily accessed by removing a handful of Phillips screws, giving users a clear view of the RAM, Wi-Fi card, battery, and other components.

Battery Life

While the battery life is respectable, it's not exceptional. With four hours of usage, the battery lasts around 4-4.5 hours. This may be acceptable for daily drivers who use their laptops primarily for work or school, but for heavy users, this laptop might not last a full day without needing to recharge.

Conclusion

Overall, the 2018 HP Omen laptop is an improvement over its predecessors and a great option for gamers and those looking for a powerful yet portable device. With its sleek design, improved thermal performance, and solid components, it's a worthwhile investment for anyone in the market for a high-quality gaming laptop.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enHey, how's it going Dave 2D here. This is the 2018 HP omenso, when they first came out with the original omen gaming laptop in like 2015,I liked it, did a good review on itAnd then they did two years like the 2016 version and the 2017 version were just ehhI just didn't recommend them. I did reviews on them. I just told people honestly not to buy them2018 model kicks ass. Straight up, this is such a big improvement over the previous generationThat, well, I'm pretty excited to do this video. OkaySo the design of this thing is very OMENy still. It's got the red face, and the classic red accents for HP omenBut the design is a little bit different from before.So the whole chassis is a little bit smallerIt's a little bit more compact and they've redesigned this whole product. The bottom half ofThis laptop has an aluminum keyboard deck and a plastic bottom panel both well-made both quite sturdyBut the top half of the laptop isn't as sturdy. It's still well builtIt's just there's a little bit more flex to the materials and stuff. There's just no aluminum on the top part of itSo the screen has a little bit of flex and I also don't love the hinge. Some companies do this hinge really poorlyThey didn't. And HP actually has and like there's no clicking or there's no like weird tension or anything like that.But we've seen some companies in the past put hinges close together like this and they develop some weird play that just causes the hingeTo fail over time. I don't think that's gonna happen on this one. It just feels actually like a good hinge.Okay, this whole device isn't an ultra premium super thin laptop, right?It's built pretty well considering the price but there are a lot of plastic components and it starts at$800 if you get the base model that's with the i5 and in gtx 1050But even fully specced out,. I think it hits like eleven maybe twelve hundred dollars in amazonthat's with the gtx 1060 and I feel like that's reallyreasonable for what you're getting.and I think the biggest change this year in terms of the aesthetics is actually the screen. It used to have really thick bezels andIt's no longer a member of the thick bezels club. It's got a nice and thin top and side bezelThe screen uses a 144 hertz panel, excellent for games and pretty usable for a color accurate workNow this model is running the gtx 1060It's not like the fastest GPU out there but a very respectable card even right now in2018 despite this GPU being a couple years oldIt still delivers really good performance for most AAA titles. Another big changeThis year is the thermal performance . The 2016 model and the 2017 model hadNot great thermals to the point where I just didn't recommend those devices2018 model has significantly improved. I'm not seeing thermal throttling under benchmarksNow the temperatures still run hotter than I'd like, but at least we're not seeing thermal throttling. That being saidI don't love the fansSo for one, on idle, this thing doesn't run silent and that's something that is important to meNot everyone cares about that stuff. But when this thing's not doing anything if I'm just like browsing the web, I don't like thatI can still hear the fans they're quiet but it's still audible and that's with theKind of default profile. If you go for the more aggressive profile, it's even worseThe other thing is even when this thing's running full tilt in games the fans don't get super loudBut I wish there was more thermal HeadroomHonestly, if they'd given more granular control with the fans like being able to just ramp it up manuallyI think that would have solved it alone. But yeah the fans maybe they can fix this with softwareSo I will say that but in its current state, I wish the fans were a little bit better. The keyboard is pretty goodIt's comfortable, lighting in zones, not individually litBut it's a good layout and I think most people can get used to it quickly the trackpadHowever is something that I don't like it doesn't use windows precision driversI really wish they did because so many manufacturers are using Windows precision drivers nowadays. It just feels like a bit of a missIt's not the tracking. It's more the gestures like, sometimes it won't pick up whatever you're doing with your gestures, and that's a driver thingPort selection there's a handful of them located on the backIncluding a thunderbolt three port, and you get some usb on the sides as well as an SD card slot. The speakersThey're located on the side like the bottom side. So they're not in the best position, but they sound pretty goodNot bass-heavy or anything like that, but considering that this is kind of like mid tier gaming laptopI'm happy with the speaker's. The internalsThese are really easy to get into. It's a handful of Phillips screws and you have access to both of your drivesRAM, Wi-Fi card, and you also have your battery.So this battery is a reasonably large one at 70 watt hours, but I'm not getting amazing battery life looking at fourMaybe four and a half hours. It's still respectable. But because this is a relatively compact 15-inch laptopI think a lot of people are looking at as like a daily driver they bring to school or for workAnd for most people that are doing that you're going to bring the charger to last the full dayOverall thoughts on this device though. I really like it. It's so much more improved compared to the 2016 and 2017 models like those onesI did not recommend. This one, I highly recommendSo, yeah. One last thing. The mouse that I used when I was playing games on this thing was actually the HP omenReactor mouse. So here's the tale.This thing was sent as a demo for me to kind of check this the whole thing out with andUsually when computer companies or computer manufacturers make mice they're not greatBut I saw this thread on reddit where a bunch of people were praising this thingI was like really? Is it? Is it actually legit ? AndIt's a really good Mouse. It looks weirdIf I'm being honest, this is totally not my design aesthetic but people love the performance the cables wrapped in this metal braidWhich prevents fraying. It's got optima mechanical switches and optical sensor and this height adjustable air for the back where your palm goesIt's a strange-looking Mouse, but the performance is goodI understand why other people that have picked this up loved it because it saysUnconventional Mouse like 'HP mice' who would ever thought that it'd be a good mouse, but it's a good mouseI OkayHope you guys enjoyed this video. Thumbs if you liked it, subs if you loved it. See you guys next time\n"