The nerdiest of you will be wondering: why Transcend? In short, what changes compared to the normal OMEN 16?
Legitimate question.
After all, having both of them in the editorial office, we asked ourselves this too.
We could summarize the differences in 3 key points:
- Weight and size
- Materials
- Display
All points that go in favor of HP OMEN 16 Transcend which aims to be a truly premium gaming laptop. Certainly also in the price, it is undeniable, but it is a machine that was created to really do everything.
The HP Omen 16 Transcend review
What does “really everything” mean? Didn’t we say it’s a notebook for gaming?
Of course, correct.
The configuration in our hands includes:
- Intel Core i9 -13900HX processor
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 8GB graphics card
- 16GB DDR5 RAM
- 1 TB of SSD space
- 97 Wh battery
- 16-inch WQXGA mini-LED screen at 240Hz
All things that allow you to run any video game, from Cyberpunk 2077 to Starfield from Baldur’s Gate 3 to Forza Motorsport. But not only. In fact, nothing stops you from using it for video editing, to modify photos, to use CAD software or those for 3D modeling.
And it is not just a question of power but also of design because, seen from the outside, it offers such minimal and elegant lines that it is perfectly at ease even in a working environment or in a university class.
Double soul
Let’s start from aesthetics, an element which also presents us with the first difference with OMEN 16.
Who the body is made of magnesium and aluminum alloywhich means that the feeling is certainly more premium but also that the resistance of the product is greater.
Why this difference between the two?
Let’s hazard an answer: OMEN 16, in terms of weight and dimensions, is indeed a gaming laptop but less portable than OMEN 16 Transcend which, we suppose, needs greater solidity precisely because of this.
Ok, but let’s look at some numbers.
2.1kg is the weight of this laptop. And it’s not much. If you think about it, the 16-inch Macbook Pro with M2 Pro or M2 Max report the same value, without having a dedicated video card and without the amount of ports made available by HP.
The thickness is 19.9 mm, so you can easily slip it into any backpack. Without sacrifices in terms of income.
16:10 is the screen ratio. We therefore abandon 16:9 to have more vertical pixels, which are useful both in normal use of the internet – email, browsing, social media – and for those who decide to edit videos and photos.
However, we will return to the display later. First we would like to draw your attention to three aspects. The first, we have already anticipated, is the completeness of the doors present: two USB-C/Thunderbolt and a 3.5 mm jack on the left side, a USB-A port on the right and then behind we have the input for the power supply, an Ethernet port, an HDMI 2.1 and another USB -TO. There’s everything you need to deal with everyday life, including 3 ports to connect an external monitor in case you need it.
The second feature is cleanliness of design. The black color is extremely discreet, with the engraved and shiny OMEN logo that stands out but without ever exaggerating and minimal profiles, with slightly rounded corners.
Once opened you can find the same care and discretion, except perhaps for the 16 positioned at the bottom right, transparent WASD keys and RGB lighting that you can adapt to the situation and your needs: calm and monochromatic at work, varied and super colorful when you play. You can therefore give voice to your double soul, considering that OMEN Gaming Hub it allows you to have fun using all four zones of the keyboard so you can create something unique and original, or take advantage of the presets already present to be even faster.
Finally we arrive at the third and final point: sustainability.
It is now an essential element for every manufacturer and HP is no exception. That’s why HP OMEN 16 Transcend includes recycled materials. The edges and internal frame, for example, are made of recycled plastic potentially destined for the oceans, the base includes recycled metal, the keyboard mechanism is made from agricultural waste. And then we have the ENERGY STAR certification and the recyclable paper and fiber box.
Yes, ok but what about performance?
Well, right. Ultimately, this is why we choose a gaming PC, for performance.
Surely HP had to make some small sacrifices in favor of weight and thickness but you will barely notice it.
We enjoyed it Starfield at maximum resolution – 2560 x 1600 pixels – at 60 fps without any problem. The game runs smoothly and we didn’t have to give up any details or even ray tracing for truly realistic light rendering.
We saw the same thing with Baldur’s Gate 3. Here too, settings are almost at maximum and no annoying slowdowns.
Great too Forza Motorsportyou must be able to be reactive at the right moment while once out of the race you can also enjoy the realistic rendering of the cars and the entire track.
What if I want to compete? Well, no problem.
Rainbow Six Siege, in FullHD and with the graphics settings lowered, manages to make great use of the 240 Hz of the screen. If, however, you want maximum video quality, you can still exceed 120/140 frames per second, which translates into great fluidity in the decisive phases of the game.
The HP OMEN 16 Transcend isn’t just for gaming though. With its i9 and dedicated graphics card it kept us company for a few video editing with Premiere Pro in FullHD with very large ProRES files, color correction, graphics in Dynamic Link with Adobe After Effects. We had a couple of moments of uncertainty during playback but in our opinion these were more attributable to the management of software resources on Windows than to the PC itself. Then, if you want to be on the safe side, aim for 32 GB of RAM which always makes the difference with heavy activities.
The fan never got excessively loud and the heat dissipation system works wellwithout the risk of “heating” your fingers during use.
Everything else – surfing the Internet, checking emails, using WhatsApp and Telegram Desktop, making video calls – is a breeze for this laptop.
Among other things, speaking of webcalls, know that the integrated webcam has a shutter so you can dim it mechanically to protect your privacy at all times.
A few words about keyboard: probably the most avid gamers will want to use a mechanic but know that it doesn’t behave badly at all. The feel is very pleasant with the keys that seem almost rubberized and the travel is very good so you have good feedback when typing; and then they are well spaced, well backlit, with the row of Function buttons more substantial than usual. There is also a button dedicated to quickly opening the OMEN Gaming Hub which is very useful, together with that of the calculator even if we are orphans of the numeric keypad, which however we have not missed.
Perhaps the only thing we had to get used to during the first 2-3 days is the power button which is not on the far right but in the middle of F12 and DEL.
HP OMEN 16 Transcend review: the display makes the difference
HP OMEN 16 Transcend stands out from most of the competition for himthe 16-inch mini-LED display.
Why should we care?
First of all It’s brighter than the competition, with a peak of 1180 nits which is a lot. Keep in mind that we are usually already more than happy to have 400. 1180 nits places it practically at the level of a medium-high quality smartphone and, for a product created to stay indoors, it is incredible.
However, the user experience does not only depend on this.
Colors and contrast also contribute to the final result. Here too the HP laptop excels, with vibrant and intense shades which make any content very pleasant to watch on this display, whether it is a video on YouTube, a film on Prime Video or your favorite video game.
The color accuracy is very good: 100% of the sRGB spectrum, 100% of the DCI-P3 spectrum, 91% of the Adobe RGB spectrum. In short, if you work with photos, videos and graphics, it will come in very handy.
To accompany the viewing experience you also have an audio quality that takes advantage of the collaboration with Bang & Olufsen to give you a clean and precise sound.The bass is a little lacking but that’s understandable. Also keep in mind that in the package, in the configuration with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, you will find the HyperX Cloud II Core Wireless then connect the USB dongle and enjoy immersive audio.
Autonomy
Here, of course, we cannot expect record numbers but it defends itself well: in a normal working day – between browser, email, Office and a bit of Photoshop – we took home 4-5 hours of battery life. If you then start playing obviously things change, keeping in mind that it is always advisable to play with the power supply connected so the PC can give you maximum performance.
The HP OMEN 16 Transcend review: conclusions
HP OMEN 16 Transcend is undoubtedly a nice companion on adventures, whatever they may be. In fact, it manages to keep up with all the activities, plus offering you a really interesting mini-LED display capable of distinguishing it from the competition.
This isn’t necessarily for everyone, but the visual experience here is certainly of a higher level, so much so that tearing yourself away from this screen becomes difficult at times.
For the rest you have excellent performance, materials…