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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.
There's also 1TB Gen 4 SSD, but with any gaming laptop surely the most important single component is the GPU and it's no surprise to find an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 8GB doing the pixel pumping duties.
(Image credit: Future)
It's one up from the bottom of Nvidia's RTX 50 Series laptop GPUs, but it gets the full feature set, including all the latest DLSS upscaling bells and whistles. It outputs to a 165Hz 16-inch LCD display with a native resolution of 1,920 by 1,200 pixels, making it a 16:10 aspect panel rather than the usual 16:9 ratio.
The battery is a pretty generous 70Wh item, meanwhile, and networking includes WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4 and Ethernet. Slightly less impressive is the physical connectivity. Not only are you limited to just one USB-C port (plus three USB-A), it can only do a measly 10Gbps. So, the only video out is the single HDMI 2.1 port.
Of course, gaming performance is the key metric here, and the results are pretty good, albeit with one major caveat. This skinnier Omen 16 Slim makes do with 110W of Total Platform Power (TPP) and 80W maximum for the GPU, where the full-sized Omen 16 cranks that up significantly to 170W TPP. Given premium gaming laptops can supply as much as 175W and more just for the GPU, you can see how 110W for everything, including CPU, RAM and storage, can be a limiting factor.
That said, the RTX 5060 GPU is pretty efficient and well matched with the 1200p (near-enough 1080p) 165Hz display. You'll need to use DLSS upscaling to get slick frame rates in the most demanding games. But, broadly, you'll get fairly smooth results at very high detail settings. What's more, the chassis doesn't get too hot and the fan noise is moderate.
All of which means HP has done a nice job with the HP Omen 16 Slim. It's well built, mostly well specified and delivers a pretty sweet gaming experience. Whether it makes sense as a buy comes down to pricing. As configured here with 24GB of RAM, it's a little spendy. But there's an otherwise identical 16GB model that we just spotted for a whisker under $1,200. Right here in 2026, that's a very decent deal.
HP Omen 16 Slim review: Price & availability
(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
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
(Image credit: Future)
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.
(Image credit: Future)
Coming in at 1.99cm to 2.27cm thick, where the standard Omen 16 measur...
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