HP Omen Transcend 16 laptop review: More than just a small name difference

The Omen Transcend 16 is a variant of the standard Omen 16 . Though they utilize similar chassis designs and materials, the Omen Transcend 16 boasts several important differences that potential buyers ought to be aware of. Our specific review unit is the highest configuration available with the 13th gen Raptor Lake Core i9-13900HX CPU, 130 W GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, and a QHD+ (2560 x 1600) 240 Hz mini-LED display with full DCI-P3 colors for approximately $2500 USD retail.

Lesser SKUs are available with the Core i7-13700HX, RTX 4050 GPU, and 165 Hz 1200p IPS for approximately $1250. Competitors in this space include other high-end 16-inch gaming laptops like the Lenovo Legion Slim 7i 16 G8 , Acer Nitro 16 , Alienware x16 R1 , or the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 . More HP reviews: One of the biggest external differences between the Omen 16 and Omen Transcend 16 is the move from 16:9 to 16:10 and so their footprints are slightly different.

Otherwise, both models share similar metal materials and texture. It’s worth noting that the bezel along the bottom edge of the screen is not any narrower than the regular Omen 16 despite the change in aspect ratio. The new 16:10 form factor makes the Omen Transcend 16 squarer than the regular Omen 16 but with an overall thinner profile by almost 4 mm.

It’s a bit lighter as a result, but it’s still not nearly as light as the Asus ROG Zephyrus M16 or Lenovo Legion Slim 7i 16 G8 . Port options remain identical to the Omen 16 despite the physical changes noted above. Nonetheless, it would have at least been nice to see an upgrade from 1 Gbps RJ-45 to 2.

5 Gbps. An Intel AX211 comes standard for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5. 3 connectivity.

We experienced steady and reliable transfer rates when paired to our Asus AXE11000 6GHz network. IR is included for Hello support whereas it is absent on the regular Omen 16. The 2 MP webcam and privacy shutter are otherwise the same between the two Omen models.

The bottom panel is secured by just six Phillips screws for easy access. One notable change from the Omen 16, however, is the removal of the second M. 2 SSD slot due to the repositioned M.

2 WLAN slot as shown by the comparison images below. Thus, the Omen Transcend 16 can only support up to one internal SSD instead of two. Other minor adjustments have also been made to the speakers and cooling solution.

Certain configurations include a HyperX Cloud II Core wireless headset free of charge. Otherwise, the retail box includes only the standard AC adapter and paperwork. The standard one-year limited manufacturer warranty applies.

The WASD keys are now stylized with translucent keycaps for a more gamer aesthetic. All our comments about the keyboard on the Omen 16 still apply for the Omen Transcend 16. Clickpad size has changed from 12.

5 x 8 cm on the recent Omen 16 to a larger 13. 5 x 8. 6 cm on the Omen Transcend 16.

Though responsive and very spacious for scrolling, feedback when clicking is shallow and could have been firmer for a more satisfying click. Another major differentiating factor between the Omen Transcend 16 and Omen 16 is the new mini-LED panel option. Mini-LED combines the benefits of IPS (i.

e. , fast refresh rates and relative affordability) with the benefits of OLED (i. e.

, higher brightness levels and deeper black levels) to be a good middle-ground option between the three display technologies. The 1000 individually-lit zones behind the panel offer a visual experience close to the individually-lit pixels of OLED. HP advertises a peak brightness of 1180 nits.

Our independent measurements using the HDR brightness test would record a maximum of 1233 nits to confirm HP’s claims. Note that this maximum is only available under certain HDR conditions similar to the Asus VivoBook as maximum brightness is otherwise limited to ~800 nits when displaying all white and no black. Even so, 800 nits is almost 2x brighter than most other IPS laptops.

When compared to the mini-LED display on the competing Lenovo Slim Pro 9 16, our HP display is of a lower native resolution (2560 x 1600 vs. 3200 x 2000) but with a higher refresh rate (240 Hz vs. 165 Hz).

The panel is not calibrated at factory. Color temperature is warmer than anticipated at 6000K and so colors at lower saturation levels are not as accurate as they could be. Calibrating the panel with our X-Rite colorimeter would increase color temperature to the standard 6500K for more stable colors across all saturation levels.

Flickering is present on all brightness levels. However, the relatively high frequency of 3506 Hz should make it a non-issue for most users. The flickering also has an unfortunate consequence of making response times more difficult to measure with precision.

Outdoor visibility is good under shade, but colors still become washed out when under brighter conditions or sunlight. The maximum brightness of ~800 nits is sustainable on battery power. We set our unit to Performance mode via Windows and Performance mode again via the Omen Gaming Hub software prior to running the benchmarks below.

Annoyingly, adjusting one power profile setting does not automatically adjust the other. The MUX switch is accessible via Omen Gaming Hub as shown by the screenshots below. Thus, it is highly recommended that owners become familiar with the software as key features are toggled here.

The performance profiles and buried under several submenus which is another annoying aspect of the software. Advanced Optimus or Optimus 2. 0 is not supported.

A soft reboot is therefore required when switching between the iGPU and dGPU. G-Sync is supported on the internal display. The Core i9-13900HX in the Omen Transcend 16 performs about 5 to 10 percent slower than the average laptop in our database equipped with the same processor.

An extreme example is the Lenovo Legion Pro 7 which can be up to 20 percent faster than our HP even though they both ship with the Core i9-13900HX. Our Omen Transcend 16 still one of the fastest gaming laptops in the market, but processor performance could have certainly been a bit faster based on our time with other high-end gaming models. Performance stability is otherwise excellent with no major throttling issues when running CineBench R15 xT in a loop.

PCMark results are just slightly ahead of the RTX 4080-powered Omen 16 except in Digital Content Creation due to our slower RTX 4070. We experienced no wake-from-sleep issues or BSODs unlike on our recent Lenovo Slim Pro 9i 16. LatencyMon reveals minor DPC issues when opening multiple browser tabs of our homepage.

4K video playback at 60 FPS is otherwise perfect with no dropped frames at all. The Omen Transcend 16 ships with the same SK hynix PC801 SSD as found on the Omen 16. The drive exhibits no performance throttling issues and so it is able to sustain a high maximum transfer rate of almost 7000 MB/s without any problems during our stress test.

Graphics performance is comparable to the average laptop in our database equipped with the same mobile RTX 4070 GPU. Nonetheless, the Lenovo Legion Slim 7i 16 G8 with the same GPU is still about 10 percent faster due in part to its slightly higher TGP target (145 W vs. 130 W).

Downgrading to the RTX 4060 SKU would decrease graphics performance by about 10 to 20 percent. Meanwhile, the RTX 4080 can increase performance significantly by 40 to 50 percent, but the Omen Transcend 16 is limited to the RTX 4070 for now. In contrast, the regular Omen 16 can be configured with GPU options greater than the RTX 4070.

Running on Balanced mode instead of Performance mode would decrease performance just slightly as shown by our Fire Strike table below. This is important to note since the fan noise differences between Balanced and Performance modes can be significant which we will show in our System Noise section. All titles are playable on high to maximum settings at the native QHD+ resolution including even demanding titles like Returnal or Cyberpunk 2077 .

DLSS is still recommended if enabling RT features or if playing on an external 4K monitor. Overall fan noise is slightly quieter than what we experienced on the Omen 16 , but it’s worth noting that the Omen 16 comes with the faster RTX 4080 GPU targeting a higher TGP of 145 W when compared to our slower 130 W RTX 4070. Fan noise when gaming on Performance mode can be as high as 54.

3 dB(A) compared to just 42 dB(A) when on Balanced mode. You’ll lose a bit of performance as mentioned above, but the significant decrease in noise may make the tradeoff worth considering. Otherwise, the mid 50 dB(A) range when gaming is comparable to alternatives like the Alienware x16 R1 .

Surface temperatures are warmest toward the center due to the symmetrical cooling solution inside. The keyboard center can reach 40 to 45 C when gaming and the underside can be even warmer. However, this range is still comparable to the Legion Slim 7i 16 G8 .

The rest of the laptop is cooler including the palm rests, WASD keys, and arrow keys where skin is more often in contact when gaming. When running Prime95 stress, the CPU would boost up to 3. 1 GHz and 101 W before quickly falling and stabilizing at around 2.

4 GHz and 84 W in order to maintain a reasonable core temperature of 81 C. Core temperature can be as high as 97 C if the GPU is also being stressed at the same time as shown by our screenshots below. The Nvidia GPU would stabilize at 2115 MHz, 86 C, and 94 W, respectively, when running Witcher 3 on Performance mode.

If on Balanced mode, the GPU would drop to 2085 MHz, 76 C, and 86 W instead. We’re only able to reach a real-world GPU power peak of 105 W compared to the 130 W TGP target. Running on battery power limits performance.

A Fire Strike test on batteries would return Physics and Graphics scores of 21003 and 17627 points, respectively, compared to 33936 and 27343 points when on mains. Our Omen Transcend 16 comes with a faster CPU but a slower GPU than the Omen 16 and so the average power consumption is about the same between them. Their differences become more noticeable when stressing only the CPU or GPU.

For example, our Omen Transcend 16 would consume about 15 to 20 W more power when running Prime95 whereas it would consume about 15 W less when running FurMark. Idling on desktop can draw as much as 55 W when on the Performance profile. Mini-LED is known to be generally more demanding than a standard IPS alternative.

We’re able to record a maximum draw of 292 W from the medium-large (~18 x 8. 7 x 2. 6 cm) 280 W AC adapter when the CPU and GPU are each at 100 percent utilization.

Consumption would stabilize in the 240 W range after about a minute of full stress. Battery capacity has increased from 83 Wh on the Omen 16 to 97 Wh on our Omen Transcend 16. Nonetheless, battery life is still shorter due to the more demanding mini-LED panel.

We’re able to clock in just over 4 hours of real-world WLAN browsing on the Balanced power profile with the iGPU active whereas the Omen 16 can inch closer to 5 hours under similar settings. Charging from empty to full capacity with the included AC adapter takes about 90 minutes. The system can also be recharged via USB-C, but lower capacity adapters may not work.

Our 65 W USB-C AC adapter, for example, would generate a compatibility error message while our 135 W USB-C adapter would charge without issues. The Omen Transcend 16 offers several upgrades over the standard Omen 16 including an IR sensor, 16:10 aspect ratio, larger capacity battery, and a mini-LED option. The latter is perhaps the most unique as the model is one of the first to carry a QHD+ 240 Hz mini-LED display for a viewing experience unlike most other gaming laptops where IPS and OLED are still commonplace.

Users who value brightness and HDR1000 features will especially appreciate the advantages of mini-LED. The Omen Transcend 16 trades away higher GPU options for a faster CPU and a thinner and lighter profile. Meanwhile, its Mini-LED display is extraordinarily bright for the most vibrant HDR content on any gaming laptop.

The latest model isn’t necessarily better than the regular Omen 16 as it omits a few important features. Firstly, the Omen Transcend 16 supports just one internal SSD whereas the Omen 16 can support two. Secondly and perhaps most importantly, the Omen Transcend 16 maxes out at the 130 W GeForce RTX 4070 GPU whereas the Omen 16 can be configured with up to the 145 W GeForce RTX 4080.

This GPU limitation could be due to the thinner profile and higher Core i9-13900HX CPU option of the Omen Transcend 16. Thus, users who prefer faster GPU performance may want to consider the regular Omen 16 while those who prefer faster CPU performance may want to consider the Omen Transcend 16. HP is now shipping its Omen Transcend 16 starting at $1250 USD for the base Core i7-13700HX and RTX 4050 configuration up to $2500 for our review configuration.

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