HP has reclaimed its position at the top of the laptop battery life charts with the introduction of the OmniBook 5 14, just weeks after Lenovo briefly took the lead with its Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition. The previous HP champion, the OmniBook X 14, was notable for being the first laptop tested by CNET to exceed 25 hours of continuous battery life—surpassing the number of hours in a day. That record stood for over a year until Lenovo’s Yoga 9i edged it out by a small margin earlier this month. However, HP’s new OmniBook 5 14 has dramatically reset the benchmark by running for an astonishing 28 hours and 19 minutes on a single charge during CNET’s battery drain test.
A key factor behind the longevity of both OmniBook models is their use of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X series processors. These ARM-based chips are known for their exceptional power efficiency, making them popular choices in some of the best battery life laptops tested recently, including the Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch, Asus Zenbook A14, and Acer Swift Go 14 AI. The Snapdragon X processors strike a compelling balance between performance and energy consumption, enabling extended use without frequent recharging.
Beyond its record-breaking battery life, the OmniBook 5 14 impresses with a sleek and simple design coupled with a lightweight chassis that makes it highly portable. It features a bright OLED display that offers rich contrast and vivid colors, enhancing the visual experience. Additionally, the laptop is equipped with a Snapdragon X Plus processor, a generous 32GB of RAM, and a spacious 1TB solid-state drive (SSD)—specifications that are not common in laptops priced under $1,000. This combination of features makes the OmniBook 5 14 a great option for students and mobile professionals who need a long-lasting, capable machine at an affordable price point.
The OmniBook 5 series represents HP’s mainstream consumer laptop lineup, replacing the previous Pavilion brand that HP discontinued last year. The series is quite versatile, offering a range of processor options including Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm chips. Buyers can choose from fixed configurations or customizable models, with display options spanning 14-inch and 16-inch screens. Both size options are available as traditional laptops or convertible two-in-one devices, the latter identified by the “Flip” suffix in their model names.
The unit tested by CNET was a customizable OmniBook 5 14 starting at $480 (discounted from $900), featuring a Snapdragon X X1-26-100 processor, 16GB of RAM, integrated Qualcomm Adreno graphics, and a 256GB SSD. The test system itself was priced at $850 after discounts and included a Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100 processor, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD, along with a backlit keyboard (a $20 upgrade). Its display was a non-touch OLED panel with a 2K resolution (1920x1200 pixels) and a 60Hz refresh rate. HP also offers a $900 fixed configuration with similar specs but a touchscreen OLED display.
The OmniBook 5 14 is available internationally with different pricing: in the UK, it is on sale for £699, while in Australia, two similar models are offered—one priced at AU$999 with a Snapdragon X X1-26-100 processor, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD, and another at AU$1,399 with a Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100, 32GB RAM, and 512GB SSD. Both Australian configurations use the same 2K non-touch OLED display as the reviewed model.
In terms of performance, the OmniBook 5 14 delivered competitive scores on popular benchmarking applications such as Geekbench 6 and Cinebench 6. Its multi-core and single-core results were comparable to other Windows laptops in the same price range equipped with Snapdragon X or Intel Core Ultra processors. Intel-based laptops like the Acer Aspire 14 AI, Dell 14 Plus, and Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition generally lead in single-core performance, whereas Snapdragon X models tend to excel in multi-core benchmarks. Despite this, Apple’s latest M4 MacBook Air outperformed all tested Windows laptops by a significant margin in both multi- and single-core tests, continuing its dominance in raw processing power.
While Apple’s