Last year, HP really impressed me with its new approach to laptops. The company reworked its branding, launching Omnibook and Elitebook devices aimed at consumers and businesses, respectively. I was initially dismissive, but after testing out the Omnibook X and Elitebook Ultra, HP’s laptops became some of my favourites of 2025. Now, the company is shaping up to take 2026 by storm.
Ahead of CES 2026, HP sent me a prototype of its Omnibook Ultra 14 laptop to try out. Unfortunately, being a prototype, I was a bit limited in what I could test — benchmarks and other performance testing, for example, were a no-go. Moreover, my prototype unit had a ‘test’ version of Windows 11, which limited what software I could use. Because of the above, I couldn’t properly test out the Omnibook Ultra 14, but I was able to spend some time with the hardware and came away really impressed by what was on offer.
Ultra slim and durable
HP says the Omnibook Ultra 14 is the “world’s slimmest consumer notebook,” coming in just slightly thinner than the 2025 MacBook Air (the Air measures in at 1.13cm, and by my measurement, the Ultra 14 is about 1.1cm). The Omnibook chassis is angled in a really nice way, which helps it feel even thinner than it is.
It’s also impressively light. HP says the Omnibook Ultra 14 is 52 per cent lighter than the previous, starting at 1.28kg, making it slightly heavier than the 1.24kg MacBook Air.
The hardware overall feels really solid, although my prototype unit was a bit creaky and had some flex to it. But I’d expect HP to work out those kinks on the production model. Plus, HP boasts the Ultra 14 is durable, passing 20 military standard (MIL-STD-810) tests, including drops, shocks, and extreme temperatures.
And while I couldn’t test out the performance on my prototype model, HP says the Omnibook Ultra will be available with Snapdragon X2 Elite or next-gen Intel Core Ultra chips, offering top-line AI performance and all-day battery life.
Top-notch display and keyboard
The Omnibook Ultra’s display and keyboard also struck me. The display, which HP notes is a 3K OLED panel (actual resolution is 2880×1800 pixels), looks fantastic. Colours are super rich, contrast is great, and the blacks are super deep. Would be an excellent display for photo or video work, or even just for content consumption.
Along with the superb display, the laptop’s input options are excellent. HP’s new keyboard is both stylish and functional. I love the look of the keys and the distinctly HP legend, but it also feels great to type on. The keys have a nice click to them, offering welcome tactility without being overbearing. The trackpad is solid as well. It’s spacious and responsive, making it fluid to use.
Overall, HP checks most of my boxes with the hardware. Even the port situation is better than most, with three total USB-C ports spread across the left and right sides. Sure, it’d be nice to have another port type, like USB-A or HDMI, but if you’re going to go all-in on USB-C, giving more than two is very much appreciated.
Everything else
There’s a lot more to unpack with this laptop, though unfortunately, I can’t get into all of it. I’m particularly curious to see how the new Intel chips perform, especially when it comes to power consumption and battery life. When I went to Arizona to learn about Intel’s Panther Lake chips and tour the fab where the company makes them, the company talked a big game about improving power consumption, so we’ll see how it plays out in real-world testing once I get a production unit to review.
Further, there’s the AI side of things. I’m not one for AI features, but HP hyped up some of the AI tools it’s shipping, like a new posture detection system that will notify users if they slouch or tilt their neck.
Ultimately, though, the Omnibook Ultra 14 is shaping up to be a very impressive laptop and a contender for one of the best of 2026. I’m excited to see what else HP is cooking up with its laptop hardware for this year.
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