Hardware Review

HP Omen Transcend 14, a one-of-a-kind compact gaming laptop!

The HP Omen Transcend 14 is a sleek and lightweight compact gaming laptop designed to seamlessly blend into both work and play environments. Despite its unassuming appearance, this laptop packs a punch with up to an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, 16 GB on-board and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card, ensuring robust gaming performance.  Despite its slim profile, it boasts a battery life of up to 11.5 hours with integrated graphics and Eco mode activated.

While gaming will inevitably drain the battery faster, it's still capable of lasting through most of a workday without needing a recharge. Additionally, the laptop's USB-C 140-watt power adapter can rapidly charge the battery, reaching 50% capacity in just 30 minutes. At the heart of the Omen Transcend 14 is its 14-inch 2.8K OLED display, featuring a variable refresh rate of 48-120Hz for smooth and immersive visuals. This makes it suitable for both gaming and content creation tasks. Positioned between HP's budget-friendly Victus laptops and the more powerful Omen line, the Omen Transcend series offers a balance of performance and portability.

In terms of connectivity, the laptop offers a streamlined setup with a USB-C port and HDMI 2.1 output located at the rear, minimizing cable clutter on your desk. It also features a Thunderbolt 4 USB-C port and two USB-A ports for added convenience. However, the absence of a microSD or SD card slot may be disappointing for creatives who rely on external storage solutions, though the 1TB SSD is very reliable too in such scenarios.  The keyboard introduces a matte finish, with keycaps extending edge to edge for a sleek look. Each key features a bright glowing border for added visual flair. The Omen Transcend 14 offers customizable RGB lighting options, with a choice between four-zone RGB lighting or per-key RGB lighting, which will probably be available later this year.

We know exactly what you're thinking though, isn't this laptop too thin to work around overheating issues? To address the challenge of keeping a thin gaming laptop cool, the Omen Transcend 14 features a cutting-edge cooling system developed in collaboration with Intel. Utilizing a vapor chamber, the system draws in air and creates a pressurized zone within the chassis, effectively expelling heat through the rear vents.

HP claims that this innovative cooling mechanism makes the Transcend 14 the coolest 14-inch gaming laptop available. However, only time will tell what's true and what isn't, so stay tuned guys!