2023 has been all about gaming and productivity laptops from brands like Asus, Lenovo, and ROG. Hopping on the trend, leading laptop maker HP has also launched a new Victus Gaming laptop for 2023. The HP Victus 16 Gaming Laptop launched a few months ago, is one of those not-so-portable but powerful gaming devices that offers good productivity and efficiency. Victus 16 laptop comes with AMD as well as Intel processors and features up to 16GB RAM and up to 512GB storage. The laptop features a big 16-inch display and packs a powerful 83Wh battery along with other top-of-the-line specs.
HP Victus 16 Laptop 2023 Snapshot
Editor’s rating: 3.5/5
Design
Display
Software
Performance
Web Camera
Battery
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- Design
- Display
- I/O Ports & Connectivity
- Keyboard & Trackpad
- Performance
- Battery
- Should you buy an HP Victus 16 Laptop?
Pros
- Improved Design
- Improved thermal performance
- Ample I/O ports
- Large battery
Cons
- Both RAM slots in use
- Only 512GB SSD storage
- Heavy
HP Victus 16 Laptop Price In India
HP Victus 16 Laptop review: Design
The latest gaming laptop by HP follows the minimalistic design approach delivering while ensuring a sturdy build. The design is subtle and the laptop comes in 3 elegant shades. I received the performance blue variant which was pleasing to the eyes. HP Victus 16 Gaming Laptop comes with a much better hinge than its predecessors. The new hinge never shakes while typing or gaming aggressively and can easily be opened and closed with one hand. The corners of the laptop are slightly curved and the edges don’t discomfort your wrists while typing.
The laptop is made of polycarbonate and plastic which somehow works because plastic feels sturdy and doesn’t catch much smudges and it also keeps the surface of the laptop cooler for a longer time (plastic being an insulator). Keeping it cool is important as laptops often tend to heat up and lead to discomfort during long aggressive gaming sessions. The keyboard as well as the trackpad area is well carved out to provide ease of use to the consumer. Having a minimalistic design, HP hasn’t done much about branding either. There is just a simple ‘V’ on the lid which looks elegant and doesn’t make for a crowded affair.
The biggest downside of the HP Victus 16 is that it is not lightweight or portable. The laptop is hefty (2.3kgs) which makes it feel heavy in hand and thus not suitable for carrying around wherever you go. However, that can be ignored as gaming laptops are seldom lightweight so the HP Victus 16 might be heavy but its strong build quality definitely makes it work for gamers as well as content creators.
HP Victus 16 Laptop review: Display & Speakers
The HP Victus 16 Gaming Laptop features a straightforward 16.1-inch classic Full HD resolution display. The display comes with a high 165Hz refresh rate which makes it smooth and perfect for gaming and content creation. It is an IPS LCD panel that comes with an anti-glare coating which makes it good for indoor use even if there are lights all around you. The screen has a peak brightness of about 300 nits which is ok indoors but outside under direct sunlight, it feels inadequate. The colors and visuals on the display are sharp, crisp, and vibrant even if you look at them sideways. It has a 178-degree viewing angle, 76% DCI-P3 color gamut, and average Delta E capability to make it color accurate.
The speakers on the laptop are loud and the audio can be heard around the room but that audio lacks character. There is no bass and the clarity of the audio is also underwhelming. Using headphones while gaming seems to be a better option as it allows you to not miss any in-game dialogue.
HP Victus 16 Laptop review: I/O Ports & Connectivity
There are plenty of ports on either side to provide various connectivity options. The right side of the laptop has a USB-C port, two USB-A ports, and an HDMI 2.1 port. There is also a barrel pin for the charger on the right side.
On the left side, there is just one RJ-45 Ethernet jack, a USB Type-A port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. I felt the number and types of USB ports are decent but an additional SD card slot would have made it even better.
HP Victus 16 Laptop Review: Performance & Gaming
The HP Victus 16 Gaming Laptop I received was an i5-13500HX CPU model with 16GB RAM, 512GB storage, Nvidia RTX 4050 GPU, and an 83Wh battery. The laptop is powered by a powerful CPU and it does live up to its name as multi-tasking and performing aggressive tasks throughout the day is seamless on this one. The backbone of any gaming laptop is how well it can run your favorite titles. Victus 16 is impressive in that regard as a Core i5 processor and a powerful GPU ensure good gaming performance.
Games like FIFA 23, Horizon 5, Asphalt 9, and Red Dead Redemption 2 were played without any issues. There were no lags or hangups even when I had long gaming sessions and the best part is that the device doesn’t heat up as well. The frame rates didn’t drop much till 1 hour of gaming the ray tracing performance is good too, all thanks to the RTX 4050 GPU. Here are the results of some benchmark tests.
16GB RAM ensures switching between apps seamlessly and 512GB onboard storage provides ample space for storing whatever you want. Whether it is pictures, videos, audio, games, apps, or anything else, you can easily store them on your PC without any hassles.
The Windows 11 OS is user-friendly and simple and comes with various options for customization and personalization.
Honor 90 Review: Keyboard & Trackpad
HP is still giving a full-size keyboard that is a kicker for gamers as well as content creators. While some brands go for a 60% keyboard in gaming laptops, HP is sticking to full size to offer better efficiency to the users. The keyboard is quite neatly spaced and the keys have a decent travel space between them. It is big enough so the palm area is adequate to rest your hands. The keys are tactile and provide a soft feel so typing is fast and convenient. The trackpad is also good in size and provides ample space for fingers to move.
Honor 90 review: Battery and Charging
The HP Victus 16 Gaming Laptop packs a massive 83Wh battery under the hood. With 100% charging, the battery lasted for about 2 hours while gaming. This was when the brightness was kept to a maximum and the graphics too high. When I wasn’t gaming, the battery easily lasted for more than half a day for regular tasks like browsing, video calling, watching videos, and more. During this time the brightness was not 100%.
Mostly we see gaming laptops falter in terms of battery life, but the HP Victus 16 has an able head on its shoulders which makes it non-portable but still gives you ample battery life to last through the day in case you are working remotely from somewhere else.
200W adapter ensures the battery charges in about 2 hours which is good.
HP Victus 16 Laptop Verdict: Should You Buy It?
The HP Victus 16 Gaming Laptop starts at Rs. 59,999 and goes all the way up to Rs. 1.3 lakhs depending on the storage and RAM configuration and processor. For a price of around Rs. 1,03,000 HP Victus 16 is a pricey gaming laptop that can’t be afforded by all. The laptop has a strong built quality and top-of-the-line specs but is a hefty model that makes it less convenient for carrying around. The Victus 16 offers impressive gaming performance and can last about 2 hours with aggressive gaming due to an 83Wh battery, but the peak brightness levels are inadequate and the SD card slot is also absent. If you are looking for a gaming laptop and have no budget constraints, the HP Victus 16 can be one of your options.
Reasons to buy
- Improved Design
- Improved thermal performance
- Ample I/O ports
- Large battery
Reasons to not buy
- Both RAM slots in use
- Only 512GB SSD storage
- Heavy
