HP Omen Transcend 14 Review: Beauty and the Beast

Gaming laptops are infamous for being bulky and unappealing. For gamers, this is a fair trade for the kind of performance they offer. However, deep inside, everyone wants a thin, portable laptop to play heavy AAA titles. HP’s latest offering, the Omen Transcend 14, seems to be that laptop.

The Omen Transcend 14 is a thin and light gaming laptop that delivers excellent gaming performance while also serving as a productivity machine. But does it live up to this claim? Let’s find out in this review of the HP Omen Transcend 14.

HP Omen Transcend 14 Ultra Review

Smartprix Score 4.2/5

Pros

• Sleek and stylish design.
• Impressive performance for such a thin laptop.
• Vibrant and sharp 2.8K OLED display with automatic refresh rate adjustment.
• Customizable RGB keyboard.
• Efficient cooling system.
• Ample connectivity options.

Cons

• Average battery life, especially during gaming sessions.
• Subpar webcam quality with 720p resolution.
• Glossy display prone to glare and reflections.
• Speakers could’ve been louder.
• Relatively high price point compared to competitors.

HP Omen Transcend 14 Ultra Review: Design and Build

Design-wise, the HP Omen Transcend 14 will not disappoint you (mostly). Its all-aluminum build feels sturdy but not bulky. The air vents are located at the back (not the bottom), and there’s a dual fan setup for when the machine needs to cool down.

Unlike most gaming that you know and have heard of, the Omen Transcend 14 is pretty lightweight, weighing in at just 1.63 kgs. I would not say this is as light as a thin & light notebook, but it’s lightweight enough for a laptop with an RTX 4060 inside.

Despite being thin and light, the Omen Transcend 14 doesn’t disappoint when it comes to I/O. On the left, you’ll find a Thunderbolt 4 port and a 3.5mm audio jack for connecting your gaming headphones. On the right, you’ll find two USB-A 10 Gbps ports; one of them supports power output, and the other does not. 

Finally, the Omen Transcend 14 has an HDMI 2.1 port on the back, directly connected to the RTX 4060, for the best output on your external display. Also on the back, another USB-C port supports PD charging (up to 140W) and DisplayPort. Two of the most important ports on the back make it easier for those into cable management.

The laptop features a matte coating all around. Yet, smudges manage to appear on the body, and regrettably, they are not easy to get rid of. Additionally, it is equipped with rubber feet at the bottom, providing some elevation. However, I wouldn’t recommend relying solely on this for airflow.

One drawback I’ve noticed is that when I lift the laptop from the side while it’s open, I can hear a crackling sound, which raises some concerns. As for the hinge, I found it to be a little wobbly, but it’s fine as long as you are not sitting under a heavy-speed fan.

Overall, the Omen Transcend 14 has impressive design and build quality. It offers a sturdy yet lightweight construction and a thoughtful array of ports for connectivity. 

HP Omen Transcend 14 Ultra Review: Keyboard and Trackpad 

Now, let’s discuss the two most important inputs—the keyboard and the trackpad. The keyboard looks amazing, but looks are subjective, so it might not appeal to everyone.

The RGB is highly customizable via the Omen Gaming Hub app (Light Studio) or the Windows settings. Dynamic lighting allows you to set different patterns and effects. There are four RGB zones, including a separate one for the WASD keys. The F4 key can also be used to adjust the keyboard backlight.

Speaking of which, the keys have little to no space, which makes the keyboard smooth and easy to type on. The keyboard has minimal flex, not too much, and the key travel is okay-ish. It took me a while to get used to this keyboard, but eventually, I caught up to my usual speed.

The trackpad is large and spacious. While it is responsive, it’s not as smooth as a glass trackpad. I don’t recommend using it while gaming; getting a wired mouse is better.

HP Omen Transcend 14 Ultra Review: Display 

The Omen Transcend 14’s display is a treat to the eye. It is a 14-inch 2.8K OLED display with a refresh rate of 120 Hz. The best part is that the display can automatically cycle from 48 Hz to 120 Hz, depending on the content on your screen. It supports 100% DCI-P3 color gamut. As for the brightness, it can go up to 400 nits.

In my testing, the display was plenty bright, both indoors and outdoors. The blacks are rich and vibrant, although you can adjust them in the display settings if you wish. This undoubtedly ranks as one of the finest displays on a gaming or creative-work laptop.

But what about studying and productivity? With its 14-inch display boasting a high resolution of 2800 x 1800, text appears sharp and clear. There are no odd artifacts you would typically find on similarly priced laptops. 

The display is taller with an aspect ratio of 16:10, allowing you to fit in more content on the screen. I have one complaint: the display is too glossy, and reflections can get frustrating, especially if you’re sitting in a well-lit environment.

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HP Omen Transcend 14 Ultra Review: Performance and Thermals 

Now, let’s talk about the elephant in the room—performance. The Omen Transcend 14 is powered by the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, which has up to 4.80 GHz clock speeds with Intel’s Turbo Boost technology. The CPU has a max TDP of 15W in performance mode. It has a total of 16 cores, consisting of 6 performance cores, 8 efficiency cores, and 2 low-power cores. 

This machine’s RAM is 16 GB LPDDR5X clocked at 7467 MT/s. As for the GPU, this 14-inch machine packs an RTX 4060 GPU with a max TGP of 65W and 8 GB VRAM. There’s also an integrated graphics card, the Intel Arc GPU. To test this laptop’s performance, I ran a few benchmarks.

As you can see, the Omen Transcend 14 delivers excellent performance for its small form factor and the 65W TGP RTX 4060. Part of the reason we’re seeing such performance is the high RPM fans preventing the device from getting too hot.

The keyboard area of the laptop doesn’t overheat (it gets warm), no matter how intensive the performance load gets. Yes, the rear of the device gets hot, but not to the extent that it’s a problem. I also ran the CrystalDiskMark test, which gave the usual PCIe NVMe Gen 4 M.2 SSD scores. 

As for games, I tested Cyberpunk 2077, RDR2, and The Witcher 3. Most demanding games are playable at 1440p with Ray Tracing. Games run smoothly at 1080p, and AI frame generation using DLSS and FSR also helps a lot.

Unfortunately, you won’t be able to use the display’s full resolution, as the average FPS in most games is really low at that resolution. You can upgrade to the RTX 4070 variant if you need that extra GPU power for your favorite AAA titles.

In my testing, the CPU reached a maximum temperature of 85 °C, which isn’t necessarily bad. That said, I won’t recommend playing heavy games on this laptop in a warm environment. 

The thermals are okay-ish for a thin & light gaming laptop. If you’re wondering about the fan noise, it’s noticeable but not too loud. However, I have noticed that the fans kick in even when I’m browsing and writing documents.

The Transcend 14 supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.4 for wireless connectivity. I have not encountered any connectivity issues yet. 

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HP Omen Transcend 14 Ultra Review: Battery Life & Charging 

The HP Omen Transcend 14 features a sizable 71Wh battery, complemented by a 140W power adapter that promises swift charging. Impressively, this adapter could juice up the battery from 10% to 50% in just 35 minutes, although HP claims that it can juice up to 50% in 30 minutes. 

However, despite its sizable battery, the HP Omen Transcend 14 struggles to deliver extended battery life. My tests in performance or balance mode revealed an average of 4 to 4.5 hours of screen-on time, falling short of my expectations for prolonged usage sessions.

Even when optimized for efficiency in the lowest power mode, the laptop fails to surpass 6 hours of battery life, far from the claimed 10 hours. This makes it less than ideal for users who need their devices to last throughout the day without access to charging outlets.

Gaming on battery power is another story. You’ll get about an hour or two of gameplay before the battery needs a recharge. So, if you’re planning a gaming session, it’s best to keep the laptop plugged in.

HP Omen Transcend 14 Ultra Review: Speakers

When it comes to audio, the Omen Transcend 14 speakers strike a balance. While they may not blow you away with sheer volume, they deliver crisp and clear sound across the spectrum, with highs, mids, and lows all coming through distinctly. However, it’s important to note that the speakers get quieter if there’s any surrounding noise, such as a fan.

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HP Omen Transcend 14 Ultra Review: Webcam 

Moving on to the webcam, the Omen Transcend 14 boasts AI-driven enhancements with the Omen cam and voice enhancer powered by NVIDIA Maxine. However, the webcam leaves much to be desired, offering a lackluster 720p resolution that falls short of today’s standards. I wouldn’t recommend using it for video calls or conferences unless your room has really good lighting.

On a brighter note, though, the laptop features Windows Hello IR for seamless and secure authentication and convenient features like automatic framing and background blur to enhance your video conferencing experience.

The Omen Transcend 14 also comes with a Microsoft Office Home and Student 2021 license, adding value to the package and providing essential productivity tools for work and studies.

Should You Buy the HP Omen Transcend 14?

The HP Omen Transcend 14 is an excellent choice for gamers seeking a versatile laptop with impressive performance, a sleek design, and robust build quality. At INR 1,70,000, however, you can get better options if you sacrifice the thin & light design. Suppose you are a student or professional prioritizing long battery life or a high-quality webcam. In that case, you may need to explore alternative options. 

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