The high-end gaming laptop market is fiercely competitive, with new contenders emerging rapidly, powered by the latest silicon. The HP Omen Max 16 enters this arena armed with Intel’s Core Ultra 9 275HX processor and Nvidia’s formidable RTX 5080 mobile graphics. This combination promises exceptional performance for demanding games and creative workloads. In this HP Omen Max 16 review, we’ll delve into its capabilities, design choices, and overall value proposition to see how it stacks up against its peers and whether its power is matched by a compelling overall package.
HP Omen Max 16: Key Specifications and Features
At the heart of the HP Omen Max 16 lies the potent duo of an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor and Nvidia RTX 5080 mobile graphics. These new-generation components are engineered to deliver top-tier performance across the board. The review unit came configured with the following specifications:
- Model number: 16-ah0043dx
- CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX
- Memory: 32GB DDR5-5600
- Graphics/GPU: Nvidia RTX 5080 (Max 175W with Dynamic Boost)
- NPU: Intel AI Boost up to 13 TOPS
- Display: 16-inch 2560×1600 240Hz OLED with HDR
- Storage: 2TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD
- Webcam: 1080p 30fps camera with Windows Hello support
- Connectivity: 2x Thunderbolt 4 with USB-C and Power Delivery, 2x USB Type-A (10Gbps), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x RJ-45 Ethernet, 1x 3.5mm headphone/microphone combo jack
- Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
- Biometrics: Facial recognition
- Battery capacity: 83 watt-hours
- Dimensions: 14.04 x 10.59 x 0.98 inches
- Weight: 6.1 pounds
- Operating System: Windows 11 Home
- Additional features: HyperX wireless connectivity
- Price: $3,339.99 MSRP
Beyond the headline CPU and GPU, the HP Omen Max 16’s spec sheet is largely standard for a premium gaming laptop, featuring a high-resolution 16-inch display, ample 32GB of RAM, and a spacious 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD. A standout in its connectivity suite is the inclusion of two Thunderbolt 4 ports, where some competitors offer only one. Additionally, it incorporates a HyperX wireless adapter for seamless pairing with HyperX gaming peripherals—a niche but potentially valuable feature given the quality of HyperX hardware.
The HP Omen Max 16 model reviewed carried an MSRP of $3,339.99 at Best Buy, though it was available for $3,139.99 at the time of the original review. While certainly an investment, this pricing positions it on the more affordable side for a laptop equipped with this level of hardware, particularly an RTX 5080.
Design and Build: Solidly Built, Subtly Styled
HP’s Omen line has, over time, adopted design cues reminiscent of older Alienware laptops, and the Omen Max 16 continues this trend. This is evident in its black and white colorway options, simple lines with rounded corners, and notably, the font choice for the “O16” badging.
HP Omen Max 16 gaming laptop in Shadow Black, showcasing its understated design and O16 badging on the lid.
However, the Omen Max 16 doesn’t embrace the flamboyance typical of Alienware. While it features a customizable RGB-LED lightbar across the front and an RGB-LED keyboard, the exterior badging is quite restrained. The “Shadow Black” colorway, in particular, can come across as somewhat dull due to HP’s choice of matte black materials. This understated approach leaves its design in a challenging position; it’s not unattractive, but it lacks the distinct visual flair seen in competitors like the Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 with its lid-mounted LED display. Consequently, it may be the least visually striking among the new RTX 5080-powered gaming laptops recently evaluated.
On a more positive note, HP has not compromised on build quality. The chassis exhibits minimal flex when handled, and the materials feel robust without any groaning or creaking. The display hinge is firm, showing only slight flex when opened or closed, and the keyboard deck remains solid unless subjected to undue force. While competitors such as Alienware, Lenovo, and Asus also deliver excellent build quality in this price segment, the Omen Max 16 confidently stands as their peer in this regard.
Keyboard and Touchpad: A Mixed Input Experience
The keyboard of the HP Omen Max 16, much like its overall design, presents a rather unassuming appearance, especially when the RGB-LED backlighting is inactive. This is largely attributable to the keycaps, which feature a somewhat old-fashioned bevel.
Close-up of the HP Omen Max 16 keyboard with RGB backlighting activated, highlighting the keycap design.
However, the typing experience itself is a strength. The keyboard offers satisfying key travel and a firm, tactile bottoming action, complete with a distinct scissor-switch “slap.” While it won’t rival a dedicated mechanical keyboard, it provides a crisp and responsive feel for typing and gaming. The customizable RGB-LED backlight significantly enhances the keyboard’s visual appeal. It is exceptionally bright and vibrant, thanks to transparent keycap edges that allow ample light to shine through. Customization is straightforward via HP’s Omen Light Studio software.
The touchpad, unfortunately, is less impressive. While responsive, its dimensions of roughly five inches wide by three inches deep are merely adequate for a laptop of this size. Some competitors, including the Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 and Razer Blade 16, offer considerably larger touchpad surfaces, which can improve usability for productivity tasks.
Display and Audio: OLED Brilliance, Average Sound
Display quality is a significant advantage for the HP Omen Max 16, particularly with the top-tier 16-inch OLED panel. This screen boasts a 2560×1600 resolution, a swift 240Hz maximum refresh rate, and support for variable refresh rates ranging from 48Hz to 240Hz, ensuring smooth visuals.
The HP Omen Max 16 screen displaying a vibrant, colorful image, showcasing the OLED panel's quality.
Opting for OLED technology brings both strengths and weaknesses. OLED displays are typically glossy, which can lead to glare in brightly lit environments, and they may not achieve the peak brightness levels of Mini-LED displays found in competitors like the Asus ROG Strix Scar 16. However, OLED excels in delivering exceptional contrast, a wide color gamut, and outstanding motion clarity, attributes that are highly desirable for a gaming laptop. These advantages often make OLED a preferred choice over IPS Mini-LED or standard IPS LCD alternatives for an immersive gaming experience.
The OLED display also supports HDR when the laptop is plugged in. While it may not match the HDR brightness of the latest desktop OLED monitors, it performs commendably, lending a vibrant pop to HDR-compatible games.
Regarding audio, the HP Omen Max 16’s speakers deliver balanced sound at lower volumes. However, as the volume increases, the audio can become somewhat shrill. They are adequate for casual background music or games where immersive audio is not critical. For more acoustically demanding applications, users will likely prefer dedicated desktop speakers or a quality headset. This is an area where a competitor like the Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 holds a notable advantage with its more powerful and crisp sound system.
Webcam, Microphone, and Biometrics
HP equips the Omen Max 16 with a 1080p webcam and a dual-microphone array. Neither component is particularly outstanding, but both are perfectly serviceable. Users can expect the webcam to deliver sharp, colorful video, and the microphone array effectively captures voice with ample volume.
The Omen Max 16 also includes an IR camera enabling Windows Hello facial recognition. This feature is common among competitive laptops in this class and is always a welcome addition for convenient and secure logins. In testing, the facial recognition proved to be fast and reliable, consistent with the performance of similar systems on competing devices. For enhanced privacy, a physical shutter is provided to obstruct the webcam when not in use.
Connectivity: Comprehensive and Well-Placed Ports
The HP Omen Max 16 offers a healthy selection of ports distributed along its flanks and rear. On the left side, you’ll find a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports, both supporting USB-C functionality, alongside the 3.5mm combo headphone/microphone jack. The right side houses a single USB-A port.
Rear view of the HP Omen Max 16, showing connectivity ports including HDMI, USB-A, and Ethernet.
Additional connectivity is located on the rear, including another USB-A port, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a 2.5Gbps Ethernet jack. The barrel plug for the included 330-watt power brick also connects at the rear. This port selection is robust for a modern gaming laptop. The placement of some ports on the rear is particularly beneficial for cable management, especially for users who intend to use the laptop frequently at a desk. Conveniently, two of the most commonly used persistent connections—HDMI and Ethernet—are among those rear-facing ports.
The Thunderbolt 4 ports also support USB-C Power Delivery. While HP’s specifications do not detail the maximum power wattage available via this method, it’s somewhat academic as the laptop’s peak power draw likely exceeds what USB-C can supply for full performance. Nevertheless, having USB-C charging as a secondary option is useful if the main power brick is unavailable.
Wireless connectivity is up-to-date, with support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, as expected in new 2025 laptops. A unique addition is the laptop’s support for instant wireless pairing with HyperX devices, although this feature was not tested due to the unavailability of a compatible HyperX peripheral during the review.
Performance Deep Dive: How the Omen Max 16 Stacks Up
The hardware configuration of the reviewed HP Omen Max 16, featuring an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor and an Nvidia RTX 5080 GPU, aligns it closely with other recently tested high-performance laptops such as the [Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 (internal link placeholder)], the [Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 (internal link placeholder)], and the MSI Raider 18 HX AI. The Omen Max 16 was also equipped with 32GB of DDR5 memory and a 2TB PCIe solid-state drive.
Graph showing PCMark 10 benchmark results for the HP Omen Max 16 compared to competitor gaming laptops.
Our performance evaluation begins with PCMark 10, a comprehensive system benchmark. The Omen Max 16 achieved a strong score of 8,321. While this places it towards the lower end of the scores achieved by comparable Intel Core Ultra 9 / Nvidia RTX 5080 laptops, the differences are marginal, effectively resulting in a performance tie among the top contenders.
Graph displaying Handbrake video encoding benchmark times for the HP Omen Max 16 against similar gaming laptops.
Handbrake, a benchmark that heavily taxes multi-threaded CPU performance over a longer duration, saw the HP Omen Max 16 perform admirably. The new Intel Core Ultra 9 processors excel in this test, and the Omen Max 16 is no exception, keeping pace with most of its direct competitors. Only the MSI Raider 18 HX A2XW, benefiting from a larger chassis and a slightly more powerful Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX processor, managed to pull ahead.
Graph illustrating Cinebench R23 multi-core benchmark scores for the HP Omen Max 16 and its competitors.
Cinebench R23, another demanding multi-threaded benchmark, reinforces this narrative. The Omen Max 16 delivered an excellent score of 33,224, largely in line with its peers. The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 was marginally quicker, while the larger and pricier MSI Raider 18 HX A2XW again led the pack.
Graph showing 3DMark Time Spy and Port Royal graphics benchmark scores for the HP Omen Max 16 with RTX 5080.
Turning to graphics performance, the Omen Max 16 with its RTX 5080 GPU produced 3DMark Time Spy and Port Royal results consistent with other similarly equipped laptops. The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 emerged as an overall leader in these synthetic graphics tests, but the HP Omen Max 16 performed well.
Graph of Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark results (fps) for the HP Omen Max 16 compared to other gaming laptops.
However, Shadow of the Tomb Raider presented a weaker point for the Omen Max 16. At 1080p resolution with the highest detail settings and DLSS disabled, the laptop averaged 165 frames per second. This was notably behind the competition, marking the Omen Max 16’s first significant performance lag in gaming benchmarks.
Graph showing Metro Exodus benchmark results (fps) for the HP Omen Max 16 versus competitor laptops.
The performance in Shadow of the Tomb Raider may not be indicative of overall gaming prowess, as the Omen Max 16 rebounded in the Metro Exodus benchmark. Here, it achieved an average of 89 frames per second at 1080p with Extreme detail settings. While some competitors, like the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16, maintained an edge, others, such as the Asus ROG Strix Scar 16, were on par with the Omen Max 16.
Graph of Cyberpunk 2077 benchmark results (fps) for the HP Omen Max 16, including Ultra and Overdrive presets.
Finally, in Cyberpunk 2077, the Omen Max 16 averaged 143 frames per second at 1080p resolution using the Ultra preset with DLSS/FSR/XeSS disabled. Pushing the graphical fidelity to its limits with the Overdrive ray-traced preset reduced the average to 40 frames per second. Both results are competitive; the Omen Max 16 outperformed the Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 but trailed the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16. It’s crucial to note these results are with DLSS off. Higher detail presets, like Cyberpunk 2077’s Overdrive, benefit immensely from DLSS image upscaling and frame generation. Activating these features boosted performance from 40 fps to as high as 178 fps.
Overall, the HP Omen Max 16’s performance is largely as expected, very similar to other laptops featuring the Intel Core Ultra 9 and Nvidia RTX 5080 combination. While the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 generally proved slightly faster and the Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 a bit slower in some tests, the margins were often narrow. This consistency ultimately plays to HP’s advantage, given its somewhat more competitive pricing.
Battery Life and Portability: Standard for a Powerhouse
The HP Omen Max 16 is equipped with an 83-watt-hour battery, which is on the smaller side for a high-end gaming laptop. However, the inclusion of Nvidia Optimus technology, which dynamically switches to the integrated GPU when high-end discrete graphics performance isn’t needed, helps to conserve power.
Graph illustrating battery life test results (Tears of Steel video loop) for the HP Omen Max 16 against competitors.
This feature does provide a tangible benefit. In a standard battery test involving looping a 1080p video file (Tears of Steel), the HP Omen Max 16 lasted for approximately five and a half hours. This duration is longer than that achieved by the Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 and MSI Raider 18 AI HX, though not as long as the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16.
Regardless of comparisons, five to six hours of battery life is not substantial for all-day use away from an outlet. Portability is also a factor to consider; the Omen Max 16 weighs 6.1 pounds and is nearly an inch thick at its widest point. When factoring in the large 330-watt power brick, the total travel weight approaches eight pounds, making it a hefty machine to carry regularly.
Conclusion
The HP Omen Max 16 emerges as a competent, if somewhat unremarkable, contender in the fiercely contested arena of mid-to-high-end gaming laptops featuring Nvidia’s RTX 50-series graphics. It delivers performance broadly comparable to its rivals and boasts a beautiful 240Hz OLED display. However, it falls short in offering distinctive features or a standout design that might elevate it above the competition. It lacks the visual flair of the Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 or the consistent peak performance edge of the Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16. Its touchpad is merely adequate, and its speakers are average.
Yet, one aspect of the HP Omen Max 16 holds significant appeal: its price. With an MSRP of $3,339.99 and often available for less (e.g., $3,139.99 at Best Buy at the time of original review), the Omen Max 16 is positioned towards the more affordable end for a 16-inch gaming laptop equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor and RTX 5080 graphics. Crucially, it achieves this price point while delivering performance that largely matches its more expensive peers.
If aesthetics, a premium touchpad, and superior audio are high priorities, the Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 might be a more appealing, albeit pricier, choice. However, for those prioritizing raw gaming performance and a stunning display per dollar spent, and who are less concerned with ancillary features or a show-stopping design, the HP Omen Max 16 stands as a solid and sensible pick. Consider your primary needs and [explore other MaagX gaming laptop reviews (internal link placeholder)] to find the best fit for your gaming endeavors.
