After a few weeks with the HP Omni Book 7 Aero, I was impressed by its performance and portability | Tech Radar

Overview

After a few weeks with the HP Omni Book 7 Aero, I was impressed by its performance and portability

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The HP Omni Book 7 Aero is surprisingly robust in terms of performance, which comes as even more of a shocker since it doesn’t have discrete graphics, is thin and light (aka very portable), and doesn’t break the bank. There are a couple of shortcomings, but they’re minor in the grand scheme of things.

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There’s a lot to like with the HP Omni Book 7 Aero, from its portability and somewhat unique look to its surprisingly robust performance. I would definitely recommend it as one of the best laptops out there for anyone wanting a lightweight Windows laptop to take on the road.

I also appreciate the port selection offered, as the best Ultrabooks typically come pretty limited in this department, usually limiting you to two USB-C ports. Digital nomads will like the quality of the webcam as well as the fact that it has a physical shutter. Really, it doesn’t feel like the thin and light nature of the HP Omni Book 7 Aero compromises on too much to get to its size or price point.

That said, there are a few things I'm not overly fond of. The keyboard is adequate, but with its low travel, it can get fatiguing during long writing sessions.

And even though the port selection is pretty good, HP decided to put both USB-C ports on one side, which is a little annoying when you need to plug into the wall on the other side. That might be a nitpick, but it's something that’s been a concern for many a laptop, including some iterations of the Mac Book Air, and it’s a concern here.

Still, the pros make the HP Omni Book 7 Aero a good laptop to recommend for those looking for a lightweight, Windows laptop that works well, and it isn’t trying to look like a Mac Book.

How much does it cost? Starting at

Where can you get it? Available in the US and Australia

The HP Omni Book 7 Aero’s price tag is reasonable, if a little high, for what’s on offer. If I weren’t impressed by its light weight and solid performance, I would think this would be more of a

Looking at the competition, these prices aren’t outrageous, though it’s worth noting that, first, HP will regularly discount their laptops so it’s worth waiting for a sale (it’s 44% off the base configuration at the time of writing, for instance), and that, second, other comparable laptops are around the same price or even a little less, not to mention also regularly discount their laptops.

The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus, which impressed me with its solid performance and portability, starts at

And if you’re not married to the Windows ecosystem, the Apple Mac Book Air 13-inch (M4) is not only a strong choice thanks to its strong performance and great battery life, but the fact that at its base configuration is just a better computer than the base configuration of the HP Omni Book 7 Aero. Apple, however, does not offer quite the same discounts that HP does.

Internally, the HP Omni Book 7 Aero only offers a few options for customization. You get either a six core AMD AI 5 340 CPU with integrated AMD Radeon 840M graphics or an eight core AMD AI 7 350 CPU with integrated Radeon 860M graphics.

The choices for RAM are either 16 or 32 GB (and you can only choose the higher RAM with the higher CPU), while the storage also comes in just two flavors: 512GB and 1TB (though there are a few different choices in terms of specific type of SSD).

There’s also a choice between Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E wireless configurations, though the latter, more expensive option comes with Bluetooth 5.3 instead of 5.4.

13.3-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200) IPS, micro-edge, anti-glare, 400 nits

13.3-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200) IPS, micro-edge, anti-glare, 400 nits

13.3-inch diagonal, WQXGA (2560 x 1600), IPS, micro-edge, anti-glare, 400 nits

13.3-inch diagonal, WQXGA (2560 x 1600), IPS, micro-edge, anti-glare, 400 nits

1 USB Type-A 10 Gbps signaling rate; 1 USB Type-A 5 Gbps signaling rate; 1 HDMI-out 2.1; 1 headphone/microphone combo; 2 USB Type-C 10 Gbps signaling rate (USB Power Delivery 3.1, Display Port 2.1, HP Sleep and Charge)

1 USB Type-A 10 Gbps signaling rate; 1 USB Type-A 5 Gbps signaling rate; 1 HDMI-out 2.1; 1 headphone/microphone combo; 2 USB Type-C 10 Gbps signaling rate (USB Power Delivery 3.1, Display Port 2.1, HP Sleep and Charge)

1 USB Type-A 10 Gbps signaling rate; 1 USB Type-A 5 Gbps signaling rate; 1 HDMI-out 2.1; 1 headphone/microphone combo; 2 USB Type-C 10 Gbps signaling rate (USB Power Delivery 3.1, Display Port 2.1, HP Sleep and Charge)

1 USB Type-A 10 Gbps signaling rate; 1 USB Type-A 5 Gbps signaling rate; 1 HDMI-out 2.1; 1 headphone/microphone combo; 2 USB Type-C 10 Gbps signaling rate (USB Power Delivery 3.1, Display Port 2.1, HP Sleep and Charge)

5MP IR camera with temporal noise reduction and integrated dual array digital microphones

5MP IR camera with temporal noise reduction and integrated dual array digital microphones

5MP IR camera with temporal noise reduction and integrated dual array digital microphones

5MP IR camera with temporal noise reduction and integrated dual array digital microphones

11.70 x 8.31 x 0.65 in (front); 11.70 x 8.31 x 0.69 in (rear)

11.70 x 8.31 x 0.65 in (front); 11.70 x 8.31 x 0.69 in (rear)

11.70 x 8.31 x 0.65 in (front); 11.70 x 8.31 x 0.69 in (rear)

11.70 x 8.31 x 0.65 in (front); 11.70 x 8.31 x 0.69 in (rear)

The only spec-related option externally comes in terms of two screen options. Both displays are 13.3-inch anti-glare 400 nit screens, but one has a 1920x 1200p WUXGA resolution while the other has a sharper 2560x 1600p WQXGA resolution. You can get this laptop in either Ceramic White or Glacier Silver.

Good port selection, though placement could be better

I have to say… I really like the way the HP Omni Book 7 Aero looks. The Ceramic White colorway of my test unit is attractive in a way that doesn’t automatically make it look like HP was trying to copy Apple.

While the material is not machined metal, it is a very durable-feeling plastic that is still sturdy, and probably helps with the cost of the laptop. I can’t comment on the silver colorway other than to mention that HP does not mention that it uses machined aluminum for it, so it might look a little more like a Mac Book, but it will still feel different.

I also appreciate how absolutely petite this laptop is. It has a 13.3-inch screen, weighs in at just over two pounds, and is a little over half an inch thick at its thinnest. Throwing it in a backpack to cart around doesn’t put any pressure on my back, not to mention it’s often the lightest device in my backpack.

Speaking of the screen, it has a very impressive accuracy of 0.29 delta E (closer to zero is better and under 2 is considered accurate) as well as a 112% s RGB color coverage. Its 79% DCI-P3 color coverage is not quite as good, though, so keep that in mind if you plan on doing any photo editing with HDR.

As such a diminutive laptop, I do find that the keyboard is more serviceable than amazing. This is particularly true for the keyboard as it has a fairly short travel – short enough that I notice it when typing out more than just an email. The trackpad is at least a little better as it is as responsive as one could ask. It handles gestures well as well.

With a 5MP IR camera, I do find the webcam to reproduce a sharp, smooth image – I don’t get any choppiness as long as I have a strong internet connection – plus it has those useful effects on hand, such as blurring the background, reorienting the eyes so that they seem to look at the recipient and not the camera, and automatically reframing when one moves their head. More importantly, it comes with a physical privacy shutter.

One thing that smaller laptops like the HP Omni Book 7 Aero often sacrifice are the ports, usually offering just a handful of USB-C. Luckily, this laptop bucks that trend. There are, of course, two USB-C ports that support power delivery and Display Port 2.1, though they are unfortunately on just one side of the laptop. But there are also two regular USB-A ports, a headphone jack, and an HDMI port. Not bad for such a little guy.

Despite the fact that the HP Omni Book 7 Aero fits more into the light and portable category of laptops, aka Ultrabooks, its performance is surprisingly robust. There’s no discrete graphics, but the integrated Radeon Graphics were enough to run some computer games, not that you should really consider this for a gaming laptop.

I managed to run Indiana Jones and the Great Circle off Game Pass at low settings without any latency, lags, or stutters. I also managed to run Cyberpunk 2077, though that got low enough frame rates to not want to use this laptop to play it.

Here's how the HP Omni Book 7 Aero performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

3DMark: Fire Strike: 6078; Time Spy: 2732; Night Raid: 24031; Steel Nomad: 396

Geek Bench 6.5: 2825 (single-core); 12137 (multi-core)

Cross Mark: Overall: 1837 Productivity: 1695 Creativity: 2141 Responsiveness: 1477

Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Gathering Storm (1080p high): 25.368 fps; (2560x 1600p high) 15.895 fps; Storm (1080p medium): 42.843 fps; (2560x 1600p medium) 26.997 fps

Of course, the fans go full blast when running any demanding task, and the keyboard does pass on some of the internal heat. But again, this really isn’t a laptop meant for these kinds of heavy-duty tasks, even if there’s more power here than expected.

Also, be aware that it can get a little hot if pushed hard. This is a fairly thin laptop after all. We registered temperatures of up to 103.8F between the G and H keys when really pushed into overdrive.

For productivity work, this means that the HP Omni Book 7 Aero can keep up with internet hounds and research junkies. If you need 20 tabs open at once, you won’t have to worry about slowing this laptop down. I found it to switch tabs instantaneously even with that many tabs open.

On the AI side of things, whether you find Co Pilot+ useful or not, it’s here and works relatively quickly. I was more limited by the speed of the server the laptop was engaging with more so than the laptop itself when generating an AI image thanks to the CPU’s 50 NPU TOPS.

Lastly, the audio quality is not bad for a lightweight laptop like this, though nothing to write home about. There’s no low-end so audio can come off as a little thin, but the detail is decent. I do recommend using some headphones for any serious listening.

Battery life is long enough for a full day’s work, but just barely

Fast charging capabilities make up for smaller battery

With a battery life of 8:51:07 (according to our battery benchmark), the HP Omni Book 7 Aero is both underwhelming compared to many of the light and thin laptops out there – some are reaching times of over 15 hours – and still more than enough battery life for most people.

Since it can reach almost nine hours on a single charge, it still has plenty of juice to get one through an entire day of work without needing to find an outlet.

Once you do find an outlet though, its fast charging capabilities make up for that small 3-cell, 43 Wh battery. If turned off, the laptop will recharge up to 50% of its battery in 30 minutes. That’s pretty impressive.

The price is about what one would expect for this kind of laptop, though its value goes way up when on sale.

The price is about what one would expect for this kind of laptop, though its value goes way up when on sale.

It’s thin, light, comes with a privacy shutter, and, most importantly, looks a bit unique.

It’s thin, light, comes with a privacy shutter, and, most importantly, looks a bit unique.

This lightweight laptop can somewhat overdeliver when it comes to performance.

This lightweight laptop can somewhat overdeliver when it comes to performance.

The battery life is good enough, but underwhelming when compared to the competition.

The battery life is good enough, but underwhelming when compared to the competition.

Its portability and performance set it apart from the more middle-of-the-road act-like-a-Mac Book laptop that comprise its competition.

Its portability and performance set it apart from the more middle-of-the-road act-like-a-Mac Book laptop that comprise its competition.

The HP Omni Book 7 Aero is so light and thin that when I throw it in a backpack, I barely notice that it’s there. If you want a laptop that travels easily, this one will more than do.

While this isn’t going to go head-to-head with a gaming laptop for any kind of heavy-duty performance, it does better than one would expect on what looks to be a lightweight laptop (in terms of specs).

The white version of this laptop at the very least is a somewhat unique-looking laptop, making it attractive for anyone tired of the machined metal laptops all trying to look like but not be a Mac Book.

The almost nine hour battery life is enough to get through the day, but it’s underwhelming compared to the other options out there.

The shallow keyboard does fine for basic use, but if you’re typing up reports or articles all day long, it can get fatiguing. There are other portable laptops with better keyboards.

If our HP Omni Book 7 Aero review has you considering other options, here are two laptops to consider...

The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus is a little bigger than the Omni Book 7 Aero with its 14-inch screen, but it’s just as portable. It also comes with a 1600p screen, snappy performance thanks to its Snapdragon CPU, and quite the long battery life.

The Apple Mac Book Air 13-inch (M4) is, like just about every Mac Book Air before it, the trendsetter for Ultrabooks, setting the standard in laptops trying to strike a balance between performance and portability. It also has a very long battery life and is cheaper than its previous iterations.

Read our full Apple Mac Book Air 13-inch (M4) review

I used the HP Omni Book 7 Aero for a couple weeks. I used it for work, including typing up this review (along with the requisite online research). I used it to stream video. I even did some semi-serious gaming. I played around with the AI as well.

After spending time with the HP Omni Book 7 Aero, it’s clear that this is meant for those that want a Windows laptop that works great on the road.

I’ve spent the last few years reviewing tech gear for gaming and otherwise, where I’ve gotten a feel for what to look for and how to put a piece of kit through its paces to see whether it’s worth the recommendation.

James Holland loves checking out gadgets of all sorts, whether it's audio equipment, laptops, or vacuums (especially of the robot variety), and does so for a number of Future Publications including Tech Radar, Top Ten Reviews, Homes & Gardens, and T3. He's built up an expertise for in-depth reviewing over the last four years. When he's not putting in the work on the latest tech, he loves to travel, play music, and eat questionable food.

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Key Takeaways

• After a few weeks with the HP Omni Book 7 Aero, I was impressed by its performance and portability

• When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission

• The HP Omni Book 7 Aero is surprisingly robust in terms of performance, which comes as even more of a shocker since it doesn’t have discrete graphics, is thin and light (aka very portable), and doesn’t break the bank

• We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you're buying the best

• There’s a lot to like with the HP Omni Book 7 Aero, from its portability and somewhat unique look to its surprisingly robust performance