What you need to know
- HP just announced the OmniBook Ultra, OmniStudio X 27, and OmniStudio X 31.5.
- The OmniBook Ultra is a 14-inch laptop that runs on an AMD Ryzen AI 300 PC, and it promises 55 TOPS of NPU performance.
- HP promises that the OmniBook Ultra will receive a free update to become a Copilot+ PC once Microsoft makes that update available.
- The OmniStudio X 27 and X 31.5 are All-in-One PCs that run on up to an Intel Core Ultra 7 and up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050.
HP just unveiled three new PCs from its Omni lineup. The OmniBook Ultra is a 14-inch laptop powered by an AMD Ryzen AI 300 processor and has up to 55 TOPS of NPU performance. It will also be one of the first Copilot+ PCs powered by a non-Arm processor. The OmniStudio X 27 and OmniStudio X 31.5 are All-in-One PCs powered by up to an Intel Core Ultra 7 and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050.
The OmniBook Ultra is expected to ship in August with a starting price of $1,449.99. The OmniStudio X 27 and OmniStudio X 31.5 both have a starting price of $1,149.99 and are also expected to become available in August.
The HP OmniBook Ultra runs on an AMD Ryzen AI 300 processor. That chip is built on AMD’s new Zen 5 architecture and promises 50 TOPS of performance for local AI features. It also has AMD Radeon 800 mobile graphics. AMD announced that chip earlier this month and HP’s OmniBook Ultra is among the first PCs to feature the processor. HP states that the OmniBook Ultra has 55 TOPS of NPU performance, which is higher than what AMD claimed the Ryzen AI 300 comes with.
Several features on the OmniBook Ultra take advantage of its AI-focused chip, including an AI-enabled 9 MP camera that uses Windows Studio Effects and the Poly Camera Pro app (note that HP purchased Poly for $3.3 billion in 2022). Additionally, a growing number of apps utilize chips with powerful NPUs, such as Adobe Photoshop, though those are available on a range of PCs and are not exclusive to HP’s OmniBook Ultra.
In addition to outperforming Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite (45 TOPS) when it comes to TOPS of NPU performance, the OmniBook Ultra looks like it will compete when it comes to battery life. HP claims the new laptop will get up to 21 hours of battery life, though real-world testing will be needed to properly compare the PC with competitors powered by Intel and Qualcomm CPUs.
Is the HP OmniBook Ultra a Copilot+ PC?
To be called a Copilot+ PC, a device has to be optimized for AI and meet other requirements set by Microsoft. All of the laptops in the first wave of Copilot+ PCs run on a Snapdragon X processor of some kind, but the Copilot+ branding is not exclusive to Qualcomm chips.
So, is the OmniBook Ultra a Copilot+ PC? Not yet, but it will be. HP promises that the new laptop will receive a free update to become a Copilot+ PC when Microsoft makes it available. That’s a big deal because it will make the OmniBook Ultra one of the first Copilot+ PCs that is not an Arm-based system. While Arm devices like the Surface Pro 11 are impressive, they do not meet the workflow of some people due to the limitations of Windows on Arm.
What is an OmniBook?
You may not be familiar with the “Omni” prefix attached to many of HP’s laptops, and that’s for good reason. HP overhauled its entire PC portfolio just two months ago, bidding farewell to the Spectre, Envy, and Pavilion lineups. Instead, the company’s consumer PCs are part of its Omni brand and business laptops are labeled as Elite. Gaming PCs, such as the HP Omen family of PCs, were unaffected by the change, but it was still a monumental shift by HP.
HP kicked off its new PC branding with the OmniBook X 14 and EliteBook Ultra G1q. Those are also AI-focused machines, but they run on Snapdragon X processors. The EliteBook Ultra G1q is currently the best Copilot+ PC for business users.
HP OmniStudio X 27 and OmniStudio X 31.5
HP also unveiled two new All-in-One PCs today. The OmniStudio X 27 and OmniStudio X 31.5 run on up to an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor and an optional NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 GPU. Both All-in-Ones have a height-adjustable stand and a USB-C with DisplayPort in and out.
The OmniStudio X 31.5 has a 4K display, making it the “world’s most immersive experience AI All-in-One,” according to HP. That screen has an IMAX Enhanced certification as well.
