Review: HP OmniBook X Flip 14

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6/10

Convertible laptops continueto grow in popularity, likely because of the exceptional flexibility they offer to folks who want to switch up their use—shape-shifting among traditional notebook, tablet, and tappable entertainment device forms. The latest device to enter this fray is HP’s OmniBook X Flip, available in both 16-inch and 14-inch versions, the latter of which is what I was sent to review.

Its poor battery life and awkward design, however, make it fall short of being among thebest 2-in-1 laptopsI've tested, even if the price isquite attractive.

At first glance, it’s an unremarkable device, completely clad in silvery aluminum, interrupted only by understated HP branding on the lid. But look closer and you’ll soon see some design elements that might raise an eyebrow.

It starts, oddly enough, with the underside of the laptop, which looks like an angled pedestal upon which the keyboard rests. It also makes the laptop appear thicker than it is, though at 19 mm (0.75 inches) thick, it’s actually about average for the 14-inch category. (The 3.1-pound weight, however, is comparatively heavy, and it feels as such in the hand.)

The other big twist is the keyboard. Rather than featuring the island-style keys ubiquitous today, the OmniBook X Flip has its keys all run together, with just a sliver of space between each of them. This makes each key just a bit larger than normal, and while that may sound helpful, I found it made for a slightly more difficult touch-typing experience as I accidentally hit two keys at once more often than expected. It also looks decidedly weird, a surefire love-it-or-hate-it retro appearance that distinctly reminded me of some computers from the 1980s.

HP swaps Intel for AMD on the 14-inch OmniBook X Flip (though the 16-inch model uses Intel CPUs), and the model reviewed is one of the higher-end configurations available, including an AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 CPU with AMD Radeon 860M graphics, 32 GB of RAM, and a 1-terabyte SSD.

HP OmniBook X Flip 14

Rating: 6/10

All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.

The 14-inch OLED touchscreen includes 2,880 x 1,800 pixels of resolution—clarity is good, but brightness is limited. The screen’s hinge is tight and bounces only minimally when adjusted and virtually not at all when tapped; this is a welcome improvement over many other 2-in-1 devices, which can often have too much hinge flex.

Performance is a mixed bag. While general app performance on tasks such as web browsing, document creation, and spreadsheet work is good, even exceptional at times, the graphical capabilities of the X Flip are largely a bust. The system turned in some of the lowest graphics benchmark scores I’ve clocked over the last two years, with some rendering and gaming tests barely scoring more than half the speed of comparably equipped systems with recent vintage Intel CPUs. In the realm of graphics, don’t expect to use this device for anything more than basic photo editing or graphic design work.

The unit does qualify as aCopilot+ PCand includes the panoply of Windows apps like Cocreator and Live Captions with Translation. These worked well in my testing. I was also excited to try out Microsoft’s long-delayedRecall application, which was installed on this system as a beta app, but unfortunately, I was never able to get it to even load, much less run. The only other major operational hiccup came when I was preparing to return the laptop: Windows 11’s system reset feature refused to work, even after days of troubleshooting.

Port selection is about average, with two USB-C ports (one running at 40 Gbps, one at 10 Gbps), two USB-A ports, and a full-size HDMI jack. One of the USB-C ports is used for charging. All of the ports except for one of the USB-A ports can be found on the left side of the laptop. Dual speakers are reasonably loud and crisp, and they’re located beneath the palmrest, on the underside of the front lip of the device.

HP OmniBook X Flip 14

Rating: 6/10

All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.

In addition to a standard charger, inside the box you’ll also find a capable active stylus which clips magnetically to the right side of the laptop when not in use. The pen charges via a hidden USB-C port that is accessed by sliding a panel on the back of the pen to reveal it. Naturally, a fingertip works well on the screen, too, and the touchpad is responsive without being overly large.

Outside of what’s mentioned above, the Flip has some particular downsides worth noting, the biggest being its battery life. Despite a fairly dim screen, I was only able to squeeze 7 hours and 48 minutes of runtime from the device, one of the worst showings I’ve seen in years. The system also runs hot and fires up its fan more often than expected. It isn’t deafening, but it’s on the loud side and quite noticeable given its predilection for running often.

The particular configuration I tested isn’t widely available off the rack and must be configured to order on HP’s website, where it runs $1,540 at publication. You’ll save a lot of money by dropping down to 16 GB of RAM and trimming resolution down to 1,920 x 1,200 pixels. That model currently runs just$900 at Best Buy. That’s a calculus worth considering, as the full-price version of the OmniBook X Flip 14 doesn’t quite offer enough bang for the buck to merit a blanket recommendation, especially if you have your sights set on serious graphics work or require something close to all-day battery life.

HP OmniBook X Flip 14

Rating: 6/10

All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.