HP Omnibook Ultra Flip 14 review: portability combined with solid battery and performance

HP's new Omnibook Ultra Flip 14 offers super reliable battery and performance.

By Abhik Sengupta

Published On: 28 November 2024 | 18:05 IST

Review Summary

Expert Rating

8.0/10

It’s remarkable how two HP laptops from the Omnibook series, launched just two months apart, can feel so vastly different, almost as if they’re from different generations.

Compared to the Snapdragon X Elite-powered Omnibook X we reviewed in September 2024, the new Omnibook Ultra Flip 14 incorporates a more colourful display and offers a relatively better gaming experience. HP utilises the latest Intel Core Ultra 7 (258V) processor from the Lunar Lake series, delivering reliable performance without compromising battery life or the AI features also promised by its ARM-based sibling. The design and build quality remain top-notch, and the typing experience is almost perfect for the size.

However, at Rs 1,79,999 for the base variant with 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD, the HP Omnibook Ultra Flip 14 is an expensive machine designed for a niche customer base. Can it deliver what it promises? Let’s find out.

Table of Contents

Design

Like the Omnibook X, the HP Omnibook Ultra Flip 14 has a full-metal body with barely any flex on the lid or keyboard deck. It also maintains a highly portable design, weighing only 1.3kg. I reviewed the grey model, which boasts a minimal appearance and is likely best suited for enterprise customers. I prefer the atmospheric blue option since it looks more youthful and slightly upbeat. This variant may appeal to younger customers or creators who like to edit on laptops on the go.

While the Omnibook Ultra Flip 14 and Omnibook X have similar dimensions, the former resembles the costlier HP Spectre with chamfered edges, also known as “gem cuts.” Over the years, the chamfered design has blended form with functionality by housing a USB-C port at both ends. The design allows for cleaner edges, and while that might sound good on paper, the I/O options are limited. This has never been well-received by Windows loyalists.

The most notable design upgrade in the Ultra variant is the 360-degree hinge design, now branded as ‘Flip’ by HP – a term commonly associated with foldable smartphones. This design allows the display to swivel 360 degrees, transforming the laptop into a table. The hinge also feels sturdy, enabling the display to hold steady at various angles.

While using the laptop as a tablet has never felt fully natural to me, it unquestionably enhances overall versatility. The aluminium finish provides a premium feel when using the laptop in tablet mode. The tent mode is another great feature for watching movies, making the 360-degree design slightly more practical.

Display

HP continues to offer a 14-inch touch-enabled display for the latest Omnibook, although the IPS panel has been replaced with OLED for an immersive and colourful viewing experience. Other upgrades include brighter output (500 nits), more screen resolution (2,880 x 1,800), slimmer bezels (90.04 percent screen-to-body ratio) and variable refresh rates (48-120Hz). It is safer to say that the upgrades are evident. Good for editing purposes, the panel covers 100 percent of the DCI-P3 colour space.

I instantly noticed punchier colours and deeper blacks than what traditional IPS displays offer. The scrolling experience, especially while using the laptop in tablet mode, was decently smooth. I also watched several shows on Netflix and videos on YouTube, including 91mobiles’ reviews on YouTube, and the picture quality was sharp and vibrant. HP has drastically improved the audio experience with the quad-speaker system tuned by its in-house Polystudio team.

The only potential issue for users might be the viewing angles, as OLED screens on laptops tend to be overly glossy and can exhibit a strange green tint when viewed from the sides. However, this shouldn’t be a major concern as we will generally be viewing the screen from the front.

I/O, webcam, keyboard and trackpad

As mentioned, the chamfered design gives the laptop cleaner edges, but it comes at a significant cost. The Omnibook Ultra Flip 14 features only four I/O options: two Thunderbolt 4 ports (40Gbps, USB-C Power Delivery, and DisplayPort 2.1), a USB-C port with a 10Gbps signalling rate, Power Delivery, and DisplayPort 1.4a, and a headphone/microphone combo jack.

While the limited port selection contributes to the sleek design, I wish HP had included at least one USB-A port, which would have been particularly useful for Android smartphone users. An HDMI port would also have been a practical addition, especially for a laptop aimed at professionals who often need external display connectivity.

The new 9MP webcam performs much better than its predecessor in ample light conditions. HP’s native studio offers several options to adjust the picture quality and microphone. I tend to take a lot of work calls via Google Meet and WhatsApp and didn’t face issues with the camera or the mics. Other connectivity options, including Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, are designed to ensure seamless connectivity for smooth streaming and fast data transfer.

I also love the membrane keyboard that the Omnibook Ultra Flip 14 offers. The keys offer perfect travel for someone who spends a lot of time typing without being annoyingly loud. The keyboard provides two-level backlighting and a dedicated CoPilot key to launch Microsoft’s Gen AI assistant without opening the web browser. I like the centre placement of the large track as well, though I am not the biggest of its firm clickity feedback. It delivers a smooth scrolling experience, though I generally prefer an external mouse for daily work.

Performance and battery

As a productivity-focused machine, the HP Omnibook Ultra Flip 14 handles daily tasks, like browsing, note taking, multi-media playback, and even casual gaming without stutters and lags. The variant I reviewed has 32GB of LPPDR5x RAM and 1TB of PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSD (Rs 1,89,999), which ensures smooth multitasking. During light workloads, such as running Chrome and Microsoft apps simultaneously, the laptop operated smoothly without any signs of overheating, with the fans barely kicking in, which is what is to be expected. Even so, HP has thoughtfully utilised the Omnibook Ultra Flip 14’s slim design with additional vents at the back for effective cooling, even while gaming.

I like that HP offers multiple choices to users with the latest Omnibook series. As mentioned, the Omnibook Ultra Flip 14 features Intel’s latest-gen Intel Core Ultra 7 (258V) processor, unlike the Snapdragon X Elite SoC on the Omnibook X.

Based on the benchmark scores, the CPU performance is more or less at par with the Snapdragon X Elite-powered Omnibook X, if not dramatically different (reference below). While its single-core score in multiple benchmarks was better, the multi-core scores are modest, likely due to fewer cores and threads. The scoring trend remains mostly similar against the ASUS Zenbook S 14, also powered by the same Core Ultra 7 258V.

Compared to the Snapdragon X Elite’s GPU performance, the Core Ultra 7 258V’s integrated GPU performance shines. However, the ASUS Zenbook S 14 fetched better numbers than the Omnibook Ultra Flip 14 in our tests.

The Omnibook Ultra Flip 14 is not designed for gaming, and while admittedly I am not a hardcore gamer, I did play Valorant on the machine. The Omnibook Ultra Flip 14 maintained an average FPS of 247 at low settings, which is decent for a productivity-focused machine. On the other hand, if you enjoy classic games like Age of Empires II as much as I do, the OLED display, quad speakers, and the new iGPU provide an enjoyable experience.

Another thing you will notice across the laptop is the new AI badge. HP leverages the power of the Intel AI Boost NPU and offers some surprising features. Aside from the CoPilot support, the laptop provides AI-powered editing tools in the native Photos app to remove objects or clear backgrounds. AI also gets leveraged to improve video and audio quality during Meet and Team calls. The video quality has definitely improved, though there’s room for improvement.

HP even offers an HP AI Companion app to let you summarise lengthy documents, which produces surprisingly well-constructed results. However, the app’s functionalities are still in their early stages, with more features likely to be added over time.

The Omnibook X and Ultra Flip 14 weigh evenly (1.3kg) despite carrying different-sized batteries. The latter gets a chunkier 64Wh battery with 65W charging support. Overall, the Ultra Flip 14 provides a solid battery backup, standing neck-to-neck against the Snapdragon X Elite-powered Omnibook X. In the PCMark battery test, the difference in performance isn’t substantially huge (image below). However, the Zenbook S 14 exhibited the best performance (15 hours) due to a bigger battery onboard.

During my review, I could complete regular office work (minus gaming) on a single charge. The Omnibook Ultra Flip 14 also preserves battery exceptionally well in standby mode.

Verdict

If looks, long battery, and reliable performance are your top priorities in a laptop, the HP Omnibook Ultra Flip 14 is surely worth considering. I also thoroughly enjoyed the typing experience on this laptop. The new HP AI Companion app shows promise with AI-powered features for summarising and writing emails or articles. However, its current capabilities are quite limited, and it will be interesting to see how HP expands its offerings in the coming months.

Surely, the highlight of the Omnibook Ultra Flip 14 is the partnership between HP and Intel for the latest-gen Core Ultra 7 (258V) processor. You can expect a smooth performance with the capability for a bit of casual gaming if you want. This makes the laptop ideal for productivity-focused users who occasionally enjoy playing retro or casual titles (myself included). I also tried EA Sports FC 2024 at moderate settings, which the laptop managed with mild stutters. However, for classics like Age of Empires II or III, the Omnibook Ultra Flip 14 provides more than enough power to deliver a smooth experience. Moreover, the updated webcam backed by AI tweaks makes it perfect for those who take loads of video calls for daily work.

However, I would have appreciated more ports on the Omnibook Ultra Flip 14, and the pricing could have been more competitive. That said if you’re okay with carrying a hub for additional I/O options and paying a premium for its sleek design, the HP Omnibook Ultra Flip 14 won’t disappoint.