HP OmniBook Ultra 16 Review: RTX Spark Power Weighed Down by Bulk and 32GB AI Limits

What was reviewed​

Rubino tested the 20-core RTX Spark N1X with 32GB of unified memory, a 1TB SSD and a 16-inch 2880 x 1800 OLED touchscreen. He says the list price is $3,199.99. At the time of his review, Best Buy had it $400 off at $2,799.99. Treat that discount as time-sensitive, because retail prices move and I couldn't confirm the sale is still running.

Memory options for the line range from 32GB to 128GB of LPDDR5X-9400, with storage topping out at a 2TB PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSD. The Ultra 16 and OmniBook X 14 are also among the first laptops announced with a second N1X configuration, an 18-core CPU with a 5,120-core GPU. Memory capacity and chip variant are separate choices, so check which one a given SKU carries.

What he likes​

• Build: a three-piece CNC-machined aluminum chassis in Eclipse Gray. He rates it slightly better than the ASUS and notes that it resists fingerprints.
• Display: a 3K OLED rated at up to 120Hz with VRR, 500 nits SDR, 1,100 nits HDR and 100% DCI-P3. He finds it slightly more natural-looking than ASUS's panel.
• Keyboard and touchpad: a second-generation latticeless keyboard and a very large haptic touchpad.
• Charger: a small 140W GaN adapter with a detachable USB-C cable and folding prongs. HP says it is 43% smaller and 28% lighter than its previous adapter.
• Cooling: two 79-blade fans, three heat pipes, and a design meant to sustain up to 70W. In his testing the laptop peaked around 113°F (45°C) under sustained load. It ran slightly warmer than the ASUS, and fans generally stayed below 50dB.

What he doesn't​

• Weight: 4.9 pounds, against 3.9 for the ProArt P16. He says even Surface Laptop Ultra is lighter at roughly 4.5 pounds.
• Both USB-C ports are on the left, and that is also where you charge.
• The keyboard backlight has only two brightness levels and no ambient light sensor.
• The haptic touchpad doesn't support Windows 11 Haptic Signals.
• There are no adaptive color or ambient light sensors, though human presence detection is included.
• His unit shipped with McAfee, and some HP utilities he expected, including HP Support, weren't installed.
• It can take noticeably longer to resume from hibernation than the ASUS.

Weight is not just one reviewer's complaint​

The weight figure is consistent across outlets. Notebookcheck's report on HP's announcement gives 2.22 kg (4.89 lb), with the rear measuring 15.73 mm. Techaeris says the laptop is heavy before you add the 140W brick and cables, and that you'll feel it in a commuter backpack. The view isn't unanimous. Paul Thurrott calls it big and heavy at 4.89 pounds, but not for a 16-inch portable workstation. If it lives on a desk, the weight barely matters. If you carry it daily, it matters a lot.

Benchmarks: close enough to ignore​

Rubino's numbers show how tight the RTX Spark field is. These are his figures only, and test conditions differ between reviews.

HP also scored 6,954 multi-core and 562 single-core in Cinebench 2026. Its SSD hit 10,389MB/s read and 9,243MB/s write, well ahead of his ASUS units, though the Surface was faster still. His takeaway is to choose among these laptops by the laptop itself, not by small benchmark wins.

Battery life​

Rubino used Windows Battery Report to track light-to-medium everyday use and got a peak of 11 hours 18 minutes. He says heavy GPU work, such as local AI sessions, gaming or video editing, can roughly halve that. HP's own "up to 17 hours" claim is for continuous 1080p video at 200 nits, a very different workload, per HP's announcement. Tom's Guide's verdict, in the portion available, says battery life doesn't match the competition.

Is 32GB enough?​

Rubino calls the 32GB model the configuration he'd recommend to more people. He pitches it at photo and video editing, light CAD or 3D work, and early local AI experiments.

Other reviewers are more cautious about local AI.

• How-To Geek's reviewer asked the 32GB unit to run AI agents locally, which NVIDIA pitches hardest, and says it hits a wall with only 32GB.
• StorageReview says RTX Spark memory is shared between CPU and GPU, but the split is set in the NVIDIA app. It ran its 32GB unit at 12GB GPU and 20GB system memory, and at 12GB the unit didn't qualify for any of its local-model test tiers.
• The same reviewer found the 32GB unit stayed within about 2% of its 128GB unit on CPU, MLPerf and RAG work. In its words, buyers who want the chip for its CPU lose little at 32GB, while those who want local AI should look at 64GB or 128GB.
• StorageReview calls the fixed split a Windows limitation, not an NVIDIA one. It says it understands that NVIDIA and Microsoft are working on better support. That is the outlet's account, not a confirmed Microsoft roadmap.
• Memory is soldered, so you can't upgrade later.

Rubino's recommendation and these findings don't really conflict. The 32GB model suits creative work and experimentation. If you're serious about larger local models, plan on more memory.

The competition​

Rubino says Lenovo's Pro 9n, a 15.3-inch clamshell with a 2.5K OLED, is substantially lighter and has an interesting pen-enabled haptic touchpad. Lenovo also sells a larger Yoga 9n 2-in-1 for buyers who want a convertible. ASUS offers portability and a fuller feature set. Surface Laptop Ultra offers Microsoft's own premium hardware. In Rubino's words, the HP's one defining edge is that it may be the better value when discounted.

Who should buy it​

Buy it if:

• You want a premium RTX Spark laptop without paying for 64GB or 128GB.
• Build, display and everyday use matter more than weight.
• You find it significantly cheaper than the ProArt P16.

Skip it if:

• You want the lightest RTX Spark laptop available.
• You need a convertible with pen support.
• You expect every premium convenience at this price.

Bottom line​

This is a very good laptop that's hard to recommend over a lighter rival at similar money. Rubino reviewed it with HP and NVIDIA having no input before publication, and his view is conditional. If the HP is several hundred dollars cheaper than its closest competitors when you shop, he'd happily buy it. Otherwise, check the real price and your memory needs before you commit.