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| The new OmniBook Ultra 14 also contains a 70 Wh battery. |
After months of anticipation, HP has officially begun phasing out last year's AMD-powered OmniBook Ultra 14 laptops. The 2025 models, which featured AMD Strix Point APUs including the Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (currently available as a renewed unit on Amazon for $949), are being replaced by fresh 2026 editions that mark a significant strategic shift for the company.
Rather than continuing with AMD, HP has pivoted to Intel and Qualcomm for its latest OmniBook Ultra 14 series. The move was first previewed back in January at CES 2026, where HP unveiled the new lineup with promises of next-generation performance and AI capabilities.
Stunning 2.8K OLED Display With High-End Specs
The new OmniBook Ultra 14 doesn't skimp on display quality. It features a 2.8K OLED panel that mirrors recent Lenovo releases, combining a 120Hz variable refresh rate (VRR) with impressive brightness specs: 500 nits for SDR content and a peak of 1,000 nits for HDR. This makes it suitable for everything from productivity work to media consumption and creative tasks.
HP has packed the laptop with up to 64 GB of RAM, ensuring plenty of headroom for demanding workloads and multitasking. The chassis is crafted from forged aluminum and weighs in at just 2.81 pounds, putting it in the same weight class as Apple's MacBook Air and ASUS' Zenbook S14. The laptop has also passed 20 MIL-STD durability tests, including reinforced corners for added drop protection.
Two Processor Options: Intel Panther Lake or Snapdragon X2 Elite
Buyers have two distinct processor paths to choose from. On the Intel side, HP is offering Panther Lake variants starting with the Core Ultra 7 356H, while the Qualcomm option features the Snapdragon X2 Elite X2E-90-100. Both configurations are positioned as Copilot+ PCs and deliver up to 85 TOPS of NPU performance, a considerable bump over the previous generation that enables on-device AI tasks like real-time translation, advanced photo editing, and Windows Studio Effects.
Pricing Varies Massively Between Configurations
Here's where things get interesting—and potentially confusing for shoppers. Pricing varies massively between the Snapdragon and Intel Panther Lake SKUs. Currently, Best Buy charges $2,049 for the OmniBook Ultra 14 with a Snapdragon X2 Elite X2E-90-100, 32 GB of RAM, and 1 TB of storage.
Meanwhile, Intel Panther Lake variants start at a more accessible $1,699 on HP's official website. That base configuration includes a Core Ultra 7 356H processor, 16 GB of RAM, and 512 GB of storage.
But if you're looking to upgrade, the costs add up quickly. Configuring a comparable Panther Lake SKU balloons pricing to $2,399 with the Core Ultra 9 386H, 32 GB of RAM, and 1 TB of storage. For those wanting the top-tier Core Ultra X9 388H—which comes with Arc B390 graphics—there's an $80 surcharge over the Core Ultra 9 386H.
Expensive Upgrade Options
Worse still, HP charges a hefty $500 for the privilege of going from 32 GB to 64 GB of RAM. Upgrading from a 1 TB SSD to a 2 TB equivalent will set you back another $180. These steep upgrade costs mean that fully specced-out models can get very expensive very quickly.
Ports and Connectivity
The OmniBook Ultra 14 comes equipped with four ports, though the specific port configurations differ between processor variants. The Qualcomm model gets three USB-C ports with 40Gbps signaling, while the Intel version upgrades those to full Thunderbolt 4 with DisplayPort 2.1 support, allowing you to push up to 8K at 60Hz to an external monitor. Both configurations include Wi-Fi 7, and the Intel model adds Bluetooth 6.0 support.
Availability and Final Thoughts
HP's website indicates that the new OmniBook Ultra 14 should reach other markets soon, including the Eurozone. The starting price for the Intel variant is $1,699, while the Snapdragon version starts at $2,049 at Best Buy. With its premium OLED display, haptic trackpad, lattice-free keyboard, and powerful next-gen processors, the 2026 OmniBook Ultra 14 is shaping up to be a solid contender in the premium laptop space—just be prepared to pay a premium for higher-end configurations.
Sources:
- Best Buy – HP OmniBook Ultra 14 (Snapdragon X2 Elite)
- HP Official Store – OmniBook Ultra 14 (Panther Lake)
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| The new OmniBook Ultra 14 contains four ports. |
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| HP includes a haptic trackpad and a lattice-free keyboard. |