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| The OmniBook 3 16 in its Jet Black finish. |
If you’re hunting for a affordable 16-inch Windows laptop, HP’s latest OmniBook 3 16 has suddenly become one of the most interesting budget notebooks on the market. It arrives alongside the more premium OmniBook 5 16, but aggressive discounts have pushed the OmniBook 3 16 into impulse-buy territory—at least for shoppers who can live with a few compromises.
Earlier this week, we reported that HP was now selling the OmniBook 5 16 with Intel Wildcat Lake processors. That machine is a cheaper alternative to the Intel Panther Lake-powered variants that came before it, yet it can still be configured with a seriously impressive 2,880 x 1,800 OLED display that hits 1,100 nits and a 120 Hz refresh rate. The OmniBook 5 16 starts at $1,199 with Wildcat Lake chips, so it is not exactly a budget laptop.
Cheaper still is the latest OmniBook 3 16. It shares the same Core 5 320 and Core 7 350 processors as its OmniBook 5 sibling, which means it can go head-to-head with AMD-powered counterparts (curr. $649 on Amazon). HP also sells the OmniBook 3 16 with the Core 5 315, a 6-core processor that sits above only the Core 3 304 and Core 3 305 in Intel’s Wildcat Lake lineup. In other words, the OmniBook 3 16 may be affordable, but it is not stuck with the absolute lowest-end silicon.
HP OmniBook 3 16 Specs and Configuration Options
The OmniBook 3 16 can be configured with 8 GB, 12 GB, or 16 GB of RAM, along with a choice of 256 GB, 512 GB, or 1 TB of PCIe Gen 4 storage. That gives buyers enough flexibility to keep the price low or spend a little more for future-proofing. The 16-inch laptop comes exclusively with a 41 Wh battery, which is on the small side for a machine of this size, so battery life will likely depend heavily on the processor, display brightness, and workload.
Wireless options include either Bluetooth 5.4 with Wi-Fi 6 or Bluetooth 6 with Wi-Fi 6. That is a useful distinction for buyers who keep their laptops for several years and want newer connectivity standards. Unfortunately, the display is where HP has clearly cut costs. The OmniBook 3 16 is only available with a 1200p IPS panel that tops out at 300 nits and covers just 62.5% of the sRGB colour space. That is fine for basic office work, web browsing, and video streaming, but it is not a panel for photo editing, video production, or anyone who cares about vivid colours.
HP does sell both non-touch and touchscreen variants, though. Surprisingly, the touchscreen model costs $80 more than the non-touch version, despite adding only touch support. That premium may be hard to justify for some shoppers, especially since the panel itself remains the same low-colour-gamut IPS display.
Glacier Silver
Pricing: $899.99 MSRP, but $500 Off Right Now
According to HP’s official product page, the latest OmniBook 3 16 carries an $899.99 MSRP in the US. That configuration features the Core 5 315 processor, 8 GB of RAM, 256 GB of storage, Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, and a Jet Black finish. However, HP has already discounted its 16-inch laptop by $500 across the board. As a result, the laptop starts at just $399.99 and rises to $1,059 with a fully configured unit.
That entry price is the headline. At $399.99, the OmniBook 3 16 undercuts many 15-inch and 16-inch budget laptops, and it offers a modern Intel Wildcat Lake processor rather than older architecture. The fully loaded version at $1,059 is a much tougher sell, because at that point buyers may want to consider the OmniBook 5 16 with its optional 1,100-nit, 120 Hz OLED display instead. Unfortunately, it is unclear when or if this pricing will return to MSRP, so anyone interested in the deal should probably act sooner rather than later.
Jet Black
Should You Buy the HP OmniBook 3 16?
The OmniBook 3 16 is not a laptop for everyone. Its 300-nit, 62.5% sRGB display is the biggest weakness, and the 41 Wh battery may not last through a full day of heavy use. But for students, office workers, and casual users who mostly need a large screen, a comfortable keyboard, and enough performance for everyday tasks, the $399.99 starting price is genuinely compelling. The Core 5 315, 8 GB of RAM, and 256 GB of storage are modest, but they are acceptable for basic productivity and streaming.
If you need a better display, stronger battery life, or more premium build quality, the OmniBook 5 16 with Wildcat Lake is the more logical step up—especially if you can stretch to the OLED configuration. For everyone else, the OmniBook 3 16 is a budget laptop that suddenly makes a lot more sense at $500 off. For more details, see HP’s website.
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