HP OmniBook X Flip 14-kb Hands-on: OLED brilliance and blistering-fast storage in a genuinely premium-feeling 2-in-1

Right, let's get into the hands-on review of the OmniBook X Flip 14-kb. Here's the configuration I used for this review:

Note: specs may vary depending on when and where you buy it.

Design

Let's start with the design.
The review unit came in Midnight Blue, which is a fairly unusual colour in a laptop market dominated by silver and black. That refined, sophisticated blue really sets it apart from other laptops.

The front design has a calm, understated charm in Midnight Blue!

The logo beside the keyboard catches the light nicely against the Midnight Blue

The lid is finished in the same Midnight Blue, with the HP logo making a subtle statement. It has a smooth, matte-ish texture, and the colour is genuinely uncommon — the kind of thing that makes you think "actually, this is rather nice." It does pick up fingerprints a little more than I'd like, though that might just be down to the Midnight Blue finish.

The HP logo stands out nicely against the Midnight Blue lid

A simple yet elegant lid design

At 14.4mm thick, it's not exactly a slim laptop by general standards, but what's impressive is that it manages this thickness as a 2-in-1. 2-in-1s tend to gain bulk from the rotating hinge mechanism, so keeping it this thin is a genuine achievement.

14.4mm is quietly impressive for a 2-in-1!

The underside has airflow for a single fan, and the rubber feet run right across the base, so it stays put nicely on a desk.

Rubber feet across the whole base mean it doesn't slide around

Opening it one-handed takes a bit of initial effort, but there's a notch that gives your finger some purchase, so the hinge is good enough that you can flip it open with one hand without much trouble.

The hinge quality lets you open it with one hand easily enough

Being a 2-in-1, it opens right the way round, flat to 180 degrees. That's where the flexibility between laptop mode and tablet mode really comes into its own.

Opening flat to 180 degrees gives you a lot of flexibility in how you use it

Using it as a 2-in-1

Next, let's look at how it works as a 2-in-1.
As the name suggests, the OmniBook X Flip 14-kb is a convertible, and being able to switch freely between laptop and tablet form is its biggest selling point.

In tablet mode you can happily browse the web lying on the sofa

The OLED display is high-resolution and the 120Hz refresh rate makes everything feel smooth, so even just reading web pages in tablet mode is a genuinely pleasant experience.

It supports pen input too, and thanks to that high 120Hz refresh rate, the pen tracking feels really natural. The line catches up with the pen tip almost instantly, and you can tell that's down to the refresh rate.

The high refresh rate makes pen tracking smooth and natural

Personally, I'd recommend display mode. Pair it with an external Bluetooth keyboard and mouse and it works pretty much like a mini desktop, so if you prefer an external keyboard to the built-in one, this is a setup I think you'll like.

An external keyboard and mouse turn it into a mini desktop setup

Tent mode turns out to be surprisingly useful too, and it's just the right shape for watching films. Being able to cover everything from everyday use to film nights with a single machine is exactly the appeal of a convertible.

Tent mode turns this one laptop into your own little cinema

Portability

Next, let's check how portable it is.
On my scales it came out at 1,444g, a touch heavier than the quoted 1.39kg. That's not a problem for carrying around day to day, but you do feel the weight if you pick it up with one hand.

At 1,444g (3.18 lb) it's a bit heavier than the spec sheet suggests

That said, for a 2-in-1 this is actually pretty good going. The rotating hinge tends to add bulk, so most 2-in-1s creep up towards 1.5kg, meaning keeping it in the 1.4kg range is a decent result.

Fine with two hands, but you'll feel it with one

The charger's lightness is genuinely impressive, weighing in at just 156g. If the bundled charger is this light, there's not much reason to go out and buy a smaller third-party USB-C charger from somewhere like Anker. It's a 65W charger too, and the AC prongs fold away, which helps with portability even further.

156g for 65W of output is genuinely surprising

The folding prongs mean it doesn't take up much room in a bag

Display quality

On to the display.
The review unit has an OLED panel, and the colour reproduction is genuinely outstanding. Most laptops still use IPS LCD panels, so having OLED here means blacks are properly deep and things like fruit look vivid and lifelike.

That vivid OLED colour really shouldn't be allowed!

Fruit colours come through looking properly fresh

The viewing angles are wide too, and the colours barely shift when you look from a different angle. You don't need to lean in or tilt your head, which just makes it easier to look at.

Wide viewing angles mean colours hold up even from the side

It's a touchscreen as well, so you can operate it intuitively with just a tap, which makes it a friendly machine for beginners too.

An intuitive touchscreen you can operate with a tap

On top of that, this model has a 16:10 aspect ratio, so it's a bit taller than usual. Compared with a 16:9 laptop the difference in usable screen space is obvious, and you end up scrolling noticeably less on the same page.

The extra screen space with 16:10 is obvious at a glance

The display uses Corning Gorilla Glass 3, so it's fairly scratch-resistant, but that also means it's a glossy panel, and while the colours look great, reflections do stand out a bit more. Under fluorescent lighting in particular you get quite noticeable glare, which is really just the trade-off with a glossy screen.

Being a glossy panel, reflections from fluorescent lights are a bit noticeable

Keyboard and typing feel

Next, the keyboard.
HP being a global manufacturer, you might expect an unconventional layout, but this unit has a properly packed-in Japanese layout that's easy for Japanese users to work with. That said, the space bar sitting slightly to the left was something I did notice.

A keyboard layout properly packed in for the Japanese arrangement

The typing feel is genuinely excellent. The chassis underneath is solid, so you get a nice, crisp, light action when typing. The screen looks great too, so your eyes don't tire easily, making it comfortable for long typing sessions.

A solid chassis makes for a light, crisp typing feel

It has backlighting too, and it's bright enough that working in dim rooms isn't a problem.

The backlighting keeps the keys clearly visible even in dark rooms

Quick heads-up: these photos are the Japan-market unit, so the keyboard shown is the Japanese layout. UK models ship with the standard UK (ISO) layout.

Trackpad usability

Next up, the trackpad. It's sized generously relative to the keyboard area, and it's easy to use. Three-finger gestures respond immediately too, so you can get by comfortably without a mouse.

Generously sized, with smooth finger tracking

A three-finger gesture brings up the window list instantly

It comes in handy too in tight spaces like a train seat where you can't really use a mouse — you can just rest it on your lap and carry on working.

Performance

Let's look at CPU performance and the like.
The PCMark 10 score came out at 7,830. PCMark 10 reflects how smooth everyday use feels, so a score this high means most tasks should run without any lag.

A PCMark 10 score of 7,830 is genuinely high

The Cinebench multi-core score is also high at 2,460 points, so it'll handle basic video editing without any bother, and more demanding tasks too. The Core Ultra 7 356H in this unit is from Intel's latest lineup, and that shows in how solid the performance is.

Cinebench multi-core also scores high at 2,460 points

As for the GPU, it scored 2,493 in 3DMark Steel Nomad Light. That's plenty for lighter games, and this level of GPU performance also helps with mid-range PC games and exporting video edits.

A score of 2,493 in 3DMark Steel Nomad Light — decent GPU performance

What really surprised me was the storage speed. With read speeds over 10,338MB/s, reading and writing large files never feels sluggish. Most recent SSDs are considered fast if they hit 6,000MB/s, so this is on a different level entirely.

A read speed of 10,338MB/s — this SSD is on another level

Battery life

Battery rating: long-lasting

Let's look at battery life too. The design capacity is a hefty 70.8Wh, which I suspect is part of why it comes in at 1.4kg-something. HP quotes 32 hours officially, but OLED combined with 120Hz draws a fair bit of power, so you're unlikely to actually get that far. Even so, in real-world use it's well within the long-lasting category.

A design capacity of around 70.8Wh is a generous battery

Charging is over USB-C, and given how light the bundled charger is, it works well as a mobile laptop for using out and about too.

Fan noise and heat

Let's check the fan noise and heat too, since that's often a concern.
At idle it's barely audible, practically silent in use. My measurement came out at around 16dB, close to ambient room noise.

Around 16dB at idle — practically silent

Let's also check it under load. I pushed the CPU to close to 100% and measured the fan noise, and it stayed under 40dB, which is pretty quiet. It calms down quickly once the load drops too, so the fan control seems well tuned.

Under 40dB even under heavy load — impressively quiet

The exhaust vent is at the back of the unit, so warm air never blows towards your hands. Your right hand, where you're using a mouse, doesn't get any heat either, so you can keep working comfortably.

The rear-mounted vent keeping heat away from your hands is a quietly nice touch

Ports and expansion

Next, let's look at the ports.
The port selection is generous, including a Thunderbolt 4-capable USB-C. On the left you get USB-A, HDMI, Thunderbolt 4-capable USB-C, and a headphone jack. On the right, USB-A and another headphone jack. For a laptop in this class, that's a pretty strong line-up.

USB-A, HDMI and Thunderbolt 4-capable USB-C on the left

USB-A on the right too — plenty of expansion here

I connected it to an external 4K monitor over HDMI without any issues. If you want to boost your productivity, hooking it up to an external display is, in my view, the best way to go.

HDMI drives a 4K monitor without a hitch

You can also drive two more screens via USB-C, and I tried connecting a 27-inch 4K monitor and a portable display, giving four screens in total including the built-in one. With the latest Core Ultra 7 356H, that much output didn't seem to strain it much at all.

Four screens at once including the built-in display — worked a treat!

USB-C ports being on both sides gives good expansion, though personally I'd have liked to see both USB-C ports on the left. That said, even if you find yourself short, keeping a lightweight USB-C hub like this to hand makes expanding easy.

A single USB-C hub makes expansion effortless

Webcam in practice

Let's check the webcam too.
The built-in camera is a high-resolution 5-megapixel unit, and shooting with the standard camera app produced footage that's bright and sharp. It gives the impression of a decent sensor, and it'll show you off nicely on video calls.

5 megapixels of resolution gives bright, sharp footage

It also has a physical privacy shutter. Being able to block the camera physically rather than through software means you can just reach over and cover it whenever you need to, which is reassuring.

The physical shutter lets you cover the camera in an instant

Speaker quality

Next, speaker quality.
It has Poly Studio-branded speakers, which give a decent low-end while still sounding clear. The stereo spread is particularly good, and with the speakers positioned on both sides underneath the unit, you get a proper sense of surround sound.

Plenty of width for watching films, all from the one laptop

Having speakers on both sides of the base gives that surround feel

Security features

For security, it supports facial recognition. There's no fingerprint reader, but Windows Hello facial recognition is remarkably fast, and being able to open the lid and get straight back to work is genuinely convenient.

Open the lid and it's unlocked in an instant — very comfortable to use

Price

Let's talk price too.
Getting this level of performance along with the usability of a 2-in-1 and a 120Hz OLED display for £1,599.00 is genuinely good going. Bumping the memory up to 32GB does push the price up quite a bit, though. HP used to keep the price gap between memory configurations fairly small, but even they can't seem to escape the recent rise in chip prices. That said, 16GB will comfortably handle most things. Given the 2-in-1 design, the OLED display and the strong port selection, this comes out as good value overall.

Overall verdict

The Midnight Blue finish, the OLED colour quality, the blazing-fast storage, and the sheer range of ways you can use it as a 2-in-1. Honestly, this is a laptop with far more to like than to gripe about. There are things to flag, like the weight and the screen reflections, but even accounting for those, it's a genuinely satisfying package. I'd say it suits people doing creative work like programming or photo editing, and anyone who wants to properly make use of a 2-in-1, down to the ground.

From laptop to tablet, this one machine does it all!