• 3 min read
HP’s OmniBook 3 16 hits a wild 40-hour battery life
HP’s 16-inch OmniBook 3 16 lasted 40 hours and 14 minutes in testing, outlasting even top MacBooks. Performance is solid, but full-price value is harder to justify.
Image: Mashable
HP’s OmniBook 3 16 lasted 40 hours and 14 minutes in Mashable’s battery test, making it the site’s new laptop battery-life champion. According to Mashable, that is nearly twice as long as the M5 Apple MacBook Pro, its longest-lasting MacBook, and enough to unseat last year’s OmniBook 5 14, which also used a Snapdragon chip.
The machine is a new 16-inch Windows laptop built around Qualcomm’s entry-level Snapdragon X processor from 2025. Reviewer Haley Henschel says that while it falls short of a Mashable Choice Award, it still earns a Mashable Selects badge thanks to its exceptional stamina, quiet operation, and large display. The catch: at regular pricing, rivals such as the Acer Swift 16 AI and Asus Zenbook A16 offer more power and better build quality.
The $899 Amazon listing highlighted by Mashable refers to a configuration with these specs:
- CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon X
- Memory: 32GB RAM
- Storage: 1TB SSD
- Display: 16-inch 1920 x 1200 IPS, 60Hz, 300 nits
- Webcam: 1080p with physical privacy shutter
- Ports: HDMI, two USB-C, two USB-A, headphone jack
- Connectivity: WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3
- Dimensions: 14.12 x 9.91 x 0.58 inches
- Weight: 3.65 pounds
- Color: Glacier silver
Pricing and availability
HP lists the OmniBook 3 16 from $999.99 with 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage. The review unit, with 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD, costs $1,629.99. Mashable notes that sale pricing changes the equation: at the time of writing, configurations were discounted by 28% to 47%, with the base model dropping to $529.99.
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HP also offers color swaps to warm gold, mica silver, or starlight blue for $10, and touchscreen support for $80. Mashable says Amazon and Staples sell versions that can be a better full-price deal, though without customization.
Performance, display, and trade-offs
Mashable describes single-core performance as basic, but says multi-core results are surprisingly strong for the chip class, rivaling last year’s Intel Core Ultra 7 258V or a new base Core Ultra 5 325. That makes it a reasonable fit for everyday productivity. Because the Snapdragon X is ARM-based, however, Mashable warns of compatibility issues with some games and specialty apps.
During Mashable’s stress test, Henschel said she could not get the fan to turn on, and the laptop stayed remarkably cool. The IPS display also stood out for its vivid colors and deep contrast, enough that she initially mistook it for OLED. The downsides are brightness and reflectivity: at 300 nits with a glossy finish, it performs best indoors.
Build quality is more ordinary. Mashable reports some flex in the aluminum lid and plastic keyboard deck, a slightly creaky hinge, and a plain design. Still, the keyboard is described as comfortable, the webcam and microphone are above average, and the laptop remains relatively thin for a 16-inch model.
Mashable’s verdict is straightforward: for remote workers, commuters, and travelers who care most about a big screen and unusually long endurance, the OmniBook 3 16 is easy to like. Just don’t pay full price if you can avoid it.
Computing Editor
Tomas lives in the terminal. He covers chips, laptops, and operating systems with a focus on performance and efficiency. He reads kernel changelogs the way other people read fiction, and he's always on the hunt for the perfect mechanical keyboard switch. If it processes data, Tomas has an opinion on it.
via Mashable
