HP Omen Transcend 14 is the lightest gaming laptop in the world
Sometimes the endless quest to shave one more gram or millimeter off a new laptop can get boring, especially if it affects its specifications. However, when the company does it without giving up too much, then such an undertaking deserves attention – one such is the HP Omen Transcend 14, which holds the title of the lightest gaming laptop in the world. It's a new HP laptop computer with a diagonal screen of 14 inches and a weight of 1.6 kg, and it was just presented at the technology fair CES 2024.
In terms of size and weight, the HP Omen Transcend 14 is actually much closer to an ultraportable laptop than the average gaming laptop. To put that into context, that's just 0.05kg heavier than a 14-inch MacBook Pro and 0.07kg lighter than competing superportable gaming laptops like the ASUS ROG Zepyrys G14.
And although this computer is not quite as powerful as the bigger one, the HP Omen Transcend 16, it certainly won't suffer in terms of performance thanks to support for 14th generation Intel Core Ultra 7 or Ultra 9 processors, up to 32 GB of DDR5 RAM, 2 TB of storage space as well as the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card.
What is very important is the fact that despite its small dimensions, the computer offers two USB-A and two USB-C ports (one of which supports Thunderbolt 4), plus a full-sized HDMI 2.1 on the back. For those who want the highest wireless speeds, there's also the option to upgrade to Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.
HP
HP
HPThe Transcend 14 features a Meteor Lake chip with a dedicated NPU section, but don't expect anything groundbreaking when it comes to AI capabilities. At CES, the company showed the HP Omen Transcend 14 running Cyberpunk 2077 at 2K resolution while simultaneously streaming live using OBS at 1080p. In this situation, the laptop redirects the camera effects to the NPU, which provides a small performance boost as the GPU would otherwise handle the task. Artificial intelligence is bound to be a big buzzword at CES 2024, but this is probably the most realistic example of what you can expect from next-gen notebooks.
The Transcend 14's display looks great, with a 2.8K (2,880×1,800) OLED panel with a variable 120Hz refresh rate. It supports HDR with a maximum brightness of 500 nits and a wide color spectrum that covers 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut. Sound is handled by a pair of DTS:X Ultra speakers, although an interesting change for 2024 is that, following HP's acquisition in 2021, the Transcend 14's audio setup will now be handled by its in-house sub-brand HyperX. This comes with the added convenience of a built-in wireless receiver for the same company's Cloud III headphones. So if you already have a pair or decide to buy them later, you won't have to waste one of your precious USB ports on an adapter.
HPThe Transcend 14 shares many design features with its 16-inch cousin (which gets a special refresh and a new OLED screen option for 2024), including minimalist lines with a matte finish in classic black alongside a new white color option. The two main differences are that on the smaller model, the touchpad is centered on its platform, while the keyboard has a more transparent grille that allows the HP RGB backlight to show more. That's what might make the new Transcend particularly good in white, while also being a bit unusual on a black model, but that's of course a matter of taste and personal preference.
HP has paid attention to small details that are important for a travel gaming laptop, such as the choice of USB-C power supply. This means you can use the HP adapter to charge other devices such as phones or tablets instead of needing a separate charger for each device.
In the big technological world, the goal of making your device the lightest is not so important. However, when a company like HP can make a laptop that's easy to carry around while still having solid specs and a sleek design, that's when the superlatives come into play. And with a starting price of $1,500, HP isn't asking for a huge premium for such a stylish device.
Still, with some other extremely stylish gaming PCs set to appear at this year's CES 2024, it's unclear how long the HP Omen Transcend 14 will hold the title of world's lightest gaming laptop. Certainly, it currently is, and it will officially go on sale during the first quarter of 2024.