HP Omen Transcend 14 is a small premium gaming laptop with pudding-style keycaps and new Intel CPUs.

HP's Omen Transcend laptops, introduced last year to fit premium features in a thin gaming notebook, are getting an update at CES 2024. The 16-inch model is getting a bump up to the latest 14th Gen Intel Core processors, but there's also an all new 14-inch laptop based around Intel Core Ultra and Nvidia GPUs.

The company says the14-inch Transcend is its smallest, thinnest, and lightest Omen design yet at 3.6 pounds in weight and 19 millimeters thick, There are a few other notable features, including in-house audio, a pudding keycap-style keyboard, and a USB Type-C power adapter.

The Omen Transcend 14 is based on Intel's Core Ultra processors, going up to the top-end Core Ultra 9 185H. It will be paired with discrete Nvidia graphics ranging from a laptop-class RTX 4050 up through an RTX 4070. Other specs include up to 32GB of RAM, which is soldered to the board, along with up to 2TB of storage.

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That 14-inch display was a looker in a brief hands-on, with a 2880 x 1800 resolution OLED panel that can go up to 120 Hz (this is similar in spec to what HP is showing off in its productivity-focused Spectre x360 14) and is IMAX Enhanced Certified.

HP's cooling focuses on pushing air through the fans and out of a pressurized zone through rear vents on the Transcend 14. The company claims it is the coolest 14-inch gaming laptop (presumably in temperature, though I'm sure it thinks the laptop is fashionable and trendy). 

The keyboard is unique. Like what Dell has done with its XPS line, HP is using a lattice-free design, with the keys pushed up against each other. But HP is using a pudding-style keycap with translucent sides, similar to some of its HyperX offerings, to create a light-based grid. The laptop will launch with 4-zone lighting, with per-key RGB following in the spring. It's a cool effect if you're into RGB lighting, but we'll need more hands-on time to establish a verdict for using the keyboard for gaming.

The speakers are tuned by HyperX, HP's in-house peripherals brand that it bought in 2021. It also has a built-in 2.4 Hz dongle to connect to HyperX's Cloud III Wireless gaming headset. I'm curious to see how the speakers sound, as last year's 16-incher was tuned by Bang & Olufsen and worked well. (This year's 16-inch Transcend is also getting HyperX-tuned speakers. More on that model below.)

While the Transcend 14 supports Wi-Fi 7, there will still be some models using Wi-Fi 6E. I imagine that will cause an increase in price, so check what you get before you go upgrading your router.

The HP Omen Transcend 14 will come in black and white and will be available for pre-order on January 8 starting at $1,499.99.

Meanwhile, the Omen Transcend 16 is getting an internal refresh, though not much has changed on the outside. Instead of Core Ultra, HP is using the higher-power 14th Gen Intel Core processors, including the Core i7-14700HX and Core i9-14900HX. It will use the same graphics cards as the 14-inch model, but the RAM, while slower, is upgradeable. I'll take that tradeoff for a gaming notebook.

There are more display options on the 16-inch laptop, including two 2560 x 1600 screens. One of them is OLED and ranges from 48 - 240 Hz, while the other is a straightforward IPS panel at 240 Hz. The cheapest option is 1920 x 1200 at 165 Hz.

The Omen Transcend 16, too, will get a bump to Wi-Fi 7 on some models, but Wi-Fi 6E hasn't gone away yet. It has a bigger battery than the 14-inch laptop at 97 WHr, but it also has more space for a battery in the first place. And like the Omen Transcend 14, the 16-inch laptop is using HyperX audio.

The HP Omen Transcend 14 also comes in black and white, and will start selling on January 10 beginning at $1,899.99.

HP has two other refreshes: the Omen 16 and Victus 16.1. These will keep their existing designs but get new parts. The full-fat Omen 16 will start at $1,199.99 on January 10, going up to a Core i9-14900HX and RTX 4080. The mid-range Victus will launch in February beginning at the same $1,199.99 price and will top out with a Core i7-14700HX and RTX 4070.