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HP is bringing the OmniBook series out of retirement with the launch of the HP OmniBook Ultra. This new laptop meets Microsoft’s Copilot+ definition, but features a brand
HP is bringing the OmniBook series out of retirement with the launch of the HP OmniBook Ultra. This new laptop meets Microsoft’s Copilot+ definition, but features a brand new AMD processor under the hood instead of a Qualcomm Snapdragon.
HP takes the lead and is the first manufacturer to launch a laptop with the AMD Ryzen AI 300 series on board. It is the HP OmniBook Ultra: a revival of the OmniBook brand, which was discontinued in 2002.
The HP OmniBook Ultra meets Microsoft’s definitions for the Copilot+ label. This label assures the buyer of some arbitrary and currently not very relevant AI capabilities, but also minimum requirements for battery life and performance.
The first and only Copilot+ laptops on shelves today are Microsoft’s Surface devices. They all have a Qualcomm Snapdragon X processor on board. The ARM-based chip was briefly the only one that met Copilot+’s requirements.
The HP OmniBook Ultra is a Copilot+ laptop, but it doesn’t have Qualcomm inside. Instead, HP opts for a brand new processor from AMD. This is an AMD Ryzen AI 300 CPU. This series of processors is based on AMD’s new Zen 5 architecture and was announced at Computex last month. HP is now the first to bring the CPU to market.
The Zen 5 chips bring many improvements, including more instructions per cycle compared to Zen 4. These are baked on TSMC’s 4 nm production line. Like previous Ryzen chips for the laptop, these chips have an NPU on board that is specialized for AI workloads. While the previous NPU was a real lightweight, this one reaches the 50 TOPS mark (Tera operations per second). That’s just over the 45 TOPS provided by competitor Snapdragon.
Just like the Surface devices, the HP OmniBook will be able to do AI things with the NPU. Just like the Surface devices, there’s no reason to go to the store: There are hardly any features that take full advantage of the NPU, let alone features that only work with an NPU. The most interesting AI features run in the cloud.
Leaving AI aside, the AI Omnibook is an interesting laptop with AMD’s latest, most powerful and efficient chips on board. You can also equip the laptop with a maximum of 32 GB of RAM. HP delivers a 14-inch LCD touchscreen with 2,240 x 1,400 pixels, integrates two USB-C/ThunderBolt 4 ports and, fortunately, also has space for an old USB 3.2 Gen A port.
The HP OmniBook Ultra has a larger battery than the previously announced HP OmniBook We’re waiting for reviews, but based on these specs alone, it seems that the ARM chips actually have an edge over x86 in terms of efficiency.
Somewhat surprisingly, the HP OmniBook Ultra will not be a true Copilot+ computer at launch. The associated (limited) AI functionality will follow with an update at a later date.
We have contacted HP for details on pricing and availability in Belgium and will update this article as soon as we receive that information.
Source: IT Daily
As an experienced journalist and author, Mary has been reporting on the latest news and trends for over 5 years. With a passion for uncovering the stories behind the headlines, Mary has earned a reputation as a trusted voice in the world of journalism. Her writing style is insightful, engaging and thought-provoking, as she takes a deep dive into the most pressing issues of our time.
