HP is reportedly working on a follow-up to its Omen Transcend 16 gaming laptop: the ultra-slim Omen Transcend 14.
Images and a full specifications sheet have been leaked by Windows Report revealing the machine will weigh roughly 3.5 pounds (about 1.6 kg) and is less than half an inch thick (18 mm, to be precise). The Transcend 16 by comparison is significantly heftier, clocking in at 4.79 pounds and 0.78 inches thick. Despite the skinnier form factor, it appears HP won’t be pulling back on performance as the laptop may have a decent amount of power inside it.
It's worth mentioning the source of the leak seems to be a press kit of sorts. One of the pictures boldly proclaims that this laptop is the "world's lightest 14-inch gaming laptop".
The new @HP Omen Transcend 14 gaming notebook is looking real good... world's lightest 14-inch gaming laptop 💻https://t.co/t6X9fIhq6Y pic.twitter.com/jtbA3u7v90December 19, 2023
The machine will be running on one of two Meteor Lake processors with the more powerful option being the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H. Consisting of 16 cores, 22 threads, and a 24 GB memory cache, the CPU has a maximum clock speed of 5.1 GHz. It'll be paired up with one of three NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics cards – the best one being the RTX 4070. Other notable hardware specs include up to 32GB of RAM (just like the older model) as well as a maximum storage size of 2TB.
Repurposed design
Regarding its design, Windows Report points out that the Transcend 14 shares several similarities with the previous version although some adjustments have been made.
The left side of the laptop, for example, has a single USB-C port next to the headphone jack whereas the older model has two ports. The second appears to have been moved to the back where it shares the space with an HDMI input. On the right side, you will find two USB-A ports instead of one.
The keyboard is slightly different too since the Up/Down arrow keys were changed to half-keys. Plus the trackpad is now in the middle rather than sitting a little bit to the left.
A gaming laptop this skinny can get pretty toasty. Judging from the images in the piece, HP is taking great care in equipping its computer with a robust cooling system consisting of ventilation ports on the back and fans on the bottom. It looks like the Transcend 14 sits on a pair of rubber stands ensuring proper air flow. There will also be an app onboard that’ll let users control the internal cooling system. You can choose to have the GPU fan work harder than the CPU fan while gaming.
Availability
As for the screen, the new model has a better OLED display. It can output a resolution of 2,880 x 1,800 pixels (better known as 2.8K) while its 16-inch sibling peaks at WQXGA resolution which is 2,560 x 1,600 pixels. We should mention that the leak states the Transcend 14 has a max refresh rate of 120Hz; lower than the Transcend 16’s refresh rate of 240Hz. This means gameplay on the upcoming computer will not be as smooth – at least potentially.
Notable features include support for Wi-Fi 7, a 1080p webcam, and battery life of up to 11.5 hours. No word on when the HP Omen Transcend 14 will launch. However, Windows Report believes it could make its world debut at CES 2024 in a couple of weeks.
Until then, check out TechRadar's list of the best gaming laptops for 2023.
