The Best HP Laptops To Power Your Work, Play And Everything In Between

CPU: Intel Core i7-1355U | RAM: 16GB LPDDR4 | Graphics: Intel Iris Xe | Storage: 1TB SSD | Display: 13.5-inch OLED touchscreen | Resolution: 3,000 x 2,000 | Refresh rate: 60Hz | Battery: Up to 12 hours | Weight: 3 pounds

Best for: Using a combination of traditional and touchscreen applications on one device.

The 2023 release of the HP Spectre x360 14 could be the best version of this 2-in-1 yet. It features a high-performance, 13th-generation Intel Core i7 processor and 16GB of memory, delivering good multitasking performance in a compact laptop. This model’s integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics won’t give you a ton of gaming performance, but it has enough power for esports and casual gaming.

The high-resolution, 3K display uses a 13.5-inch OLED touchscreen panel, perfect for both productivity and entertainment. With crisp text, deep contrast and vibrant colors, this display makes movies, TV shows and even everyday web pages look excellent. The panel’s 3:2 aspect ratio makes reading long websites and documents more comfortable, with the additional vertical screen space. Since this is a 2-in-1 laptop with a sturdy 360-degree hinge, you can use it in tablet mode as well. It's a little heavy to hold in a single hand, but it's great for propping it up in tent mode for watching a movie.

What our contributors say: Forbes Vetted writer Jon Martindale says, "The Spectre X360 14 has been one of my favourite 2-in-1 laptops for generations, and the latest version is no exception. It's wonderfully comfortable to type on, with deep travel on the clicky keys. I love how rich the OLED display is, too."

Pros:

• Strong performance
• Lightweight, 2-in-1 design
• Crisp, vibrant OLED display

Cons:

• No dedicated graphics

CPU: Intel Core i9-13900HX | RAM: 32GB DDR5 | Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 | Storage: 1TB SSD | Display: 17.3-inch | Resolution: 2,560 x 1,440 | Refresh rate: 240Hz | Battery: Up to 5.5 hours | Weight: 6.2 pounds

Best for: Playing the most demanding games at high frame rates.

The HP Omen 17 is one of the most powerful gaming laptops HP has ever made. This build-to-order system starts with a baseline configuration with a slower display, half the memory and half the storage. This boosted configuration we recommend is close to its highest-end option, combining a top-tier thirteenth-generation Intel Core i9 processor with Nvidia's flagship GeForce RTX 4090 graphics. That's enough power to play any game at the highest settings and high frame rates on the 2.5K display. If you don't need that kind of performance, you can save a lot of money by opting for less memory or a slower display, so be sure to play around with the HP configuration tool to get the right spec for you.

If you just want something that can rival the best gaming laptops, though, this is the best option. It has 32GB of memory for heavy multitasking—great if you want to game and stream at the same time. And the fast 1TB NVMe SSD has enough space for giant game libraries. HP rates the battery to last up to 5.5 hours, enough to be away from an outlet for a short time, although you should only expect an hour or two of AAA gaming on the battery. At over 6 pounds, this isn't a laptop you'll want to lug around all day, but that bulk helps keep temperatures low and performance high, especially during extended gaming sessions.

Pros:

• Powerful components
• Crisp 2.5K display with fast refresh rate
• Plenty of storage space for big game libraries

Cons:

• Heavy
• Expensive

CPU: Intel Core i5-1335U | RAM: 8GB DDR4 | Graphics: Intel Iris Xe | Storage: 512GB SSD | Display: 15.6-inch touchscreen | Resolution: 1,920 x 1,080 | Refresh rate: 60Hz | Battery: Up to 12.5 hours | Weight: 3.4 pounds

Best for: Web browsing, productivity and casual gaming.

Even the best affordable laptops usually sacrifice something, but the HP Envy x360 almost bucks that trend entirely, with an impressive selection of internal components, and a great overall build. Under its hood sits a thirteenth-generation Intel Core i7-1335U and 8GB of RAM, enough to support multitasking, general productivity and casual gaming. If you tend to keep lots of windows and web browser tabs open at once, you might want to opt for the build-to-order model and upgrade the processor and memory to a Core i7 with 16GB of RAM ($180).

The 1080p touchscreen display lacks the crisp clarity of 2K QHD displays; and at 250 nits, its brightness falls short of more premium models. Still, the IPS panel has excellent viewing angles, making this laptop great for collaborative use—important considering the Envy x360 has a 360-degree hinge for using it in tent, presentation and tablet mode. It includes an active stylus, so you can write on-screen. At 3.4 pounds, this HP laptop remains lightweight and portable enough to carry it around with you during the day, and the battery life is more than enough to get you through a full day of work or school.

Pros:

• Strong components for the price
• Affordable price
• Good battery life

Cons:

• Display limited to 1080p
• Lacks a dedicated GPU for gaming

CPU: Intel Core i7-1360P | RAM: 32GB DDR4 | Graphics: Intel Arc A370M | Storage: 1TB SSD | Display: 16-inch OLED touchscreen | Resolution: 3,840 x 2,400 | Refresh rate: 60Hz | Battery: Up to 11 hours | Weight: 4.7 pounds

Best for: Enjoying 4K movies on a machine that's great for work and play.

The HP Spectre x360 16 is the largest size in HP’s stellar convertible laptop line, and this high-end configuration is one of the best you can buy. We've adjusted the baseline configuration to the maximum spec, with an Intel Core i7-1360P, 32GB of memory and a 1TB SSD. You can configure it with a more powerful 13700H CPU and an Intel Arc A370M graphics with 32GB of memory.

Whatever configuration you opt for, though, make sure it includes the stellar 4K+ OLED display. It is a truly beautiful display, with inky blacks and an impressive 400 nits brightness that makes this laptop perfect for watching HDR movies. When you aren't, though, the vibrant colors and amazing contrast make this a great laptop for video and photo editing. This laptop’s keyboard is comfortable, with well-spaced keys and a stylish black design with trim bezels. HP rates the battery to last for around 11 hours of mixed use, which is just enough to squeak through a workday on a single charge. Even though this model has HP’s sturdy 360-degree hinge, it's too heavy to use as a one-handed tablet, but its touchscreen works brilliantly as a tablet when you use it flat on a surface—or in propped in either tent or presentation mode, too. Like other x360 convertible laptops, this model includes an active stylus.

Pros:

• Good performance for work and play
• Impressive battery life for a 4K OLED laptop
• Can handle casual gaming and esports

Cons:

• Too heavy for one-handed tablet use

CPU: Intel Core i7-1365U | RAM: 32GB DDR5 | Graphics: Intel Iris Xe| Storage: 1TB SSD | Display: 13.5-inch OLED touchscreen | Resolution: 1,920 x 1,280 | Refresh rate: 60Hz | Battery: Up to 15 hours | Weight: 2.2 pounds

Best for: Business users looking for power and portability.

The HP Elite Dragonfly G4 might be expensive, but it has a lot going for it with its ultra-light design and robust security for small and medium businesses. We’ve configured it here with a few solid upgrades. This configuration latest-generation Intel processor and 32GB of fast DDR5 memory brings with it excellent performance in single and multi-threaded workloads. Add in a super snappy and responsive 1TB NVMe SSD and even when you have big demanding apps and web browsing tabs open at once.

This laptop sticks to a clamshell design, which contributes to the Dragonfly’s sturdy build. It's very lightweight, though, weighing in at just over 2 pounds. It has two Thunderbolt 4/USB-C ports (with USB Power Delivery), one USB Type-A 5Gbps port, a full-size HDMI 2.1 port and a headphone/microphone jack—enough options for connecting accessories and peripherals. The OLED display uses a bright, 1,000 nits panel, making it great for use outdoors and in bright light as well as in the office. This configuration includes HP’s vPro remote management software.

Pros:

• Slim, lightweight design
• Lengthy battery life
• Wide range of performance and display options

Cons:

• Expensive compared to consumer laptops

CPU: Intel Core i5-1245U | RAM: 8GB DDR4X | Graphics: Intel Iris Xe| Storage: 128GB SSD | Display: 13.5-inch touchscreen| Resolution: 2,256 x 1,504 | Refresh rate: 60Hz | Battery: Up to 8 hours | Weight: 2.8 pounds

Best for: Chromebook fans who want the best performance possible in a lean design.

The HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook is unlike almost any other Chromebook we've come across. It isn't a value-orientated laptop like most of the best Chromebooks, with HP opting instead to fit it with some of the most top-shelf components for a powerful and sleek laptop. It is blazingly fast thanks to its Chrome OS, a capable Intel twelfth-generation CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD.

All that performance makes this an amazing work machine for anyone who doesn't need specific Windows or MacOS apps. It is perfect for use with cloud services and Android apps as well. The 2K display looks crisp. Battery life is good enough to get you through a full workday, but not as good as on some Chromebooks.

Pros:

• Impressive performance from Intel CPU
• Crisp and bright touchscreen
• Fast Chrome OS experience

Cons:

• Very expensive for a Chromebook
• Not the best battery life

CPU: Intel Core i9-13950HX | RAM: 32GB DDR5 | Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4000 GPU | Storage: 1TB SSD | Display: 16-inch | Resolution: 1,920 x 1,200 | Refresh rate: 60Hz | Battery: Up to 6 hours | Weight: 5.3 pounds

Best for: Professionals who need ultimate power for demanding workloads.

The HP Zbook Fury 16 G10 is its flagship workstation laptop, with configurations that include the Intel’s most powerful mobile processor and plenty of memory and storage. This is a desktop-class workstation you can take with you so that you always have supreme power and performance. Whether you're crunching through a massive database, working on 8K video or rendering 3D models, this laptop can handle any workload. Pricing starts at around $3,000, but this model boosts the processor to a thirteenth-generation Intel Core i9 CPU, the memory to 32GB of DDR5 and the graphics to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4000 card.

It's heavy, but that weight offers a reassuring strength and stability to the design, making it capable of taking any bangs and knocks as you go about your day. Its battery life isn't extensive, but that's no surprise given the powerful hardware. The display on this configuration is plenty for everyday work. If you need something prettier or higher resolution, though, delve into the HP configuration tool to choose a 4K touchscreen panel.

Pros:

• Strong and sturdy design
• Amazing performance from the CPU and GPU
• Wide range of performance and display options

Cons:

• Very expensive compared to consumer laptops