HP Omnibook 3 review: Redefining the budget laptop

In the past, none of that mattered in a laptop this cheap. The MacBook Neo changed the rules, proving that design matters, even at this price. However, to reach this price, HP and Apple made very different compromises. The OmniBook 3 takes the approach of retaining 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage in exchange for using a slightly thicker plastic chassis. For the right person, this is the right choice.

The thick body also provides room for some ports. On the left side, you’ll find an HDMI port, a USB-A 2.0 port, and two USB-C 3.0 ports. The right side includes an additional USB-A 2.0 port and a headphone jack. These USB-A ports are a bit slow, and can only go up to 480MB/s, making them only really useful for connecting peripherals.

I criticized the MacBook Neo for using a USB-C 2.0 port at the time, so I should bring that up here as well. It’s less confusing for users in this case since it’s USB-A, but I never like to see a brand new laptop using a 25-year-old connection standard. Also, I would prefer to have an additional USB-C port on the right side instead of USB-A, just for the sake of being able to charge from both sides of the device.

Photo: Luke Larsen

HP said the touchpad has been improved in this year’s model, which may be the case, since I never tested the 2025 version of the Omnibook 3. I tested the Omnibook 5, however, it’s a highly recommended laptop, and the touchpad quality feels fairly similar. It’s not the worst I’ve used, but it’s definitely one of the cheapest laptop components. However, the click isn’t too loud, which I appreciate.

On the other hand, the keyboard feels precise and clicky. It comes with the number pad on the right, which means the touchpad cannot be centered on the palm rests. This is typical, and as much as I prefer not to use the number pad at all, I try to center the touchpad e.g Acer Swift 16 AI Somehow you make it worse.