A much debated topic within the gaming community, mostly among those who prefer investing in a portable gaming laptop. Both brands have earned a well deserved reputation in the gaming community for manufacturing high end and moderate gaming laptops and desktops. Nonetheless, most of us would like to be thorough if we are to spend a good $1400 over a laptop even if it is used for a variety of purposes. The two laptops in question here are the Lenovo Legion 5 and HP Omen 15. There are quite a few different hardware configurations in this HP Omen vs Lenovo Legion battle. Let’s see what they are and zero in on the best choice for you.
HP OMEN 16.1″ QHD vs Lenovo Legion 5 Pro Gen 6
| HP Omen 16.1 | Lenovo Legion 5 | |
| CPU | Intel Core i7 11800H (8C, 16T, 24 MB Cache up to 4.7 GHz) | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H(8C, 16T, 16 MB Cache up to 4.40 GHz) |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 |
| Display & Size | 16.1″ QHD (2560 x 1440) IPS Display @165Hz Refresh Rate | 16″ WQXGA (2560 x 1600) IPS @165Hz Refresh Rate |
| Memory | Up to 32GB DDR5-4800 MHz | Up to 32 GB DDR4 3200MHz |
| Storage | Up to 1 TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe™ TLC M.2 SSD | Up to 2 TB M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD |
| Connectivity | Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210 (2×2) and Bluetooth 5.2 | Wi-Fi 802.11AX (2 x 2) Bluetooth 5.1 |
| I/O ports | -1 Thunderbolt 4 with USB4 Type-C -1 SuperSpeed USB Type-C -1 SuperSpeed USB Type-A -2 SuperSpeed USB Type-A -1 RJ-45 -1 AC Smart pin -1 Headphone/microphone combo -1 Mini DisplayPort -1 HDMI 2.1 | -USB Type-C (USB 3.2 Gen 2, DisplayPort 1.4) -Headphone / mic combo -USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 -3 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 (1 always-on) -USB Type-C (USB 3.2 Gen 2, DisplayPort 1.4, power delivery) -HDMI 2.1 -RJ45 -E-Shutter button |
| Dimensions & Weight | 14.54 x 9.76 x 0.91 inches & 5.11 lbs | 21.7-26.85mm x 356mm x 264.2mm / 0.86-1.1″ x 14.01″ x 10.4″ & 2.54kg / 5.4lbs |
These are the few crucial specs we listed that anyone uses to determine the worth of a machine. We will elaborate on the rest such as battery power etc. as we move on. On with the review.
HP Omen 16.1 vs Lenovo Legion 5 Pro Gen 6 : Design and Build Quality
Let’s start off with HP. The chassis is almost identical to its predecessor Omen 15. Predominantly plastic with brushed metal around the edges. The base is almost entirely blackened metal with the screen frame having a plastic finish. The metal base has a good compression overall, compressing slightly under a little pressure not enough to damage the screen. The aesthetics resemble that of a business grade laptop although slightly heavier because of the hardware upgrade.
The laptop therefore is quite strong in nature and it would require a considerable force to damage it. The keyboard and trackpad gets the job done and according to most users, the keys should definitely hold up for a long time. Creditable feedback and actuation point is easily reached, the clattering too is minimal. The specialty is that it does not have a numpad which grants more space for the arrow, pos1, end, and other keys along with the print screen key. The keyboard also has a special key for launching the Omen Gaming Hub.
The touchpad works fine in the sense of precision and click. The texture is smooth although some say it is a bit too smooth. However, most users did not face any issues with the trackpad while a few others stated that multi-finger gesture recognition was average. As for the I/O ports, all of them are on the sides and none on the back or front.
Moving on to the Legion 5 Pro, the materials used are aluminum and plastic and the underside feels sturdy. The weight is pretty much the same as that of the Omen. The chassis is compact and the screen packs in thanks to slim display bezels. The point here is that it is made to adapt to both work and play. The keyboard embeds a numpad unlike the Omen. The power button is thankfully separated from the keyboard. Keys are tactile, responsive and have a good travel. Also they are quieter. The keyboard RGB is minimized as opposed to the Omen. The touchpad is a bit more towards the left and the surface is fine although some advise that the click is too soft.
The ports are on the either sides and the rear as well which can be a bit annoying for some. There is no card reader nor a thunderbolt port in the Legion 5 Pro.
Display
This is one major aspect where the Legion outshines the Omen. The 16:10 aspect ratio is more common on professional notebooks than on gaming devices. The screen is less packed in comparison to a 16:9 panel. More room results in easier navigation. Nvidia G-Sync and a 165Hz refresh rate is decent for any popular single player game to run smoothly. It supports variable refresh rate (VRR), which allows the display’s refresh rate to flex in sync with the hardware. The screen remains bright and clear even when the surroundings are naturally well lightened. Lenovo claims that it can offer 500 nits at peak brightness.
With the Omen, the display attains a maximum brightness level of almost 400 nits. Also, the screen response times are better than the Legion 5 Pro and the color accuracy is not faulty too. Therefore, in conclusion what we can say is that the Omen and Pro 5 does equally well in their displays, only the Legion gains a slight upper hand due to the aspect ratio which makes functionality comparatively easier.
Performance
CPU And Storage
This is the part that everyone wants to know about. Let’s start off with the CPU performance, it is Intel Core i7 11800H vs AMD Ryzen 7 5800H. According to most experts the traditional benchmark scores did not show a considerable difference between the 2 CPUs since the specs are pretty much identical. The Cinebench R23 / Multi Core revealed that the Intel was ahead of the AMD whereas the two scored equally in the single core test. The results were pretty much the same for the R20 and R15 as well.
The Geekbench 5.3 score for multi score shows that the Intel is almost 1000 points ahead of the Ryzen. Note that the Ryzen or Intel is multi-threaded. Geekbench 5’s testing for everything from checking your email to multimedia tasks, or all of it at once. CPU benchmark measures performance in new application areas including Augmented Reality and Machine Learning. However, the Ryzen performed better in the R Benchmark 2.5 which tests for calculations and programming.
The storage performance is no different either. Experts state that the Intel Optane Memory is able to cover up for the SSD’s performance. In the CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6, read and write speeds (both sequential and regular) of 4K is higher in the Omen than that of the Pro.
Gaming
At 1080P and high, medium and low graphic settings, the HP Omen outperformed the Lenovo Legion in games such as Witcher 3, Far Cry 5 and GTA V. The average FPS count showed that the Omen was leading by at least 20. It is the same with Shadow of the Tomb Raider where the Omen was ahead by more than 20 points at high graphic settings without ray tracing enabled and DLSS on. With Control both the laptops output close to 60 FPS with ray tracing, maxed out graphics and DLSS on under native resolution. Overall, it is quite clear that both the laptops are powerhouses and have no problem handling competitive gaming. The Omen is just a little ahead of the Pro with all the other hardware combined.
Noise And Temperature
To start off with the noise emission of both the machines, Lenovo is loudest during gaming sessions with Performance Mode which is to be expected. Somewhere close to 50db. It grabs some attention but is easily drowned in a busy environment. The Quiet Mode is true to its word and peaks at a mid 30db during games tests and is silent during workloads. Needless to say, this mode restricts maximum performance. The Balanced Mode is the best for gaming under moderate conditions for the noise level remains in the mid range.
The HP on the other hand is slightly louder than the Lenovo during high load scenarios. When in the Performance Mode, the fan noises are considerably higher with heavy workloads.
Temperature wise, HP balances the heat dissipation quite well. The bottom mesh grill, raised rubber feet and recessed honeycomb all contribute to optimum cooling operation. The highest temperature strikes around 60C on battery and a little over 20C higher when plugged in. The palm rests remains comfortably cool and even the WASD gaming keys thermals is impressively low.
Conclusion
So there you have it. The complete guide for HP Omen 16.1 vs Lenovo Legion Pro 5. In terms of battery life, The HP’s 83-Wh battery lasts longer than the Legion 5 Pro or any of the other competitors. The battery run times of the Omen are way better than the Legion 5 Pro in all modes, i.e hybrid mode, maximum brightness and gaming. So we can factually conclude that the HP Omen 16.1 is a clear winner over the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro. Long battery life, good performance, reduced thermals and sleek design all contributes to this. The Legion 5 Pro is still a good laptop, just ranks behind the Omen.
HP Omen 15 vs Lenovo Legion 5 Pro
Yet another widely searched comparison. Both the laptops are of the same crucial configuration for the most part. Listed below are the common configurations for both the laptops.
- AMD Ryzen 7 5800H
- GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile 8GB
- 165 Hz IPS LCD screen
- 16GB RAM @3200 MHz
- 1 TB PCIe® NVMe™ M.2 SSD
- Wi-Fi 6
- HDMI 2.1
As you can clearly see, the specs to determine the performance are pretty much the same. So how do they stack up against each other?
Considering the design and build quality, the Legion is slightly larger than the Omen. The Omen has thinner bezels and 10% higher screen-to-body ratio with a noticeable flex on the chassis. A plastic panel surrounds the display and the matte black casing is prone to leaving fingerprints of course. The HP does not lack in any ports per say, there is a Type-C, Mini-DisplayPort allowing you to use a second display. The keyboard’s RGB backlighting is moderately bright making it adjustable to any environment and the key colors can be adjusted utilizing the Omen Light Studio. The keypad is responsive, tactile with good feedback.
The Lenovo isn’t a whole lot different, just a little bigger and contains more ports. Four USB-A ports, two USB-C and an HDMI port, no DisplayPort though. Also neither laptop has a Thunderbolt port. The Lenovo keyboard is backlit fully with a number pad whereas the HP does not have a num pad. According to critics, the keyboard wasn’t all that great and the typing experience wasn’t all that nice.
Performance
Here’s the interesting outcome in the tests carried out to measure performance of both the laptops configured, pretty much identically. The Omen outranks the Legion by just a few points in the CPU stress tests such as Geekbench 5 for single and multi core, Cinebench R23 for single and multicore .
Gaming wise, both the laptops displayed a similar performance with the Legion taking a bit of a lead. For example, Metro: Exodus (1080p) at Ultra settings, the Legion outputs 43 FPS while the Omen outputs 32. Not much of a difference since the GPU and CPU combo is the same.
Conclusion
That’s pretty much there to cover HP Omen vs Lenovo Legion. The Legion takes precedence over the Omen in this case for several reasons. In terms of performance, the FPS output is about 9-13% higher, with more USB ports that are advantageous for content creators, production work etc. If you value performance above aesthetics, then the HP Omen 16.1 is the right choice for you. Even the price comparison does not impact considerably because both the laptops are priced between $1900 and $2000. Nonetheless, the HP Omen is a step ahead of the Legion Pro 5.
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