HP OmniBook 5 Flip Review: The Best Budget 2-in-1
November 4, 2025
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OmniBook 5 Flip
Summary
HP’s OmniBook 5 Flip may not be fast, but its design, screen, and versatility make it an easy recommendation for students or home users on a tight budget.
Table of contents:
Laptops in this Article
14 Inches | 512 GB | 16 GB | Snapdragon X
On Sale
Good Deal
14 Inches | 512 GB | 8 GB | Core 5-120U
Pros
- Very well built
- Fantastic value when on sale
- Excellent keyboard
- Surprisingly good speakers
- Display is acceptable at this price point
- 2-in-1 Capabilities
- Chassis has rounded edges
Cons
- Performance is very basic
- Battery life is average
- Heavy for its size
- Webcam isn't great
- Gets very warm on the left side when its charging
- Fans can be heard in a quiet room
Build & Design
The OmniBook 5 Flip looks simple but feels well made. Its rounded edges are comfortable, and the chassis has almost no flex—better than some of HP’s pricier models. It’s a bit heavy, but that weight brings sturdiness, and the compact charger helps offset it.
Display & Touch
You get a 14-inch 1920×1200 IPS touchscreen with 340-nit brightness. It’s fine indoors, though too dim for outdoor use. Colors are average but at least there’s no PWM flicker. The Flip model can fold into tablet mode, and pen input works smoothly with a little resistance, like writing on a piece of paper. The pen is sold separately. There is a non-Flip version that offers an OLED option with better color and contrast, also in the budget range if you'd prefer that.
14 Inches | 512 GB | 16 GB | Snapdragon X
Keyboard & Trackpad
Typing feels great for a budget device—quiet, comfortable, and with large arrow keys. There’s a bright backlight too. The trackpad is accurate, though its click is loud and stiff. Enabling tap-to-click helps if you’re in quiet spaces.
Ports
Connectivity is generous: two USB-A ports, two USB-C (one for charging), HDMI 2.1, and a headphone jack. The only downside is noticeable warmth near the charging port on the left side. No Thunderbolt support, but that’s expected at this price.
Performance & Battery
Our model’s Intel Core 5-120U and 8GB of non-upgradeable RAM are fine for Office apps, browsing, and streaming. Anything heavier will feel sluggish. Gaming is limited to older titles like League of Legends on medium settings. Battery life is average—around 6–7 hours. The Qualcomm/clamshell version of this laptop reportedly lasts longer.
Heat, Noise & Speakers
The fans spin up even during light use, and charging adds warmth on the left side. It’s not silent, but still manageable. The bottom-firing speakers are surprisingly loud with a touch of bass, though they sound muffled on soft surfaces.
Verdict
At $400, the HP OmniBook 5 Flip is easily one of the best new budget laptops around. It’s far better built than Lenovo’s IdeaPad 1 or Dell’s basic Inspiron models. Performance is limited, but for studying, browsing, or office work, it’s more than enough.
If you find a discounted Lenovo Yoga 7 or MacBook Air M2 nearby in price, those are both stronger picks—but for a new Windows 2-in-1 under $500, this is the one to beat.
14 Inches | 512 GB | 16 GB | Ryzen AI 5 340
Pros
- OLED screen
- Good port selection
- Great keyboard
- Light color variant looks fantastic
- Good value for money when on sale
- WiFi 7 & Bluetooth 5.4
Cons
- Mediocre trackpad
- Low resolution screen
- 60Hz screen
- One of our models didn't sit flat on the desk
- Backlight bleed on the keyboard
On Sale
13 Inches | 256 GB | 8 GB | M2 8-Core | M2 8-Core GPU
Pros
- Very lightweight and portable
- Very snappy for most tasks (CPU based)
- No fan noise
- Good battery life
- All round very high quality device
Cons
- Keyboard is a little low travel
- Screen is 60Hz
- Cheaper configurations only have 8GB memory and a small amount of storage