There's a new Omen in town, but this gaming laptop's spec sheet is making me wince
The HP Omen Max 16 is dead, long live the HyperX Omen Max 16 - or should it?
Name change aside, the 2026 refresh of the best gaming laptop I've tested so far has just hit the shelves, and that price tag is... not kind. Rather, it's the 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD that's looking a little awkward when standing next to this machine's predecessor this week. Priced up at $2,679.99 with an RTX 5070 Ti GPU and Intel Core Ultra 7 270HX Plus processor, this is a classic example of just how far value is sliding away from us in the portable PC space.
The new release may feature a total 300W power level, a boost that provided a tangible uplift in the MSI Raider Max 16 I reviewed earlier this month, a redesigned cooling system, and a high-speed polling rate on its keyboard - but at $2,679.99 it's still miles behind that aging 2025 release. An RTX 5080 HP Omen Max 16, with double the RAM and storage, and the older (but beefier) Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX comes in at $2,499.99 at Best Buy this week. That's tough to battle with.
I'm not completely shocked, though. We've known that 2026 was going to be an expensive year for gaming laptops for a long time now, and HP isn't being shifty here. Unfortunately, it looks like it's got the tough end of the stick when negotiating around RAM shortages and rising SSD prices.
It still doesn't change the fact that buying a 2025 HP Omen Max 16 is going to present vastly better value than opting for the new release. The RTX 5080 GPU under the hood is more comparable to an RTX 5070 Ti than the RTX 5070 in the brand's mid-range option last year, sure, but it's still a class up, and the older machine is still cheaper with (I'll say it again) double the RAM and storage.
Even without that Best Buy discount (a saving that's been sticking around for a good while now), the previous generation is only $170 more expensive, with a boosted processor, the full component trimmings, and a higher-class GPU.
I'd expect to find a 512GB SSD in a $700 gaming laptop; I'd get squirmy about recommending it in a $1,000+ machine. At $2,679.99, it's a shocking sign of the times.
HP isn't alone in this battle, though Razer's latest Blade launch seems to have stayed level with last year's prices. While I'm not sure Dell can completely blame the component crisis for launching an RTX 4050 machine at $1,300 earlier this month, rates are certainly up, and components are down.
The new HyperX Omen Max 16 isn't limited to this RTX 5070 Ti configuration. Availability spans up to the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX, 64GB RAM, RTX 5090, and maintains that OLED display upgrade (note the model listed above uses the same IPS tech as the previous generation RTX 5080 version it's being compared with). AMD builds are also available - the same RTX 5070 Ti build sits at $2,699.99 with a Ryzen AI 7 450 CPU.
The moral of the story? HP isn't being sly here; the state of the industry right now means that the gaming laptops manufactured last year, with cheaper component prices, are always going to offer better value for money. The HyperX Omen Max launch is a symptom of the whole story rather than the greed of the individual brand, but it still demonstrates just how important it is not to fall into the 'newer=better' trap of 2026.
- See all gaming laptop deals at Best Buy
I'm also rounding up the best Asus gaming laptops and the best Razer laptops I've tested so far. Or take a look at the best Alienware laptops on the shelves right now.
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Managing Editor of Hardware at GamesRadar+, I originally landed in hardware at our sister site TechRadar before moving over to GamesRadar. In between, I've written for Tom’s Guide, Wireframe, The Indie Game Website and That Video Game Blog, covering everything from the PS5 launch to the Apple Pencil. Now, i'm focused on Nintendo Switch, gaming laptops (and the keyboards, headsets and mice that come with them), PS5, and trying to find the perfect projector.
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