HP's OmniBook 7 Aero is an ultra-light, 13-inch laptop that weighs under 2.2 pounds depending on your configuration. It's a laptop light enough that you might think it's just a display sample if you pick it up, and yet it's a fully functional PC. The OmniBook 7 Aero's lightweight recycled aluminum chassis contains the power of an AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 APU, and thus meets the Copilot+ requirements for enhanced AI features.

The OmniBook 7 Aero is somewhat targeted at students and professionals, as it's an ultra-portable laptop ideal for commuting to work or school, and it has enough battery life to last for a full school or workday on a single charge. But is it the best value in a thin and light laptop?

HP OmniBook 7 Aero pricing and availability

How much will it cost?

The OmniBook 7 Aero is fully configurable when purchased through HP, but the starting configuration retails for $949. This base model comes equipped with an AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 APU with Radeon 840M graphics, 16GB of system memory, a 512GB SSD, and a 13.3-inch, 1920 x 1200, 60Hz IPS display.

Upgrading to the Ryzen AI 7 350 APU with Radeon 860M graphics and a 512GB SSD costs an additional $180 for a total of $1,129. This model strikes the best balance of performance and price, although it is limited by its 16GB of onboard memory.

Finally, there's our review spec with the Ryzen AI 7 350 APU with Radeon 860M graphics, 32GB of system memory, a 1TB SSD, and a 13.3-inch, 2560 x 1600, 60Hz IPS display. This top-end model costs $1,359 and certainly deserves top billing, but the price might be a bit too steep for most students.

Is the Aero as light as HP claims?

It honestly feels even lighter

The OmniBook 7 Aero comes in two colorways, but our review model featured the Ceramic White color option, which gave it a sleek, modern feel. Combined with the minimalist HP logo, the OmniBook 7 Aero easily fits into a professional environment without standing out while still having just a bit of personality to it.

The OmniBook 7 Aero also features nice, slim display bezels and a streamlined keyboard deck for a fully modern feel. And the keyboard itself has a nice, crisp bounce to each of the keys which makes for a satisfying typing experience.

HP claims the Aero weighs 2.2 pounds or less, depending on your configuration. Our review configuration is the top-line spec, so it's arguably the heaviest option. And yet, it still weighs almost nothing. Working with the OmniBook 7 perched in my lap was often an exercise in hypervigilance, since the OmniBook is so lightweight, I had a habit of forgetting it was in my lap and nearly launching it to the ground. Granted, I had this same reaction with the Asus Zenbook A14, which was a similar 2.2-pound, ultra-lightweight laptop. So it's not a unique issue for the OmniBook, but rather years of habit, believing laptops ought to be heavier than this.

While it definitely took some re-training to get my brain to stop unintentionally throwing the OmniBook onto the floor, it was an incredible benefit when taking the OmniBook to my local coffee shop for a midday work break. Throwing the OmniBook into a backpack barely added any weight to my bag, which made it a delight to commute with.

The biggest weak point in the OmniBook 7 Aero's design is the display panel. The matte, 400-nit, anti-glare IPS panel is certainly bright enough to be glare-proof under indoor lighting and indirect sunlight, but it's just not vibrant enough to feel exciting. Bright colors appeared fine, but some of the more mid-tones would get washed out and almost blend into each other. While you can certainly enjoy a Netflix binge or two on the OmniBook 7 Aero, it's not a display you want to use for photo editing or color-grading your next YouTube video.

Not every laptop needs a great display, but a poor display holds the OmniBook 7 Aero back from being a truly fantastic laptop. Instead, it's just a great one.

I'm still not sold on Copilot+

This isn't specific to the OmniBook, however

I've been using Copilot+ PCs for over a year now thanks to all of the review laptops I get access to, but despite all that exposure I'm still not quite sold on Microsoft's first-party AI software suite. Live captions isn't the best AI-powered translation feature available, and Co-Creat in Microsoft Paint requires me to open an application I like to forget exists. Microsoft's Windows Studio Effects are alright, but they aren't the best choices. The Windows eye-contact correction over-corrects into the Uncanny Valley, and the background blur is not particularly better than the features already built into Google Meet or Zoom.

The OmniBook 7 does have access to good AI features. The PolyStudio effects for the Aero's built-in webcam and microphone work wonders and are genuinely useful features to have on a laptop. Particularly these days, with how popular video calls are, being able to adjust camera settings across multiple applications for the best possible camera feed is a lifesaver, and the AI audio tuning can be a big help there as well.

But Microsoft's Copilot+ versions are still pretty lackluster. And since I swap computers like most people change clothes, Recall isn't something I find particularly useful since I don't store a lot of files locally anymore. While Copilot+ isn't a reason to avoid buying the OmniBook 7 Aero, it's also not the most compelling reason to buy it since HP's proprietary AI features are far more useful.

Ultra-light and yet powerful

It's got the powerful Ryzen AI 7 350 APU, after all

I wasn't expecting the Aero to be the most powerful laptop I've ever tested, and it isn't. But it does benchmark surprisingly well. Then again, our review unit does have the Ryzen AI 7 350 APU under the hood, so it's certainly got power, but it's also got enough efficiency for truly solid battery life.

Compared to other thin and light ultra-portable AI PC laptops like the Asus Zenbook S14, Dell 14 Premium, and Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x, the OmniBook 7 Aero held its own during our synthetic benchmark testing.

The OmniBook 7's Ryzen AI 7 350 APU wasn't the most powerful, but it has four cores compared to the Yoga Slim 7x's Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite. Plus, it's more power-efficient overall compared to the Dell 14 Premium's Intel Core Ultra 7 265H SoC. So falling in the middle of the pack is a pretty sweet place to be, considering the options.

In terms of battery life, HP's internal testing rates the OmniBook 7 Aero for over 12 hours of battery life in a mixed-use case, and my hands-on testing helped back up HP's reports. I averaged a good 11-12 hours with the Aero, which is more than sufficient for a full workday and can even get you through a solid amount of overtime. So it's a fantastic choice for the traveling professional or student who needs a laptop that can last on battery power.

Should you buy the HP OmniBook 7 Aero?

Is this the right laptop for you?

You should buy the HP OmniBook 7 Aero if:

• You need a featherweight laptop for your commute to work or school
• You don't need to work overtime on battery power
• You find it on sale

You should NOT buy the HP OmniBook 7 Aero if:

• You need to stay on a tight student budget
• You need a laptop with a highly accurate display

I rather enjoyed my time with the HP OmniBook 7 Aero more than I expected. It has enough power to keep up with my average workday and sufficient battery life to last around 10-12 hours on a single charge. The only major drawbacks to the OmniBook 7 Aero are its dull, lifeless display and expensive upgrades. However, it's a great deal if you can get it on sale or if you're willing to opt for the Ryzen AI 5 340 configuration.

If you need a laptop with a highly accurate display, the Asus Zenbook S 14's OLED display panel makes it a significantly better option that gets roughly the same amount of battery life and similar performance. Meanwhile, if you need to stay on a tight budget, the HP OmniBook 5 is a far better deal.

But if you're looking for a powerful, lightweight laptop to commute with, the featherweight OmniBook 7 Aero is hard to beat.