Not many PC manufacturers out there have the sheer recognition and popularity of HP. It's one of the biggest makers of computers, and for good reason, as the company tends to make some of the best laptops on the market each and every year.

But the company also floods the market with a ton of options, which no doubt contributes to its popularity. Focusing on the consumer brands alone, we have the OmniBook lineup, along with Spectre, Envy, and Pavilion brands, plus the generic "HP Laptop" models. So where do you even begin to choose one? We're here to demystify HP's consumer laptop lineup so you can choose the brand that makes the most sense for you. Let's take a look at how each of these brands differ from the other.

The new OmniBook brand

Things are getting simpler... eventually

Before we get to the finer details of each HP lineup, it's important to clarify some basic information about each of the brands the company offers. In May 2024, HP announced a complete rebranding of its lineup going forward, with every series (such as Spectre, Envy, and Pavilion) being replaced by the OmniBook series. OmniBook is actually a brand HP used all the way back in the 90s, but it's making a return now.

Instead of different names altogether, the OmniBook brand now has tiers, which are 3, 5, 7, X, and Ultra. Ultra is a sort of new category altogether that's supposed to be for more unique or experimental devices. From there, you start with the more premium devices with the X lineup (replacing Spectre) and go down from there (7 is equivalent to Envy, and so on).

In the future, this will likely simplify HP's lineup a bit, but right now, it's a bit of a mess, as the OmniBook laptops are all available alongside the existing Spectre and Envy models, so there's a mishmash of naming conventions going on right now.

Design and build quality

Spectre and OmniBook X are the most premium

The first thing you'll notice with any laptop is its design, so let's talk about that first. HP's consumer laptop lineups cover a wide range of options, and at the top, we have the Omnibook X and Ultra series, which would previously be under the Spectre name. Previous Spectre models used to be known for their dual-tone design and convertible form factor, though HP has simplified things a bit with the OmniBook brand. These are still very premium laptops using aluminum for the chassis, but there are currently no convertible OmniBook laptops. The OmniBook X series has a more subdued design that's actually more reminiscent of the old Envy brand, but there is an upcoming OmniBook Ultra that has a design more like the previous Spectre models with trimmed corners (though it's still not a convertible). Spectre and OmniBook X/Ultra models are usually 14-inch or 16-inch laptops.

HP Envy laptops aren't too different at first glance, as they're still pretty premium devices. In the future, these will likely be replaced by the OmniBook 7 series, though the existing OmniBook X models already seem somewhat inspired by the more subdued design of the Envy lineup.

Most of them have a metal chassis that feels just as premium, but they're a bit more bland and less unique. You get more plain silver colors with the occasional black, and you also see a little less attention to detail, like the keyboard keys not being color matched to the color of the laptop itself. There's also no cool trims on the corners of the laptop, so they look much more generic. Envy models are available in various sizes, but mostly you get 14-inch, 16-inch, and 17-inch these days, and some of those models can be x360 versions, meaning they're convertibles.

Envy laptops also tend to have more ports than the Spectre models, but Thunderbolt support isn't quite as prevalent. Still, this is firmly premium territory, and you can also tell because it uses the same angular HP glyph on the lid, rather than the round HP logo you see on the cheaper models.

Speaking of which, there's the Pavilion brand next, which is where things get a bit weird. Pavilion laptops are very varied and there are a few variants within this lineup. The Pavilion Plus models are still fairly premium, and feature metal designs and even some color options you don't often see on premium laptops. They start to get a bit heavier, but these could still fit in the Envy lineup, and even include the same HP glyph.

The HP Pavilion Aero is more focused on being lightweight, with a magnesium chassis but otherwise more mainstream design. This model already lacks the Thunderbolt ports of higher-end brands, and that's the case with the more general Pavilion laptops, too. These models use a mix of plastic and metal and tend to be thicker and heavier than the Envy and Spectre laptops, while also losing ports like Thunderbolt in favor of more classic ports. These are also the models that have the classic round HP logo, making it clear which laptops are more so on the lower end. There are no OmniBook modles to replace these yet, but it seems likely that they would use the OmniBook 5 or 3 series when they do appear.

At the bottom of the barrel we have the basic HP Laptop models, which are as simple as it gets. These laptops are all made of plastic and come in a wide range of sizes, from 14 inches to 17. Most of them will come in either silver or black colorways, but some do offer more options, but even then, sometimes the color of the lid may change, but not the entire laptop. These are often ticker and heavier laptops, and they also miss out on faster ports like Thunderbolt or even USB 3.2 Gen 2. They're really cheap, and it shows. If we were to wager what will happen with this lineup in the future, it makes sense for them to be called OmniBook 3, but we'll have to wait for HP to fully refresh the lineup to know for sure.

Displays, cameras, and audio

Choosing the best multimedia experience

The display is another area where you'll see big differences between HP's laptops. The Spectre lineup is, of course, leading the pack with both the 14-inch and 16-inch models having a 16:10 aspect ratio. The 14-inch model comes with a 2.8K OLED panel by default, and the 16-inch version starts with a Quad HD+ IPS display but also offers a 2.8K OLED upgrade if you want the best quality possible. These are both fantastic screens, and they'll give you the most premium experience. These laptops offer the best media experience overall, since they also include quad speakers for audio and an industry-leading 9MP webcam, which you can't find anywhere else.

Oddly enough, however, these elements haven't really transitioned to the OmniBook brand yet, which feels more like an Envy laptop in this regard. In the Envy models and the current OmniBook X model, all the models start with an IPS panel, usually Full HD or, in the case of the OmniBook X, 2.2K resolution. From there, you may have some upgrade options. Some Envy 17 models have an option 4K panel, though it's still IPS. The latest Envy x360 models, both in 14-inch and 16-inch versions, also offer 2.8K OLED panel options, though, so you can get a comparable experience to the Spectre family. These laptops also have the more modern 16:10 aspect ratio, though the Envy 17 still uses a 16:9 display. Some previous generations also included 15-inch models, also with a 16:9 aspect ratio. The Envy laptops also step down to just two speakers, but they still have a great 5MP webcam. The OmniBook X also has a 5MP webcam, though the upcoming OmniBook Ultra has a 9MP sensor, closer to the previous Spectre lineup.

The Pavilion lineup is once again a bit confusing. The Pavilion Plus models are up there with the Envy laptops, or even better. The latest 14-inch Pavilion Plus models start with a Quad HD+ IPS panel and have a 2.8K OLED upgrade, both with a 16:10 aspect ratio, so they could almost be compared to the Spectre laptops. The 16-inch Pavilion Plus also starts with a Quad HD+ panel. Once you step down to the other Pavilion models, though, you'll see a lot more Full HD panels, usually with a 16:9 aspect ratio, though the Pavilion Aero has a 16:10 display and the option to get a Quad HD+ resolution. You'll also notice that most Pavilion models have a lower brightness and worse color reproduction, so they look less vibrant (again, the Pavilion Plus models are the exception).

All these Pavilion models still have dual speakers, of course, and the Pavilion Plus versions (alongside the latest Pavilion Aero) still pack 5MP cameras with Windows Hello support, but otherwise, you'll be limited to 2+720p webcams in most Pavilion laptops, though some newer models are starting to upgrade to 1080p.

Finally, the HP Laptop models sit at the bottom, and they often start with super low-end panels with 1366x768 resolution and low brightness, around 250 nits, making them very poor by today's standards. Most of them have options to upgrade to a Full HD panel, but you're still stuck with a low brightness display and a 16:9 aspect ratio, so don't expect anything fancy. For the larger 17-inch laptops, the base models have a slightly higher 1600x900 resolution, with the same options to upgrade to Full HD. Some models also have the option to add touch support, but you usually have to choose between that or the higher Full HD resolution. These laptops also come with dual speakers and 720p webcams most of the time, though some of the recent models have 1080p webcams, too.

Performance

Things vary a lot here

Things get really messy in the performance category due to the many different combinations of specs. For any given generation, you're going to see the same processors overall, just with some slight differences in the tier of processor. That, combined with options for discrete GPUs, makes things a bit messy, and it's best to talk about each brand separately.

Anything goes with OmniBook X

The OmniBook lineup is still very new, and there are only a couple of laptops announced with this brand, so it's still early to say what you can expect from each brand. But also, because the OmniBook brand is divided into tiers, it means the lineup as a whole will probably be available with all kinds of processors.

Currently, we have the OmniBook X, which is one of the first laptops in the world powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor. HP has also announced with OmniBook Ultra, which will feature a custom AMD processor with 55 TOPS of AI performance, making it the best PC for AI workloads that rely on the NPU. But the lineup will eventually expand to include Intel as well. We don't know of any options with discrete graphics just yet, though, so if you want something ideal for video editing or some light gaming, the current lineup isn't for you.

Spectre is Intel-only

The premium Spectre brand with the Spectre x360 14 and x360 16. Both of these models feature Intel Core Ultra H-series processors, which are the latest and greatest from Intel. The 14-inch model starts with an Intel Core Ultra 5 125H, but both models go up to a Core Ultra 7 155H, which offers plenty of performance already. Neither model has AMD processors, which is very common for premium laptops.

Here, the big difference is that the 16-inch model gives you the option for dedicated Nvidia graphics, specifically with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU available in the top-tier configuration. The larger size can accommodate the extra power, and this GPU helps with tasks like video and photo editing, plus it can handle some light gaming.

Envy broadens your options

The HP Envy lineup is a lot more confusing, and we'll focus on just the latest models with Intel Core Ultra processors and AMD Ryzen 8000 series.

The Envy x360 14 and 16 come in versions with both Intel or AMD processors. The Intel models come with Core Ultra U-series processors with either 9W or 15W power ratings, with the latter offering more performance at the expense of slightly higher power usage. You can go up to a Core Ultra 7 155U (15W) or Core Ultra 7 150U (9W). The AMD models feature Ryzen 8000 HS-series processors, so they should be a bit more powerful, going up to a Ryzen 7 8840HS. There's also a 15-inch Envy x360 that's still a holdover from previous generations. This model is currently only available with Intel Core Ultra processors, but it's otherwise similar.

The Envy 17 is a bit different. This one is available with Intel Core Ultra H-series processors, so it's a good bit more powerful. There's also a model with a Core Ultra U processor, but this is paired with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050, so you get a bit more GPU performance for some light gaming or video editing.

There are some older models with some different specs, and they may be refreshed at some point. For example, there is an Envy 16 with H-series processors and up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060, which is one of HP's most powerful laptops. However, this model is still stuck with 13th-generation Intel processors and hasn't been refreshed.

Pavilion is fairly straightforward (for now)

The Pavilion lineup, once again, has a lot of options. At the top end, we have the Pavilion Plus laptops, and these come with either Intel Core Ultra processors (both U and H series, depending on the model) or AMD Ryzen 8000 HS-series models. Neither model includes options for discrete graphics, but they do include the latest processors from either company. Then there's the Pavilion Aero, with the latest refresh using exclusively AMD Ryzen 8040 series processors (previous models were also Ryzen exclusive).

The rest of the Pavilion lineup is a bit more all over the place. Some models are already available with Intel Core Ultra or the newer Intel Core processors without the i designation, as well as the AMD Ryzen 8040 series. However, many older models are also available with 13th-gen Intel processors or AMD Ryzen 7000 chips.

When you consider older models, things get pretty confusing, but generally speaking, Pavilion laptops won't have dedicated graphics and they'll stick to the more basic processors from Intel or AMD. There aren't a ton of differences here.

The messy HP Laptop

Finally, the HP Laptop is an absolute mess, as it can include pretty much anything from either brand. You usually won't see any dedicated graphics cards in any of these models, but the processors themselves can vary wildly. Intel processors can go from basic Celeron processors to Intel Core Ultra H-series, while AMD processors can go from the basic Athlon and Ryzen 7020 series that still uses Zen 2 CPU cores to higher-end Ryzen 7030 models.

There's no guarantee you'll get a specific processor just from the branding here, so you'll have to look more closely to see what's included.

Which one should you buy?

With all of this in mind, which HP laptop brand makes the most sense for you really depends on what you're looking for. Performance is what varies the least between the different models, barring any differences in cooling. If you just want a fast laptop, you can find fast processors as low as the basic HP Laptop series, as long as you get the right model. If you need dedicated graphics, though, you'll want to look towards the Envy brand or higher, and you'll also need a larger laptop that fits a dedicated GPU.

The display and design are where the real differences start to be more apparent. The basic HP Laptop models have displays we wouldn't recommend to anyone, and the Pavilion brand is still fairly basic, but there are some solid options in there if you have a tighter budget. The Envy lineup has solid options that are enough for almost anyone, and the Spectre family has the most premium options that look fantastic. Similarly, the Spectre laptops have the most premium design, which helps them stand out a bit, while the Envy laptops still feel premium but are less unique.

The laptops that are easiest to recommend to most people are probably in the Envy lineup, but you can move up or down depending on how much you value the display and design, as well as your budget. With the OmniBook series changing everything, it's going to be even more complicated in the next few months, but for now, Envy is probably the best middle ground for most people.