If gaming on a thin laptop is your thing, then the HP Omen 16 Slim will have your attention

The HP Omen 16 gaming laptop for reference. | Image credit – HP

It's not just smartphones that are getting thinner by the day now. If you're eyeing the upcoming iPhone 17 Air by Apple or the Galaxy S25 Edge by Samsung, you'd be interested in what HP has to offer on the laptop front.

Today, we're talking about the HP Omen 16 Slim – that's a variation of the HP Open 16. As its moniker suggests, this laptop is all about a sleek, thin design on a gaming machine that shouldn't break the bank.

The latest addition to the Omen lineup emphasizes portability with a slimmer chassis while still delivering solid midrange performance. At its slimmest point, the laptop measures just 0.79 inches (or 20mm), making it one of the sleekest options in HP's gaming series. However, despite its thinner frame, it still packs capable hardware, aiming to balance power and portability.

The Omen 16 Slim is equipped with a 16-inch IPS display featuring a 2560 x 1600 resolution, a 240Hz refresh rate, and a 3ms response time, making it well-suited for smooth gaming. Powering the laptop are Intel's Arrow Lake processors, ranging from the Core Ultra 5 225H to the Core Ultra 9 285H, while the Nvidia RTX 5070 serves as the top-end GPU option.

The base model starts with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage, which aligns with the expectations for midrange gaming laptops. These days, one shouldn't go for anything less, especially on the RAM front.

While the Omen 16 Slim is notably thinner than HP's bulkier gaming models, it still carries some weight at 5.4 pounds, so keep that in mind. Competing models like Razer's Blade 16 for 2025 manage to be even slimmer and lighter, showing that HP's design, while streamlined, isn't at the absolute forefront of ultra-thin gaming laptops.

However, HP ensures that the Omen 16 Slim maintains a comprehensive selection of ports, including a 10Gbps USB-C with Power Delivery and DisplayPort 1.4, a 10Gbps USB-A, two additional 5Gbps USB-A ports, an Ethernet port, an HDMI 2.1, and a 3.5mm headphone/mic jack. Wi-Fi 6E support further enhances connectivity.

Despite its emphasis on portability, the Omen 16 Slim does make some compromises to keep costs in check. Unlike more premium models, it features a four-zone RGB keyboard instead of per-key lighting. HP has not yet confirmed the pricing, but the laptop is expected to launch in June, so keep an eye on it if you're after a thin laptop.