HyperX OMEN MAX 16 (2026) Review: Flagship Power Priced Too High at the Top
A big 16-inch OLED gaming laptop with RTX 5080 and 5090 options. Tom's Hardware found the $4,699.99 build trailing its rivals, so we explain which OMEN MAX 16 is worth buying, where it cuts corners and when the Blade 16 wins.
The verdict
A good value desk laptop in its RTX 5080 versions and a poor flagship in the $4,699.99 RTX 5090 build. The OLED screen is excellent, with 464.6 nits measured by Tom's Hardware, and cooling holds up. But the 5090 model finished last in most gaming tests, lasted 5 hours 7 minutes on battery and cuts corners on trackpad, speakers and webcam. Buy the 5080 on sale, and skip the top model.
Best forDesk-bound players who want a bright OLED and an RTX 5080
What we liked
- Bright 16-inch 2560 x 1600 OLED measured at 464.6 nits and 131.2 percent DCI-P3
- RTX 5080 versions start near $2,700, well below the 5090 build
- Stayed at 87 C CPU and 75 C GPU in a stress test with the RTX 5090
- Two Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI 2.1, 2.5 GbE and a PCIe 5.0 SSD
- Two SO-DIMM slots and a second M.2 slot for upgrades
What we did not
- The $4,699.99 RTX 5090 build trailed rivals in most of Tom's game tests
- Heavy at 6.56 pounds and 1.03 inches thick
- 83 Wh battery lasted 5 hours 7 minutes against 12 hours 46 minutes for the Blade 16
- Top-hinged trackpad, stereo-only speakers and a plain 1080p webcam
- Upgrades sit under a metal shield with roughly a dozen screws
The $4,699.99 configuration of this laptop finished last in most of the gaming tests Tom's Hardware ran, behind a Razer Blade 16 that is two pounds lighter and costs about $200 more. That sounds like a death sentence for the OMEN MAX 16, and for the top configuration it nearly is. The cheaper ones are a different story, which is why this review is about what you should and should not pay for.
The sticker problem
HP sells the HyperX-branded OMEN MAX 16 in Intel and AMD versions. The AMD page lists up to a Ryzen AI 9 HX 475 (12 cores, up to 5.2 GHz), up to a GeForce RTX 5080 laptop GPU with 16 GB, and up to 48 GB of DDR5-5600. Tom's Hardware tested the Intel build with a Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus and an RTX 5090. It found the cheapest configuration at $2,699.99, with a Core Ultra 7 270HX and an RTX 5080, and an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 475 build at $3,099.
So the real choice is between a $2,699 to $3,099 laptop with a 5080 and a $4,699.99 laptop with a 5090. Almost all of our advice is about the first group.
Why the 5090 version disappoints
Tom's tested a big chassis with a 175 W GPU and a 55 W processor, and expected a clean win. It did not get one. In Cyberpunk 2077 with ray tracing at Ultra, the OMEN managed 59 fps at 1080p and 37 fps at 1600p, last in its group. In Red Dead Redemption 2 it hit 93 fps at 1080p, one frame ahead of the Blade 16, and in Borderlands 3 it ran nearly 20 fps behind the Alienware 16 Area-51.
The exception was Far Cry 6, where it led with 144 fps at 1080p and 125 at 1600p. That tells us the hardware is capable, and the weak results elsewhere point to tuning, not a fault. HP's own page sells an "Unleashed Mode" that raises the power budget to 250 W total, which suggests headroom, but Tom's testing did not show it translating into class-leading results.
Where it is good
The screen. HP offers a 16-inch 2560 by 1600 OLED at up to 240 Hz, with 500 nits SDR and 1,100 nits HDR rated. Tom's measured 131.2 percent of DCI-P3 and 464.6 nits, the brightest panel in its comparison. The finish is glossy, as on most OLEDs.
Cooling is decent. Under the Metro Exodus stress test the CPU peaked at 87 C and the RTX 5090 stayed at 75 C. HP says it widened the fan gap by 1.6 mm and the space between the board and keyboard by another 1.5 mm. The chassis is not shy about size: 6.56 pounds and 1.03 inches thick, which makes it a desk machine.
Specs
- CPU options
- Core Ultra 7 270HX, Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus or Ryzen AI 9 HX 475
- GPU options
- Up to RTX 5080 (AMD page) or RTX 5090 with 175 W TGP (Intel, tested)
- Memory
- Up to 48 GB DDR5-5600 (AMD page), DDR5-6400 on tested Intel build
- Display
- 16 in, 2560 x 1600 OLED, up to 240 Hz, 500 nits SDR, 1,100 nits HDR
- Measured screen
- 464.6 nits, 131.2 percent DCI-P3 (Tom's Hardware)
- Battery
- 83 Wh, 5 hours 7 minutes in Tom's test
- Weight and size
- 6.56 lb, 14.04 x 10.59 x 1.03 in (Tom's Hardware)
- Ports
- 2 Thunderbolt 4, USB-A, HDMI 2.1, 2.5 GbE, 3.5 mm jack
- Power mode
- Unleashed Mode up to 250 W TPP (HP)
- Charger
- 460 W GaN adapter on the tested unit
- Price
- From $2,699.99 (RTX 5080), tested RTX 5090 model $4,699.99
