HP makes some of our favorite laptops, but with so many models it can be difficult to know which model to choose. From the Spectre premium line to the Omen toys, we have tested countless HP laptops. Below is a list of the best HP laptops in each category. Once you’ve decided on a business laptop, be sure to read our best HP EliteBook guide or our more general ranking of the best business laptops. Some of the best HP laptops are portable devices. For a wider selection, check out our Best 13-inch laptops page.
HP entered the year 2020 with the release of the award-winning Spectre x360 13 and the Elite Dragonfly, two ultra-portable devices with stunning designs. HP will follow these two devices with the Elite Dragonfly G2, which offers additional tile support so you never have to lose your laptop or worry about it being stolen.
Best HP Laptops
To better understand what is good and what you need to know, we explain the branding and select the best HP laptops you can currently buy.
HP Spectre x360
The best 2-in-1 laptop right now
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The Spectre x360 13 is the best 2-in-1 laptop ever. Updated with a 10th generation CPU and a more modern design, the Spectre x360 13 has improved almost every way over its excellent predecessor. Highlights of this laptop include a beautiful design that flaunts faceted edges and beveled corners. Those precision-cut details make the Spectre look more like a piece of jewelry than a gadget.
Along with that, stunning design is a clear 1080p display, epic 13+ hours of battery life, and fast overall performance. There’s almost nothing the Spectre x360 13 doesn’t do well, although the speakers could use some tuning. We set the Spectre x360 13 up against some of our other favorite 2-in-1 laptops, including the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 and Lenovo Yoga C940, but none of these great competitors could dethrone the HP.
HP Elite Dragonfly
A 2-in-1 business laptop
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When it comes to the best HP laptops, the HP Elite Dragonfly is at the top of our list with its combination of portability and power. It’s also one of the finest business laptops we’ve seen in a long time, with a thin and light design – complete with incredible speakers, a sublime keyboard, and the optional 550 nits 4K display – that’s hard to handle. This hybrid gets our coveted five-star rating, which already says a lot because we don’t radiate it lightly. And, have we mentioned that it also has impressive battery life.
HP Envy 13
The best overall laptop for students
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HP has a long tradition of developing laptops you can rely on, and the Envy 13 is no different – it’s one of the best choices you’re going to find in the mid-market laptop market. We include it here because of its excellent balance between price and performance. This is a laptop that will last you a long time. The 13.3-inch, 1920 x 1080 (1080p) resolution display is at the forefront here – bright and sharp and great for streaming video, surfing the web, and working on documents.
While creatives may want a little more in screen real estate, the smaller display size makes this a portable laptop, and thanks to its reliable build quality, it doesn’t feel like you have to be extra careful with it. With a choice of Intel’s Core processors inside and some compelling combinations of RAM and internal storage also available, this is a laptop ready to handle all but the most demanding tasks (don’t try to gamble on it). A special mention for the audio developed in collaboration with Bang and Olufsen, which sounds great.
HP Envy x360 13
The best budget 2-in-1 laptop
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The HP Envy x360 13 is one of the best HP laptops and one of the best 2-in-1 laptops. Although it doesn’t come with a stylus (nor does the Surface Pro), the Envy is a 2-in-1 so you can flip it over in tent or tablet mode. What makes this such a great value is the all-aluminum design and Herculian AMD Ryzen processors. In our tests, we discovered that an Envy x360 13 with a Ryzen 5 4500U CPU could outperform laptops with 10th generation Intel chips.
This particular Envy costs just $800 and can outperform laptops costing over $1,000, including the absurd MacBook Pro. Plus, the Envy x360 13 features a bright, vibrant 13.3-inch display and a comfortable keyboard. There’s little we don’t like about the Envy x360. If you can get over the lack of a Thunderbolt 3 port and IR camera, it’s the ultimate money-saving laptop.
HP Spectre x360 15t
The best 15-inch 2-in-1 laptop
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Marketed as the most powerful Spectre to date, HP brought its latest HP Spectre x360 15T Touch to serve developers and programmers well. This laptop comes with an aluminum design in a premium Poseidon Blue and features an above-average configuration that attracts potential consumers. This stylish laptop features a 1.8GHz Intel Core i7-10510U processor, making working on Spectre x360 15T smoother than butter. You can switch between multiple tabs and perform tasks simultaneously without having to worry about delays. This is the courtesy of specifications like 16GB of DDR4 RAM and 512GB of SSD storage.
The laptop also offers an entry-level gaming experience to users through the 4GB of NVIDIA’s GeForce MX250 graphics. This laptop is also capable of handling VR better than most of its rivals. Besides, the 4K WLED screen on this 15.6-inch screen is not as wild as expected. Even with a resolution of 3840×2160, the touchscreen is disappointingly weak with some glare. However, the colors are vivid, and the image quality is sharp. Overall, this one of the best HP laptops that you can buy.
HP Chromebook x2
One of the best 2-in-1 Chromebook
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With all-day battery life, a comfortable, detachable design, the HP Chromebook x2 is one of the best Chromebooks for business users. It’s like a Microsoft Surface Pro running Chrome OS. The Chromebook x2 also offers a crisp, clear screen, quality sound, and a comfortable keyboard for fast typing. The Core m3 processor isn’t great, but it’s oomph enough to work mostly in the cloud. Plus, HP includes the keyboard and pen in the price.
HP EliteBook x360 1040 G5
Another 2-in-1 programming laptop
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The EliteBook x360 1040 G5 is, without a doubt, the “top predator of the business world.” It’s not the perfect machine, but it has enough features to make up for its flaws. It has many excellent features in its beautiful chassis and numerous ports, a port that performs miracles and makes an impressive sound. Simply put, it is suitable for the professional who wants to work seamlessly and powerfully, making it one of the best HP laptops.
HP Omen 17
Powerhouse performance at entry-level prices
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Gaming laptops have a moment, and HP wants a more significant role. What better way to join the party than by offering a powerful gaming rig at a reasonable price? Feed the Omen 17 a great upper-tier gaming laptop that plays fun with your budget. It’s also easy on the eyes despite its plastic frame and serves up serious performance thanks to its surprisingly powerful specs.
The latest Omen 17 is an improvement over its predecessor in many ways: The laptop has been redesigned with a slimmer, more advanced chassis; the RTX graphics offer a serious performance boost; and the 1080p, the 144-Hz display becomes pretty bright. You’ll also have HP Omen Command, a software that helps diagnose the monitoring system and set the network bandwidth. But what sets Omen 17 apart is its competitive price. It is one of the best HP laptops for this price.
HP Chromebook 14
Striking optimal balance between value and design
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The best Chromebooks balance spot price and efficient use of Chrome OS – and the HP Chromebook 14 is the perfect example. While similar in many ways to the Acer Chromebook 15, this 14-inch Chromebook is a little more compact and looks slightly better. Finished in a bright blue color and a screen made to shine, HP’s Chromebook 14 offers the best value of any Chromebook in this list. Even when battery life and performance are average, the HP Chromebook 14 is easily one of the best Chromebooks yet.
We were especially impressed by how slim and light this Chromebook is, which means the HP Chromebook 14 is an excellent device for anyone who wants a durable laptop that they can carry with them comfortably. If you want a device to work on while lying on the couch, this is also a great choice. Also, unlike some other Chromebooks, the Chromebook 14 comes with numerous ports, including HDMI-out, Type-A USB 3.0, and a microSD card slot, making this a very versatile Chromebook.
HP Pavilion Gaming 15
Stellar performance and battery life on a budget
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HP Pavilion Gaming 15 is an entry-level gaming laptop with a powerful AMD Ryzen 5 4600H and an Nvidia GeForce GPU, featuring a nimble SSD and excellent battery life, all packaged in an eye-catching, freely portable design. The combination of specification, power, and endurance earned the laptop a place on our best gaming laptops under $1000.
The Pavilion 15 isn’t for sleeping on because it’s a budget system. It has some powerful specifications, which means the notebook can play games at reasonable frame rates. And with nearly 6 hours of battery life, it has the stamina to spare. It also stays pretty cool during gaming. Still, if you’re looking for a surprisingly powerful entry-level model at a great price, the HP Pavilion 15 should be at the top of your list.
