The Gateway 15.6" offers a more affordable option, with decent performance for everyday tasks and light productivity, assisted by its moderate processor and integrated graphics; it's relatively lightweight and offers a solid battery life. The HP Omen 16, while more expensive, provides higher performance suitable for demanding tasks such as gaming or intensive engineering software, supported by a high-end processor and dedicated graphics card; it also boasts a higher refresh rate display for smoother visuals, but it's heavier and may have shorter battery life during intensive use, making it less portable. Consider the Gateway for cost-effective general use or the HP Omen for superior performance in high-end applications. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Gateway 15.6"
Good portability
Advantages of the HP Omen 16
Very good for engineering and design
Very good for gaming and AI
Good for software development
Good overall display quality
Good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.0/10
7.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
250.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
338.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
6.0 Hours
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
7.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.7/10
The HP Omen 16 and Gateway 15.6" are both good for general use, though the HP Omen 16 is somewhat better.
The Gateway 15.6" has a robust CPU for general tasks, ample RAM, and a quality IPS screen for clear visuals, making it well-suited for everyday use, while being lightweight and offering good battery life for on-the-go productivity. The HP Omen 16 boasts a high-end CPU and excellent screen quality for vibrant and smooth visuals, ideal for both general and demanding applications, but with increased weight and reduced battery life, it sacrifices some portability.
Gaming and AI
6.0/10
8.0/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.0/10
The HP Omen 16 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Gateway 15.6" is only fair.
The Gateway 15.6" laptop may provide an adequate gaming and 3D experience with its average-quality graphics chip and standard screen refresh rate, but it lacks the higher performance graphics and rapid screen refresh capabilities of the HP Omen 16. The HP Omen 16, with its superior graphics processing unit and higher refresh rate, outshines the Gateway in delivering smoother visuals and more detailed graphics, which are crucial for an immersive gaming and 3D experience.
Engineering and Design
6.2/10
8.4/10
4.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The HP Omen 16 is very good for engineering and design, while the Gateway 15.6" is only fair.
The Gateway 15.6" laptop, with an Intel i5 processor and Iris Xe graphics, provides a fair performance for engineering and design due to its satisfactory screen quality and moderate processing power, but compared to the HP Omen 16 that boasts a more powerful Intel i7 processor and Nvidia RTX graphics, delivers very good performance with superior screen color and brightness, making it more suitable for detailed and graphics-intensive tasks despite being less portable and having louder operating noise.
Content Creation
7.0/10
7.8/10
4.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The HP Omen 16 and Gateway 15.6" are both good for content creation, though the HP Omen 16 is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
6.7/10
7.6/10
4.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.6/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
5.3/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.5/10
The HP Omen 16 is good for software development, while the Gateway 15.6" is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
6.1/10
7.6/10
15.6in
SIZE
16.1in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1080
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
165Hz
250.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
338.0 nits
The HP Omen 16 has a better screen than the Gateway 15.6" for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
For general use, the Gateway laptop's fair screen may be due to its satisfactory panel type, resolution, and brightness, which are crucial for viewing documents and browsing. With regard to engineering and design, while the HP Omen's good quality display likely offers better color accuracy and wider color gamuts necessary for precise visual work, it does not excel for 3D applications, where its poor screen quality suggests it may have a lower refresh rate that is less suitable for fast-moving visuals, despite having a decent resolution and panel type.
Battery
8.0 Hours
6.0 Hours
The Gateway 15.6" has 8 hours of battery life. The HP Omen 16 has 6 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Good
Fair
15.6in
SIZE
16.1in
4.8 lbs
WEIGHT
5.4 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.9in
The Gateway 15.6" has good portability, while the HP Omen 16 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
5.1/10
7.4/10
The HP Omen 16 has good build quality, while the Gateway 15.6" has poor build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$380
$1,100
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Gateway 15.6" has a price of $380 and the HP Omen 16 costs $1,100.
"Some concessions have to be made when shopping for a budget laptop. Walmart's Gateway Ultra Slim laptops succeeds on the affordability front and delivers serviceable specs and good battery life, though it's hard to claim it's the best (or even particularly good) at any particular aspect. Its build quality, especially the touchpad, is mediocre, and its performance is decent but doesn't lead the way. The Gateway does undercut the cost of some competitors and offers ample storage with good connectivity, so it's not to be ignored."
"The Omen 16 has proven to be a fairly good mid-range gaming laptop with all-around improvements compared to the Omen 15. The high overall performance level across all use cases, the long battery life, and the good FHD display constitute the main advantages of this HP laptop. The main drawbacks are the faulty touchpad (one-off?) and the high latencies that can be observed even after just opening the browser. Furthermore, the useless, preinstalled 30-day trial versions of various software also fall under the category "unnecessary"."
Get a great deal on the Gateway 15.6" or the HP Omen 16
About Gateway
Gateway is a laptop and tablet brand owned by Acer which sells budget-friendly laptops exclusively through Walmart. It was previously an American computer company until its acquisition by Acer in 2007, who then revived the brand in 2020. Gateway laptops are manufactured by Chinese company Shenzhen Bmorn Technology, which also makes EVOO-branded models.
About HP
HP, also known as Hewlett-Packard, is an American technology company that develops personal computers and computer peripherals. In the laptop industry, HP is known for its entry level Essential series laptops, its mid-range Pavilion, Envy, and Victus series, and high-end Omen and Spectre series, in addition to its business-oriented EliteBook, ProBook, and Dragonfly series laptops. HP laptops generally undercut other mainstream competitors in terms of price, placing itself as the value-oriented mainstream brand.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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