HP Omen X 2S

The Omen X is expensive, and may not perform quite as well as the similarly-priced Triton 500, but its second display is handy enough that it’s worth the sacrifices—as long as you don’t plan on being away from an outlet for too long.

If you've got the budget, the HP Omen X 2S exudes style and backs it up with outstanding performance. HP engineers did a remarkable job cramming so much performance and dual displays into a chassis that's under an inch thin and weighs under 5.5lbs. There's also a lot of attention to the hidden details, like the Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut thermal compound and SSD thermal pad, that we appreciate. Regardless of our opinion of the second screen implementation, this is an excellent gaming notebook that delivers on multiple fronts.

On the whole, I really enjoyed working (and playing) with the Omen X 2S, both from a performance and a usability perspective. It isn’t cheap ($2,850 as tested), and the secondary screen isn’t perfect, but I will say that it never failed to spark oohs and aahs from onlookers—though that might be more thanks to the loop of cat GIFs I was running on it rather than the technology itself.

The 6-inch second screen doesn't make the Omen a better gaming laptop or travel companion. Battery life is incredibly short and using the second screen anywhere outdoors will attract heavy glare. Colors are poorly calibrated to be worse than even a...

The HP Omen X 2S has excellent performance packed into a sleek design, but it falls short in its dual display and...

You'll definitely find a use for the small second screen on the HP Omen X 2S, a fast, well-designed enthusiast gaming laptop.

HP’s Omen X 2S is a noble attempt at shoving a secondary display into a gaming laptop. But compared to what we’re seeing from the competition, that screen is too small to be truly useful. Still, it’s a powerful gaming laptop with a speedy 144Hz (or 240Hz) screen that’ll handle everything you throw at it.

Some gamers may find this Omen's secondary six-inch screen worth the sacrifices in terms of peripherals and battery life. But unless you really hate the idea of using your phone or a second monitor for chats and other tasks while gaming, there are...