If you're shopping for one of the best HP laptops you may find yourself bewildered by all the options on offer. HP has multiple ranges of laptops, in all manner of sizes and in a dazzling array of configurations, so if you wish someone would narrow things down so that you can easily pick out the model that'll work best for you, you're in the right place.
There are any number of reasons why you might want one of the best HP laptops. You might simply want a basic but reliable machine for keeping on top of business, a more capable option that you can use for everyday design jobs, and you might even be in the market for a top-end powerhouse for editing 4K videos and playing Elden Ring in maximum detail when you clock off for the day. However, whatever your requirements and budget, you'll find what you're looking for below.
That said, if you can't see your perfect laptop here, you can always look beyond HP for your dream machine. Take a look at our guides to the best Dell laptop for another top range, or alternatively see the best laptops for graphic design, and if it's raw performance you're after than you'll want to check out our selection of the most powerful laptops right now.
The best HP laptops available now
Need a good all-rounder for working from home? The HP Envy 13 should do the job nicely; it's compact and capable, and while it's unlikely to provoke actual envy, it certainly has enough power for both creative work and day-to-day business stuff. With options going up to an Intel Core i7 it isn't exactly a powerhouse, but it'll happily handle most design apps with ease.
It comes in a sturdy aluminium build with a nicely comfortable keyboard and crisp 13.3-inch display. And as we noted in our HP Envy 13 review, it's a capable machine where you don't have to compromise. The only thing we're not too keen on is its plastic touchpad.
When you're editing photos you don't always need a stack of power, but every now and then you'll find yourself working with a huge image and a stack of filters, and in need of all the grunt you can get. So if you're after the best HP laptop for photo editing we'd suggest the ZBook Studio G8.
Even in its basic configuration it has more than enough oomph for everyday photo editing, and if you go for pricier setups you'll find it capable of dealing with the most demanding creative apps. It's light and slimline with a sharp and bright 15.6-inch display, as well as Bang and Olufsen-tuned speakers for great audio quality.
The average laptop isn't really enough if your work involves lots of video, so if you need a machine that won't give up the ghost when faced with a stack of 4K footage, the HP ZBook Fury 17 G8 is the way to go. It's not the most exciting-looking laptop, but this portable workstation is impressive in terms of power, especially when you start spending on more heavyweight specs.
Big performance is going to cost you, of course, and you'll also find that this isn't one of the most portable laptops. It's big and heavy and you won't want to rely on it when you're not near an electrical socket, as the battery life isn't particularly long.
If you're after a business laptop and don't require a load of graphical power for creative apps, the HP EliteBook 840 G7 should meet your modest requirements and then some. There's nothing in the way of fancy GPUs here, merely integrated Intel graphics, but what it does have is a seriously impressive battery life that'll enable you to work all day and even stay on late without the need to plug it in.
There's also a really decent keyboard and plenty of ports, and if you don't want corporate spies peeking at your monthly figures, there's a SureView privacy display to ensure that you're the only person who can see what's on-screen.
The HP Omen 17 is an absolute monster of a gaming laptop, and you know what that means: not only can it cope with all the latest games in maximum detail with as many frames per second as you need, it'll also be great for eating the most demanding design apps alive.
The basic configuration isn't exactly cheap, but with the mobile version of the GeForce RTX 3070 under the hood it's a proper graphical performer. For serious performance, however, you can spend quite a bit more on a model with an extra 16GB of RAM as well as the top-end RTX 3080, which should see you able to easily outpace the average desktop PC.
Can't choose between a laptop and a tablet? The HP Envy 15 x360 is an option that gives you the best of both worlds. It's a 2-in-1 laptop with a great touchscreen and a 360 degree hinge that means you can use it as an ordinary laptop or fold the display all the way round and use it as a tablet instead. That said, given the size it's just a little unwieldy.
It also boasts impressive performance with a range of CPU and memory options available, and it comes in an elegant, solid shell with a fantastic display and excellent battery life.
'Cheap' is a relative term here, but if you don't have a fortune to spend but need good build quality and great performance, you'll be happy with the HP Pavilion Aero 13. Unlike most of the HP laptop line it's powered by an AMD chipset providing plenty of power, and it's super-lightweight thanks to a magnesium alloy chassis.
Its 13.3-inch display is sharp and bright, and if you have lots of peripherals you want to plug in you'll be delighted by its generous array of ports. There's even a fingerprint sensor for instant logins. Of course there are some compromises; the webcam isn't really up to much and the trackpad's made of plastic, but these are minor gripes.
A Chromebook can be a useful piece of kit if all you need is a simple laptop for day-to-day browsing and business needs, and the HP Chromebook x2 is about as good as it gets. It costs a bit more than the average Chromebook, but you get quite a lot more for your money, including a vibrant touchscreen with a pen included for taking notes, and a battery that'll keep going for nearly nine hours.
While it won't run the majority of the usual creative apps, it's fully compatible with Google Play so you can load it up with Android apps. It's a 2-in-1 so you can use it in tablet mode as well as a laptop, however you might find it just a little on the heavy side.
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