HP’s Omen X 2S Is The World’s First Dual-Screen Laptop

HP’s next installment in the Omen X gaming laptop lineup is completely different from what they have been offering so far and, in fact, it’d be safe to say that it’s quite different from anything out in the market right now. The HP Omen X 2S is the world’s first dual-screen laptop! Now is that practical or just another gimmick? Let’s find out!

First, let’s get the specs out of the way. Being a gaming laptop, the 2S offers multiple configurations with the top of the line model boasting an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, an Intel Core i9 processor, 2TB of SSD storage and 32 GB of DDR4 memory. We know from experience that the core i9 runs HOT, so to dissipate this heat HP has used the Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut thermal paste which, along with the three-sided venting, should keep temperatures under control.

The Omen X 2S has a 15-inch screen with which you can get at 1080p 144Hz, 240Hz or even 4K at 60Hz. But, the display doesn’t stop there. The 2S has a secondary 6-inch 1080p screen below the main display, above the keyboard. HP says that the second screen allows for better multitasking which makes sense because obviously, 6 inches is too small for gaming. What’s great about this screen is that it’s a full-fledged display that you can use to watch YouTube videos while doing something else on the main screen or browse the web while your game loads. Since the keyboard does not have a number pad, you can pull up a virtual one on the second screen. All this sound pretty cool and to be honest, doesn’t really show off the full potential of having a secondary display. What does show off its potential is the fact that a portion of the main screen can be mirrored on to the second screen. This means while playing a game, you can have the map or some other UI elements on the second screen, freeing up more space on the main display without taking away quick access to the UI. Pretty neat right?

HP did have to make some compromises because of the second screen. The keyboard has been shifted down to the edge of the laptop with the touchpad to the right. There is no place left on the laptop to rest your wrist while using the keyboard and having to move your hand to the right, instead of down, to use the touchpad will definitely feel a little weird at first but you’ll get used to it.

The Omen X 2S will hit the shelves later this month and will start at $2,100.

What do you think? Is the secondary display a gimmick or is it actually useful? Let us know in the comments down below.