If you’re shopping for an HP Pavilion, HP Envy, Dell Inspiron or Dell Vostro and can’t find a new one, it’s not you. Both companies overhauled their laptop names in 2025, and Dell changed course again in 2026. Here’s what the old names became, so you can compare like with like.
HP: everything consumer is now “OmniBook”
In 2025 HP retired Pavilion, Envy and Spectre and moved all of its consumer laptops to the OmniBook name, with a number or word indicating the tier:
| New name | Roughly replaces | Who it’s for |
|---|---|---|
| OmniBook 3 | Entry-level HP laptops / base Pavilion | Budget home and school |
| OmniBook 5 | Pavilion | Mainstream: good value, better screens |
| OmniBook 7 | Upper Pavilion / lower Envy | Upper-mid range |
| OmniBook X | Envy | Premium design and features |
| OmniBook Ultra | Spectre | HP’s flagship consumer laptops |
HP’s other lines didn’t change: Omen and Victus are gaming laptops, and EliteBook and ProBook are business laptops. Plenty of Pavilion and Envy models are still on sale as older stock, and they’re perfectly good laptops if the price reflects their age.
So, Pavilion or Envy?
The old advice still holds for the new names: the Pavilion tier (now OmniBook 3/5) is for value, and the Envy tier (now OmniBook X) adds better screens, metal builds and premium features. If you mostly browse, stream and do schoolwork, the OmniBook 5 is the better buy. If you want a 2-in-1, an OLED screen or a more premium feel, step up to an OmniBook X. Our budget laptop picks include an OmniBook 3 with excellent battery life.
Dell: Inspiron and Vostro are gone, XPS is back
In 2025 Dell replaced almost all of its laptop names (Inspiron, Vostro, Latitude, XPS, Precision) with “Dell”, “Dell Pro” and “Dell Pro Max”, each with Base, Plus and Premium tiers. Buyers found it confusing, and at CES 2026 Dell partly reversed course. The current structure is roughly:
| Current name | What it replaced | Who it’s for |
|---|---|---|
| Dell (e.g. Dell 14, Dell 16 Plus) | Inspiron | Home and students |
| Dell XPS (returned 2026) | XPS / “Dell Premium” | Premium consumer laptops |
| Dell Pro | Vostro and Latitude | Small business and corporate |
| Precision (returned 2026) | Precision / “Dell Pro Max” | Mobile workstations |
| Alienware | Unchanged | Gaming |
So, Inspiron or Vostro?
The question has changed, but the logic hasn’t. Inspiron (now “Dell”) laptops are consumer machines with more multimedia features. Vostro was aimed at small businesses, with simpler designs, fewer extras and business-friendly support. Today that job belongs to the Dell Pro line, which is sturdier, easier to service and comes with better warranty options. For home use, buy a “Dell” (Inspiron successor). For a work laptop you’ll use daily for years, a Dell Pro is worth the premium.
Shopping tips while the old names linger
- Check the processor generation, not just the name. A leftover Pavilion with an 11th-gen Intel chip isn’t a bargain at full price.
- Beware third-party “2026 newest” listings that use old names with “upgraded” RAM. See laptop buying mistakes.
- Compare specific models across brands, not brand tiers. See most reliable laptop brands.
