The HP Pavilion x360 14 (2021) is a convertible laptop with a 360-degree hinge that comes in many different configurations. The plastic construction is solid and feels well-built, and since it's lightweight and compact, it's easy to take with you. In sum, the UX is decent thanks to its responsive touchpad, useful keyboard, and accurate-sounding speakers. There are a variety of ports including an HDMI port and a single USB-C port which supports USB Power Delivery and DisplayPort. Sadly, the battery only lasts 8 hours and you'll need to plug it in, so your productivity suffers. Even though its IPS display offers pretty decent viewing angles overall, it is much more washed out and not nearly as bright as I hoped. The microphone captures the user's voice louder and clearer than the webcam. With no high-end graphics options, it isn't optimized for complex games.
I performed tests on the HP Pavilion x360 14 with a 1080p IPS display, Intel Core i3-1005G1, 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD. This laptop is capable of light to medium multitasking and can accommodate users who are interested in doing some 3D rendering; however, it's not intended for professionals.
The CPU Pentium Gold 7505 will be able to keep up with light web browsing or video playback, while the Intel Core i7-1165G7 is powerful enough for heavy multitaskers and the more demanding jobs.
Quick Specs
Standing screen display size 15.6 Inches Screen Resolution 1920 x 1080 pixels Processor Intel Core i3-1005G1 RAM 8 GB DDR 4 Memory Speed 2666 MHz Hard Drive 128GB SSD Graphics Coprocessor Intel UHD Graphics Weight 3.53 lbs Price Check on Amazon
Hardware and Design
The HP Pavilion x360 14-inch laptop has a stylish, sloping and cutting design. The brushed silver finish around the keyboard, combined with the matte metallic-looking finish on the exterior shell make it quite modern. The tablet's black bezels are glossy, with a shiny HP logo on the bottom middle area. On the underside, close to the hinge, there is a vent. Additionally, two speakers are on either side of the screen near the front. There are two very long feet at the front and back, running horizontal across the bottom of the screen. Pavilion 14 x360 has the Natural Silver finish, or it can be made to order in the Spruce Blue and Warm Gold trims.
The keyboard feels good to type on, with large and well-spaced keys. They have a noticeable tactile bump and good key travel, making it easy to know when a keypress is registered. One will also become accustomed to the keyboard relatively quickly.
The trackpad is plastic, but it is rather smooth to glide over and its size is decent, tracking gestures and movements nicely, with no wobbling or stuttering, and little accuracy loss near the edges. While it's difficult to target and drop content on the upper half of the screen, drag-and-drop gestures seem to work unpredictably.
The right side has two USB-A ports that support the USB 3.2 Gen 1 standard (up to 5Gbps), as well as one USB-C port on the left side that supports USB 3.2 Gen 1, USB Power Delivery, and display output via DisplayPort 1.4. The inclusion of a full-size HDMI port comes in handy if you need to send an HD video signal to an external monitor.
Screen and Resolution
I tested the HP Pavilion x360 14 2-in-1 Laptop, with a 1080p IPS screen and excellent viewing due to the sharp image. The screen blends in well with the sleek bezels and the top and side bezels are slim, so the bezels aren't too distracting. But the bottom bezel is noticeably thick.
The maximum refresh rate of this display is 60Hz and it does not support VRR like NVIDIA G-SYNC or AMD FreeSync, which is typical of most productivity-focused laptops. The screen's slow response time causes obvious ghosting that's not well-suited for viewing fast-moving content.
Sound and Speakers
The HP Pavilion x360 14 2-in-1 laptop's speakers sound great, with little to no loss of sound quality. They produce a relatively well-balanced frequency response, accentuating vocal frequencies like the s and sh sounds. If your laptop is sitting on top of a fabric or a bed, it will muffle sound from the speakers.
Webcam
The webcam positioned on top of the display offers solid quality. The 720p resolution and top center positioning are great for web chats. There’s no face unlock feature here, though.
The colors generally seem to be close to reality, and the image is well-exposed. Voices sound loud and clear, with almost no background noise or static.
Battery Life
The HP Pavilion x360 14 has mediocre battery life, and can't last an entire workday, so be prepared to plug it in when it starts to lose charge. As its battery can only last for two long-length TV series, it's challenging to binge your favorite TV show without having to be near an outlet.
Conclusion
The HP Pavilion x360 14 is just a typical laptop for students. It has average build quality, and it doesn't feel cheaply made despite the plastic materials used. Additionally, it's lightweight and compact, which makes it easier to transport, and the touchpad responds well to finger motions, as well as a good-quality microphone that accurately reproduces voices. So, unfortunately, it lasts for only about seven hours of continuous light productivity, so you might need to plug it in for the majority of the day. Furthermore, the keyboard feels nice to type on, but since it has a very heavy pressure to depress it, it's tiresome to type on for long periods.
Do you agree with my review? leave a comment below, I'd love to hear your opinion on it!
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