Review of the HP Pavilion x360 Convertible 14: a solid notebook with stronger rivals

   

 INTRODUCTION

If you're considering this convertible because you have no other choices. Don't give up hope. However, if you're looking for a cheap computer, you can find greater deals elsewhere.

The HP Pavilionx360 flexible 14 (dw0097nr) is a reliable flexible laptop that can keep up with the rigours of a typical work- or study-from-home schedule or online course. It's also got a full-sized SD card port and, more unusually, cellular connectivity. Two extra 4K-capable displays can be connected via the USB-C and HDMI ports. Despite these benefits, the Pavilion x360 doesn't stand out from the competition in its price range because of its middling speed and disappointing battery life.

Functions standard to all HP Pavilion x360 Convertible 14s

Even though HP's Pavilion x360 Convertible 14 hasn't been available for very long, you might have a hard time snagging one because of the purchasing frenzy caused by the need to work/study from home during the pandemic. The notebook can be purchased for $700 on HP.com right now, though there were periods during the review when it was unavailable.

HP representatives suggested some comparable choices in case you're unable to locate it. The HP Pavilion x360 14t-dw000 costs $650, but it doesn't have an Optane memory option or LTE WWAN. The HP Pavilion x360 14t-dh200 costs $586.95, and it's nearly identical to the dw000 except that it doesn't have WWAN options and you have to pay more for a 1080p monitor. However, at the time of publication, both the 14t-dw000 and 14t-dh200 were available and were expected to provide identical functionality.

 
The evaluated unit had the following specifications:

·         14-inch (1920 x 1080) multitouch WLED (250 nits) display (rated)

·         Core i5-1035G1 processor from Intel

·         UHD 620 graphics.

·         DDR4-3200 SDRAM Memory, 8GB (1 x 8 GB)

·         Maximum Capacity: 256GB SSD plus 16GB Optane

·         One USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps, charging, display), two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 (previously USB 3.1, 5Gbps), one HDMI 2.0, a microSD card reader, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a SIM card slot. (as reviewed)

·         A 720p camera. (user-facing)

·         Energy storage: 41.3Wh (reported), 43Wh (rated)

·         Connectivity options include a SIM card for Intel LTE (XMM 7360) and Bluetooth 5 with support for Connected Modern Standby. (as reviewed)

·         System Software: Microsoft Windows 10 Home

·         Measures 12.76 by 8.70 by 0.74 inches (in.)

·         3.55 pound weight

·         Exterior: a pure silver colour; interior: an ashy silver (Interior)

·         Price:  $700

 

The Overall Display and Construction Quality

The HP Pavilion x360 14 feels a little hefty right out of the package, but that's only a problem if you plan on taking it on the road with you. Our test model has a Natural Silver finish, which is fairly standard. Dark Ash Silver piano decks feature a thin silver trim along their outer edges.

The Pavilion can easily convert from clamshell to tent configuration and back again due to its 360 degree versatility. I've come to value laptops as portable entertainment centres during this past year when we've spent most of our time indoors.

The Pavilion x360 14 dissipates hot air through a discrete grille located above the keypad. Even when doing mundane chores like typing this review, the laptop's fan emits a constant whoosh of noise. However, it is mild and relatively consistent enough to be disregarded as white noise.

The Core i5-1035G1 was incapable of pushing my external 4K display past 30 frames per second, despite the fact that the HDMI 2.0 cable allows a single 4K monitor at up to 60 frames per second. Those with particularly delicate eyes may find the sluggish refresh rate to be quite disturbing. Moving images, such as videos, can make your eyes tired and strained. The monotony of typing on a computer that never moves can be taxing. However, if you connect an external 1080p display to the Pavilion x360 14, the issue disappears entirely.

Audio, video, and text entry

The HP Pavilion x360 Convertible 14's shallow keyboard was a source of discomfort for me over time, as I favour keyboards with deeper key travel. My fingers will be delighted to return to their former freedom of movement once I stop typing laptop reviews on the device's keyboard.

The small size of the individual buttons is my only other criticism. The keypad on the Pavilion is otherwise pleasant to use. The only other noticeable difference is that the column containing Home, Pg Up, and related keys is located on the right side of the keypad, rather than in the bottom right. (as is more common).

The Pavilion x360 Convertible 14 didn't change our minds about the mediocrity of laptop speakers. Its speakers are weak and tinny, making listening to music or other audio a frustrating experience. This may be due to a dearth of bass enhancement. Music with a midrange to high pitch, such as "Husavik (My Hometown)" by Molly Sandén, sounded quite excellent.

 

A combination of useless extras and helpful programmes

The majority of HP's consumer computers come preloaded with a variety of unnecessary software that the company hopes you'll find useful. HP JumpStarts, a toolbar software, connects users to the HP Support Assistant and additional resources, such as a free month of Microsoft 365 for new users, WildTangent game downloads, and more. There are quick links to Amazon and Dropbox on the desktop. You can get a free year of Dropbox Pro with one of the Start menu applications, as well as ExpressVPN, Spotify, Netflix, and more. The Pavilion comes with McAfee Personal Security for 3 months.

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HP provides a plethora of supplemental applications, the majority of which are helpful, but there are simply too many to list here. The HP Support Assistant, for instance, is different from both Windows Update and the app-centric Microsoft Store, but both offer helpful driver updates for various components within the system. There's a wealth of data and diagnosis tools if you're willing to look for them.

The HP Pavilion x360 Convertible 14's cellular features were not tested. To check signal strength and coverage in my Bay Area neighborhood, I usually insert a SIM card and travel around.

Performance is subpar, at best.

Our evaluations of success are based on both consistent metrics and on the experts' hands-on knowledge. I had the HP Pavilion x360 Convertible 14 for about a week while reviewing it, and during that time I had dozens of Edge tabs active in addition to other apps like Zoom and Microsoft Teams. I experienced some input lag while using the Pavilion with fifty or so tabs open, one of which contained live footage of an MLB postseason game. When I ran another Zoom conversation at the same time, the laptop's display became slightly and momentarily fuzzier, as if the GPU were struggling to keep up with the demand. However, that is my typical home office setup, and the Pavilion performed admirably in that setting. The Pavilion's screen was compatible with Netflix and YouTube streams.

Besides YouTube, connecting an external 4K display caused a few problems. (where down sampling and up sampling resolutions sometimes resulted in choppy video). Playing YouTube videos in Edge, adjusting the playback resolution, and dragging movies to and from an external monitor caused the Pavilion x360 Convertible 14 to crash twice. Even though I was able to highlight areas in Excel after updating the graphics driver, I still encountered the bug on occasion.

Processing Time in Cine bench

Maxon's Cine bench is used to analyse unoptimized CPU performance. There is a larger pool of computers from which to draw comparisons in the older R15 test. This is a timed evaluation that provides a snapshot of the computer's ability to handle a burst of processing work (or "sprint"). We test the laptop's performance with all processors active using the multi-thread benchmark. Although useful for many common activities, the single-threaded test typically produces the same result for different CPUs.

The included Core i5-1035G1 is an eight-threaded, quad-core CPU. This laptop has the lowest result of all the ones tested using the same CPU, but it is still respectable.

Constant processing demands from Hand Brake

In contrast to the short-but-sweet CPU test that is Cine bench, the lengthy CPU test that is Hand Brake involves encoding a movie into a file suitable for an Android tablet. It's a good indicator of the laptop's temperature management, since an overheated device will slow down to prevent damage. A laptop that is kept cool will be able to maintain its turbo setting for longer and work more quickly. In this respect, a slower CPU in a well-designed laptop can contend with a faster one in a poorly-designed notebook PC. The Pavilion x360 Convertible 14 once again scored poorly when compared to similar devices.

Benchmarking Graphics Capability in 3DMark Sky Diver

The laptop's gameplay prowess will be evaluated using the 3DMark Sky Diver benchmark. We shouldn't get our hopes up, as the "G1" label indicates that the graphics powers of this chip are the weakest among Intel's Ice Lake offerings. The low rating proves that this is not a gameplay computer.

Energy retention (video rundown test)

We conclude with battery life, normally an important facet of a laptop but less so when a worldwide pandemic forces us to stay indoors. Yet it's useful to know if you can work outside, stop at a pavement cafe or just crash on the sofa for a change of scenery without worrying about your battery dying.

The 43Wh battery life of the Pavilion x360 Convertible 14 is below average for a notebook of its size. The laptop's mediocre battery life of seven or more hours may have been standard 18 months ago, but nowadays many laptops readily last 10 hours or more. 

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Final Thoughts: Decent, but Not Fantastic

The HP Pavilion x360 Convertible 14 is a decent laptop for home-based job and study. In our practical experience, we never noticed any prickliness. The statistics, however, don't lie: You're capable of more. The $655 Acer Swift 3 is one example of a high-performance laptop powered by AMD's processor at the present. The new Spin 3 from Acer, which retails for $650, also holds its own. Even if speed isn't your top concern, you may be disappointed with the battery life and the low brightness of the screen.

When purchasing a cheap notebook, you should expect to make some sacrifices. The HP Pavilion x360 Convertible 14 is on the verge of being a deal too far.