Right here’s some normal perception into how I assessment laptops: If I like them and might see myself utilizing them, the extra seemingly they get reviewed. It’s a biased strategy, but it surely additionally implies that once I assessment a PC, it’s as a result of I genuinely adore it.
That’s how I really feel concerning the new HP Pavilion Plus 14, which I’m a bit blown away by concerning worth and options. For $1,029, you get a stunning 14-inch 2.8K OLED show, wonderful construct high quality, and an Intel twelfth Gen H-series processor (aka the {powerful} 45-watt one).
Heck, for $799, you would get a twelfth Gen Core i5 U-series chip and an IPS 2.8K display screen.
Toss in a bunch of ports, numerous colours, and lots of configuration choices, and the HP Pavilion Plus 14 is properly value contemplating for those who want a robust CPU and optionally available NVIDIA MX550 or RTX 2050 GPU.
HP Pavilion Plus 14: Value, specs, and availability
HP has a number of configuration choices for the Pavilion Plus 14, a lot of that are both/or, that means you should select one chip to get a particular show or GPU.
The Pavilion Plus 14 can also be one of many first laptops we have now seen that gives all three Intel twelfth Gen cellular variants: U (15W), P (28W), and H-series (45W) chips. The upper the wattage, the extra {powerful} the chip.
There aren’t any choices for a contact display screen, solely the non-touch 2.8K IPS panel (300 nits) or the two.8K OLED BrightView display screen (400 nits).
There are 5 coloration selections: Pure Silver, Heat Gold, House Blue, Mineral Silver, and Tranquil Pink. Nevertheless, solely Pure Silver is offered within the US, with the remainder going to worldwide markets.
| HP Pavilion Plus 14 | |
| OS | Home windows 11 Dwelling |
| Processor | twelfth Gen Intel |
| Core i5-1235U, Core i7-1255U | |
| Core i5-1240P | |
| Core i5-12500H, Core i7-12700H | |
| RAM | 8GB, 16GB DDR4-3200MHz |
| Graphics | Intel Iris Xe |
| NVIDIA GeForce MX550 | |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 Laptop computer | |
| Storage | As much as 1TB M.2 PCIe 3.0 SSD |
| 512GB M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD | |
| Show | 14 inches, 16:10 side ratio |
| 2240×1400 (2.2K), IPS, anti-glare, low blue gentle, 300 nits, 100% sRGB, TUV+Eyesafe | |
| 2880×1800 (2.8K), OLED, 90Hz, low blue gentle, 500 nits, VESA DisplayHDR 400, 100% DCI-P3, TUV+Eyesafe | |
| Ports | Two USB-C (10Gbps), two USB-A (5Gbps), HDMI 2.1, 3.5mm audio, microSD card reader |
| Audio | Twin audio system, Bang & Olufsen, HP Audio Increase, twin microphones |
| Wi-fi | Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Digital camera | HP True Imaginative and prescient 5MP (TNR) |
| Safety | Fingerprint reader (optionally available) |
| Battery | 51Wh |
| Dimensions | 12.34 x 8.83 x 0.65-0.72 inches |
| 313.4mm x 224.2mm x 16.5-18.2mm | |
| Weight | 3.09 kilos (1.4kg) |
| Shade | House Blue, Heat Gold, Mineral Silver, Tranquil Pink, Pure Silver |
| Availability | Might 25, 2022 |
| Value | From $799 |
Pricing for the HP Pavilion Plus 14 begins at a modest $799. At that degree, you get an Intel twelfth Gen Core i5-1240P processor, Iris Xe graphics, 2.8K IPS show, 8GB of RAM, Home windows 11 Dwelling, and 256GB of PCIe NVMe storage.
Maxing out the Pavilion Plus 14, you’ll spend $1,380, which will get you a Core i7-1255U processor, 16GB of RAM, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 Laptop computer GPU, and a 1TB SSD. That configuration is smart for some gaming or numerous 4K video work the place the GPU is a precedence.
In between these extremes, there are a number of selections for a Core i5 or i7 H-series chip, that are extra {powerful} than the P and U-series, and the 400 nits 2.8K OLED show. To get the OLED panel, you should choose both the Core i7-1255U or Core i7-12700H chip, with the latter being extra {powerful}. Likewise, the RTX 2050 Laptop computer GPU is barely obtainable for the i7-1255U chip.
For this assessment, our mannequin prices $1,210. It’s fitted with the Core i7-12700H processor, 16GB of RAM, 1TB SSD, Iris Xe graphics, and the two.8K OLED panel. This configuration is right for somebody who wants a potent CPU however doesn’t plan on gaming or doing many video exports.
HP Pavilion Plus 14: What I favored
The chassis for the Pavilion Plus 14 in Pure Silver is a bit generic but additionally not low cost wanting. HP doesn’t depend on plastics for the chassis however makes use of aluminum all through. Coming in at 0.65 inches (16.5mm) skinny alongside the entrance edge, HP claims it’s the thinnest Pavilion but. In actual life, it simply seems to be like your typical, extra high-end pocket book and never mid-range.
The magic of the Pavilion Plus 14 is that 2880×1800 (2.8K) OLED show. It is improbable.
Weight is okay at 3.09 kilos (1.4kg), and for a 14-inch aluminum laptop computer, it’s not heavy for this class.
HP’s design language right here is clear and minimal. It makes use of tiny, drilled holes for the underside consumption vent and matching speaker grills, and there’s only a easy HP brand on the highest lid. I don’t love the mirrored HP brand, which departs from the extra muted Envy and Spectre collection.
The lid of the Pavilion Plus 14 will be opened with one hand, which is one thing that may be unparalleled years in the past at such a worth vary. Inside, you get a spacious keyboard with steel chicklet-style keys, a large Precision touchpad, and a passable fingerprint reader for easy logins to Home windows 11 Dwelling. I’m an enormous fan of HP’s keyboards, and this one isn’t any totally different — it’s merely nice, together with being backlit.
Likewise, the big touchpad is easy, though it’s a slight step down from extra premium laptops prone to save prices.
HP places two audio system on the underside edge for audio, the place they’ve some respectable clearance. Whereas not as superb as top-firing audio system, these are good high quality and a lot better than I had anticipated. They’re tuned with Bang & Olufsen software program and might get very loud with out distortion. The audio is obvious and wealthy, particularly within the center. There’s not a ton of bass, but it surely’s removed from absent.
The query for me, an admitted laptop computer snob, is, would I personally use this laptop computer? Completely.
For ports, HP consists of fairly a number of, together with a headphone jack, Sort-A (5Gbps), and a microSD reader on the left aspect. On the precise, you get two Sort-C (10Gbps), a full HDMI 2.1 port, and one other Sort-A (5Gbps). The Sort-Cs, whereas not Thunderbolt 4 at this worth, deal with information, video out, and power-in for the included Sort-C charger. Having two Sort-As, one on either side is an effective alternative.
The magic of the Pavilion Plus 14 is the 14-inch 2880×1800 (2.8K) OLED show. It’s a 16:10 side ratio, which is most well-liked, and it may be set at both 60Hz or a formidable 90Hz refresh to make Home windows animations smoother. And it’s a great panel, too, with 100% sRGB, 97% AdobeRGB, and 100% DCI-P3 — that vary of coloration gamut is at all times reserved for premium laptops, not mid-range. The colour accuracy makes this show good for skilled picture enhancing or video grading.
HP claims 400 nits of brightness, and I measured 408 nits. The OLED show can hit simply 20 nits of brightness when absolutely dimmed, which places it on the greater finish to be used in a darkish room however continues to be OK.
Even the digital camera is noteworthy, going as much as 5MP and utilizing HP’s True Imaginative and prescient know-how, making this laptop computer wonderful for frequent video calls.
Regardless that our assessment laptop computer has a robust 45-watt Intel twelfth Gen Core i7-12700H processor, the efficiency gained’t match higher-end machines with the identical chip. The reason being the thermal resolution right here is simply not as superior (and costly) as these laptops, the place a number of warmth pipes and followers come into play. Nonetheless, it’s a robust chip and is greater than sufficient for heavy lifting and information crunching. The PCIe NVMe SSD is on the slower aspect however is adequate.
On Cinebench 23, the Pavilion Plus 14 pulls forward of the ZenBook 14 and different P-series chips as anticipated, however not at all times by rather a lot. The identical for Geekbench 5, the place you may see how Dell pushed to the extremes the super-premium XPS 13 Plus’s “less-powerful” P-series chip.
3DMark Night time Raid, which measures built-in graphics and CPU efficiency, places the Pavilion Plus simply forward of the Pavilion Aero with an older AMD Ryzen processor and Vega graphics.
For SSD efficiency, it isn’t unhealthy, however it’s one other space the place you may see HP saved some cash with out essentially compromising the general expertise.
HP Pavilion Plus 14: What I did not like
Battery life from the 51WHr battery is on the weaker aspect, not less than for this particular configuration. It closely will depend on how vivid you set that OLED show (OLED is worse than IPS LCD for battery). You may count on round 5 hours of precise utilization with the show at 90Hz. That’s not nice and will be defined by the comparatively small battery and power-hungry H-series processor mixed with the OLED show with a refresh charge of 90Hz.
When you don’t want the ability of the H-series, choosing the IPS LCD and U-series processor will simply tack on a number of hours to this laptop computer. Placing the OLED panel at 60Hz may additionally web you an additional half-hour.
The charger is giant at 90 watts as a result of H-series chip. A 30-minute cost, nonetheless, earns you 50% battery life, which helps.
Whereas the show is improbable, HP opts for a matte plastic bezel which cheapens the look. The bezels are skinny with a stable 87.21% screen-to-body ratio, however even shiny plastic might have appeared higher.
At this worth level, it’s not too shocking, however nonetheless disappointing, that HP consists of some bloatware like McAfee, Adobe gives, Reserving.com, and so on., a few of that are simply shortcuts, however they will’t even be uninstalled simply. HP consists of a lot of its personal software program like HP Palette, Privateness Settings, HP Sensible, and so on. Some are helpful, like HP Enhanced Lighting, which lights up the show with a white background and a cutout so you may see taking part in video, appearing as a front-facing lamp for video calls.
The touchpad could be a bit stutter typically and is overly delicate. It’s removed from horrible, but it surely may use extra software program tuning.
The OLED display screen is an HP BrightView show, which suggests it has no anti-reflective (AR) layer and is sort of shiny. HP does this because it says colours are extra vibrant this manner. I’m not satisfied that’s true, however AR does are likely to drive up prices. When you desire one thing much less shiny, go for the extra battery-efficient 2.8K IPS show, which can also be anti-glare (matte). That’s not anti-reflective, but it surely helps tremendously for those who hate shiny screens or glare.
HP Pavilion Plus 14: Competitors
The funds to mid-range is a busy class as most Home windows laptops bought are within the $800 vary regardless of all the eye $1,500+ PCs get. Nonetheless, there aren’t that many who tick all the identical bins because the Pavilion Plus 14.
We actually favored the Acer Swift 3 Skinny and Gentle. It is a 14-inch laptop computer that may be discovered for simply over $600 with an AMD Ryzen 5 (4000 collection). It weighs a bit much less at 2.65lbs (1.2kg), however you’re getting only a full HD 16:9 show and an older, not-so-powerful processor in comparison with Intel twelfth Gen.
HP has its ENVY 14, which can also be one in all our favorites and one I reviewed. Identical with the Spectre x360 14 (and newer Spectre x360 13.5). However these are a step up in high quality and options, driving the value to $1,250 and better.
Pavilions are simply good worth, and HP’s Pavilion Plus 14 ranks up there with one of the best.
Dell has the most recent replace to Inspiron 14, which packs an AMD Ryzen 7 5820U processor, AMD Radeon graphics, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, and a 14-inch full HD (1920×1200) 16:10 show. There aren’t many configuration choices, however pricing begins at $750. Nonetheless, this would possibly not be as {powerful}, nor are you able to get a 2880×1800 (2.8K) OLED show.
Dell additionally has the brand new Inspiron 14 Plus, seemingly one of the best competitor for the Pavilion Plus 14. It will get an analogous Intel twelfth Gen Core i7-12700H processor, Iris Xe graphics, 16GB RAM, 512GB storage, and a 14-inch 16:10 2.2K (2240×1400) non-touch 300 nit show. Pricing, although, is a smidge greater at $1,299 for that mannequin. For $1,210, the Pavilion plus bumps storage to 1TB and the show to a brighter 2880×1800 (2.8K) OLED.
See our finest 14-inch laptop computer information for extra PCs we suggest.
HP Pavilion Plus 14: Do you have to purchase it?
You can purchase this if …
- You desire a high-quality, mid-range 14” laptop computer
- A vivid, color-accurate OLED show is essential
- You want a robust CPU however not a gaming GPU
- You watch films, crunch information, edit images/movies
You shouldn’t purchase this if …
- You desire a touchscreen laptop computer
- You desire a {powerful} processor and nice battery life
- You desire a 2-in-1 to design or gaming laptop computer
- You don’t want Thunderbolt 4
The HP Pavilion Plus 14, not less than with our configuration, shouldn’t be an ideal laptop computer (see poor battery life), however I’m blown away by the remainder of it. A 2.8K 90HZ OLED show with a 16:10 side is the candy spot for any laptop computer in 2022, and it shines right here. The design, keyboard, audio, and webcam are all top-notch.
The trick to the Pavilion Plus 14 is ordering the appropriate configuration to your wants (and expectations). It’s uncommon to supply prospects three lessons of processors as an alternative of simply Core i5 or i7. A rule of thumb for the precise processor is that this:
- Get the U-series processor and further battery life, and for those who want a fundamental pc for internet, e mail, watching films, Workplace, video calls, and so on.
- Get the P-series chip for those who want a bit extra pop for some intensive duties with an extended period. Add within the RTX 2050 GPU for some capability for video enhancing and light-weight gaming.
- And for those who do numerous arduous information crunching and wish probably the most {powerful}, seize the H-series with the caveat that battery life gained’t be wonderful (particularly when paired with the OLED panel).
The query for me, an admitted laptop computer snob, is, would I personally use this laptop computer?
Completely.
I loved doing this assessment as a result of I enjoyment of utilizing the Pavilion Plus 14. HP has two greater strains of laptops (Envy, then Spectre), so I normally discover the decrease to mid-range stuff much less interesting. However that modified with final 12 months’s nonetheless wonderful Pavilion Aero 13, and it is true right here too.
HP’s Pavilions are simply good worth, and the Pavilion Plus 14 ranks up there with one of the best.
HP’s {powerful} and reasonably priced 14-inch laptop computer begins at $799, but it surely’s the flexibility to get a 90Hz 2.8K 90Hz OLED show and H-series processor that wowed us. Simply make certain to select the precise processor and GPU (as much as a GeForce RTX 2050) to get one of the best battery life.
