Hands on: HP Pavilion 17 im Test

Early Verdict

The new HP Pavilion 17 gets a thinner metal frame with narrower bezels, but some elements of this entry-level notebook feel trapped in the wee hours.

To the

Slim body with thinner bezels

Many modern components

Extra wide webcam

Against

Full HD screens not standard

IPS panel almost necessary

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If you had a laptop in college, or are looking for one now, chances are you somehow stumbled across the HP Pavilion. They're arguably the most popular line of notebooks for school, and for good reason. Over the years, these HP -Machines proven to be reliable and robust, with flexible configuration options tailored to users' exact needs, all at a low price.

This year the HP Pavilion is no different, available now starting at an affordable price of $629 (about £501, AU$829) for the 17-inch variant. That means HP is keeping its entry-level laptop not quite the same. The 2017 model gets a major overhaul to deliver a more premium feel and look while still making a smaller machine.

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The new HP Pavilion 17 borrows much of its sleeker design from the company's higher-end models

envy

Family. Most notably, the classic plastic body of the laptop has been infused with 3D metal that offers a more premium feel.

Then there's the "Lift Hinge" that hangs over the back of the new Pavilion clam shells. When the screen is opened, this rear extension supports the entire device at a slight angle for a more comfortable typing experience. At the same time, the Lift Hinge helps to flatten the underside of the Elevate notebooks for better airflow over surfaces.

The new Pavilion bezels also look a lot less plastic thanks to a new silver-plated finish. Speaking of colors, HP took this extra step to ensure the speaker grille on the keyboard deck matches the display lid.

On a larger scale, HP has reduced the case size across the entire Pavilion line--particularly on the 14-inch model.

As with the latest HP Specter x360, the HP Pavilion 14 has reduced bezels by a factor of 51% on the sides and 19% on the top and bottom. instead of seeing big strips of plastic.

In another aspect, the HP Pavilion 14 is also thinner. By ditching the optical drive, the 14-inch laptop has grown from 22mm to 19mm. For those who still need physical media, you can check out the 15- and 17- Add an optional optical drive to inch configurations.

With that in mind, of course, expect the 17-inch model we briefly reviewed to be significantly larger.

specifications

Customizable configurations have always been one of the Pavilion's best hat-tricks, and users can choose from the latest components. The HP Pavilion 14 comes with one from the start

Kaby Lake

Intel Core i5 processor 12GB RAM and 1TB hard drive for $699 (about £560, AU$920).

Meanwhile, the Pavilion 15 and 17 come with less-impressive base specs, including AMD A12 processors and just 8GB of RAM for $599 (about £480, AU$790) and $629 (about £501, respectively). , $829).

From there, you can upgrade any model with up to the latest Kaby Lake Intel Core i7 CPUs while adding discrete (entry) graphics from Nvidia Geforce and AMD Radeon. On the larger Pavilion 15 and 17, the memory can be upgraded to a 512 GB SSD plus a 2 TB hard drive. All models are for sale from this point on.

Screen options aren't as diverse, and you start with a rear-facing 1,280 x 768 resolution, which can only be upgraded to 1,920 x 1,080 with TN or IPS panels. No Full HD screens as standard on any in 2017 Having laptop seems ruthless, especially when they are a standard specification for even more affordable ones

Chromebooks

.It's also a bit disappointing that no QHD or 4K display options are available either.

Directly above this display, HP is introducing a new Wide Vision camera that introduces new lenses to capture a wider than normal field of view. This allows you to have a larger group in the picture for the whole family during video calls. Optional IR cameras offer also the ability to sign in with your face via Windows Hello.

HP says the Pavilion should have a maximum of 10 hours of battery life, but based on our experience we wouldn't believe that. This time it also introduces Fast Charge to get a system up to 90% in 90 minutes.

Early Verdict

The new HP Pavilion 17 looks to be HP's best iteration of entry-level notebooks yet. It follows a long tradition of being affordable and highly upgradeable, while offering a thinner chassis and slimmer bezels.

On the surface, too, the new Pavilions appear well-equipped and affordable. However, as more and more Chromebooks offer a Full HD screen at half the price, we'll have to take a closer look at the configurations and performance of these devices to see if one

windows 10

Laptop for school is still worth it.

Prices - HP Pavilion 17 (2017):

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Kevin Lee

Kevin Lee is the Hardware and Roundups Editor at IGN Entertainment. Prior to IGN Entertainment, he worked at TechRadar.

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