Hands-on: Slick HP Pavilion dv6 and dv7 Sport Brushed Aluminum Designs, Beats Audio with Quad Speakers

In addition to its budget g series line of notebooks, HP today announced its updated Pavilion dv series, targeted at higher-end mainstream consumers. The dv6 and dv7 were designed using HP's MUSE (Materials, Usability, Sensory appeal, and Experience) philosophy, and incorporate a variety of metals, plastics, and features designed to increase usability. They will feature Intel second-gen Core processors and AMD Radeon 6000 graphics, and each will sport four speakers with Beats audio technology (previously reserved for the premium Envy line).

Both the dv6 (a 15.6-inch model) and the dv7 (a 17.3-inch system) feature a metal dark umber finish--a bronze/brownish color. Another nice design element is the "Hewlett Packard" logo on the back edge of the notebook - it's a subtle touch, but a classy one.  Plus, you get CoolSense technology for keeping the temperatures down. Other features common to both systems include USB 3.0 ports, HP TrueVision HD webcams, and a fingerprint reader with HP SimplePass, so consumers can access online accounts and passwords by swiping their finger.

The dv6  has a 15.6-inch HD BrightView display and up to 1TB of storage. The dv7 will have a subwoofer on its bottom (in addition to the four speakers), a 17.3-inch HD Brightview display, and up to 2TB of storage.

Because of the Intel Sandy Bridge recall, availability for both systems is the "spring," according to HP, and pricing has yet to be finalized. Check out the video and gallery below and let us know if you're psyched about these new Pavilions in the comments.

Laptop Reviews Editor

Michael was the Reviews Editor at Laptop Mag. During his tenure at Laptop Mag, Michael reviewed some of the best laptops at the time, including notebooks from brands like Acer, Apple, Dell, Lenovo, and Asus. He wrote in-depth, hands-on guides about laptops that defined the world of tech, but he also stepped outside of the laptop world to talk about phones and wearables. He is now the U.S. Editor-in-Chief at our sister site Tom's Guide, where he oversees all evergreen content and the Homes, Smart Home, and Fitness/Wearables categories for the site..