Even though it’s only May, HP is already thinking about heading back-to-school this fall with its new line of bold and colorful HP Pavilion laptops and Pavilion x360 2-in-1s.
The standard Pavilion notebooks start at $540 for the 14-inch model, with prices going up to $580 for the 15.6-inch version and $900 for the 17.3-inch system. Meanwhile, the convertible x360 line is a little less expensive as well as being a little more portable. The smallest 11.6-inch model starts at $380, while the brand new 15.6-inch Pavilion x360 comes in at $580.
MORE: Best 2-in-1s (Laptop/Tablet Hybrids)
Horsepower on these Pavilions increases as you go up in size. The 11.6-inch x360 features either an Intel Celeron, Pentium or Core i3 CPU, while the 15-inch x360 can be equipped with a Core i3, i5 or an i7 CPU and Nvidia 930M graphics. However, if you’re looking for budget-friendly gaming machines, the 15- or 17-inch Pavilion are the clear choice, since either of them can be upgraded with much beefier Nvidia 960M graphics.
What’s even more impressive, is that all x360s – even the 11-inch model – come with three USB ports (two of them featuring USB 3.0), HDMI, and an SD card reader, so you don’t have to worry about sacrificing ports for portability.
And with their larger chassis, the standard Pavilion notebooks feature support for up to 16GB of RAM and dual storage options, allowing you to configure a system with up to two 512GB SSDs, or two 1TB HDDs.
I got a chance to go hands-on with these new Pavilions at an HP back-to-school event and the first thing that jumped out about them was their bright, colorful bodies. Both the convertible and standard Pavilions will be available in exciting shades with names like Sport Purple, Cardinal Red, Dragonfly Blue and Modern Gold. Although if you prefer something a little more sedate, there’s a plain old silver option too.
In fact, HP wanted to amp up the style so much, it redesigned the deck on these Pavilions with a new distinctive threaded look instead of the more subtle gradient pattern featured on some other HP machines.
Starting at $480 and with an eye-catching red paint job, the 13.6-inch Pavilion x360 was the system that caught my attention the most. Its redesigned hinge felt even stronger than the ones on previous models, which lended the system a ton of stability in all of its modes. And even though the x360’s body is primarily plastic, I didn’t notice a ton of flex on its lid or keyboard either.
HP's new Pavilion will be rolling out in mid-May, starting with the 11-inch x360 on May 15, and finishing up with the 14-inch Pavilion on June 12. That means we should have reviews for all of these HP’s by the time the back-to-school season hits full swing later this summer, so check back to Laptop Mag before you buy.
