HP 14-dq2053cl Review: A Decent Budget Laptop

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Are you in need of a budget-friendly HP laptop? You should consider this HP 14-dq2053cl review, as it will be helpful in your search.

HP 14-dq2053cl: At First Glance

For a while now, HP has been providing customer-oriented laptops with decent performances that match their price tags. One of such laptop is the HP 14-dq2053cl which was released in 2021.

The HP 14-dq2053cl comes with a good number of specs that offer adequate performance for day-to-day computing operations. Furthermore, in terms of price, this laptop cost as decent as $359.99 as of May 2022 (the time this review article was published).

Considering its price tag, it is no news that laptops in this price range come with certain cutbacks. The question now is, are the cutbacks going to be tolerable, or will they be something one can’t overlook?

To find an answer to that question, keep reading this review article till the end.

HP 14-dq2053cl: Design, Display, Ports, and Connectivity

In terms of design, the HP 14-dq2053cl looks solid, elegant, and compact. To give more details, the laptop comes with an aluminum body that is coated in silver color.

Impressively, due to its aluminum body, the HP 14-dq2053cl is very durable and should be able to withstand rough handling. As a matter of fact, the laptop is so solid that you will hardly notice any creaking sound or flex around its body.

Moving on, the base and lid of the HP 14-dq2053cl are attached by a solid aluminum bar hinge. As a result of the aluminum build of this hinge, the lid only wobbles a bit when pushed or nudged with force.

Focusing more on the lid, the HP 14-dq2053cl’s lid has a subtle silver surface that is adorned by an “HP” logo at the center. This logo is beautifully highlighted in glossy stainless steel, thereby giving the laptop a more exquisite look.

Moreover, opening this lid reveals the laptop’s 14-inch touchscreen display that is swift and responsive. In terms of resolution, this 14-inch display offers an FHD (1920 x 1080) resolution that allows it to deliver sharp and colorful picture quality for everyday computing tasks and video streaming.

In addition to its FHD resolution, the HP 14-dq2053cl’s display also features an IPS display panel that allows for wide viewing angles. Hence, you can conveniently watch the laptop’s display from an extreme angle without noticing color distortion or loss in picture quality.

To make things even better, the HP 14-dq2053cl’s display is flanked by slim bezels on the sides and slightly thick bezels at the top and bottom. At the bottom bezel, you will see an “HP” logo neatly placed in the middle.

The top bezel, on the other hand, features an HP True Vision HD camera with integrated dual-array digital microphones. Performance-wise, this HD camera offers good performance for video conference calls.

Also, the camera delivers a decent image quality for selfies and groupies with colleagues.

Moving down to the base/deck of the laptop, the HP 14-dq2053cl features a well-spaced chiclet-style keyboard. In terms of performance, this keyboard is not so impressive.

Specifically, the keyboard is shallow and key travel is short. For clarity, key travel is the actual distance between a key’s resting position to when it is fully pressed and registers input.

Therefore, due to its short key travel, the HP 14-dq2053cl keyboard might not offer a comfortable or accurate typing experience. Also, the keyboard’s keys clatter in a way that is not pleasing; thereby typing becomes bearable and not enjoyable.

On a positive note, the HP 14-dq2053cl comes with a sizeable smooth touchpad that features a set of integrated click buttons. As expected, this touchpad can be found underneath the keyboard.

Performance-wise, the touchpad responds to inputs and taps smoothly without issues. Also, carrying out multitouch gestures like pinch-to-zoom is pleasurable on this touchpad.

Concerning ports and connectivity, the HP 14-dq2053cl offers a limited number of ports on both sides. To be precise, on the right side, the laptop features two USB Type-A ports, one USB Type-C port, and an HDMI 1.4b port.

You will also find an audio jack and a power connector situated on the right side of the laptop. The laptop’s left side, on the other hand, is bare except for an SD card reader.

Coming down to the weight and dimension, the HP 14-dq2053cl is quite compact. Precisely, the laptop weighs 1460 g and measures 324 x 225 x 17.9 mm (W x D x H).

When compared with some of its major opponents, the HP 14-dq2053cl weighs less. For instance, the ASUS VivoBook M580VD-EB54 weighs a massive 1990 g and measures 380 x 256 x 19.2 mm (W x D x H).

In conclusion, the HP 14-dq2053cl offers a good design with an excellent touchscreen FHD display. Furthermore, the laptop also weighs lesser than most of its competitors.

However, the laptop’s keyboard is flawed. Putting all these into consideration, the HP 14-dq2053cl deserves a rating of eight out of ten in this design review section.

HP 14-dq2053cl: Processor (CPU) Performance

When it comes to the processor, the HP 14-dq2053cl offers two options to choose from. Specifically, you can get the laptop with an Intel Core i3-1125G4 processor or an Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor.

The Intel Core i3-1125G4 is a quad-core processor that features 8 MB cache memory. Furthermore, this processor has a base frequency of 2.0 GHz and a maximum frequency of 3.70 GHz.

Similar to the Intel Core i3-1125G4 CPU, the Intel Core i5-1135G7 CPU is also a quad-core processor with 8 MB cache memory. However, in terms of speed, this CPU offers a higher base frequency of 2.40 GHz and a maximum frequency of 4.20 GHz.

Hence, with the Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor, the HP 14-dq2053cl has the tendency to perform tasks faster and better. Also, the laptop should be able to handle demanding apps and multitask effectively.

However, this does not mean that the laptop would perform poorly with the Intel Core i3-1125G4 CPU. As a matter of fact, the HP 14-dq2053cl offers efficient performance for office-related tasks with this Intel Core i3-1125G4 processor.

Nevertheless, for this review, we will be looking at the laptop’s performance with the Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor.

Hence, I will now share the laptop’s result on a Cinebench R23 test. In brief, Cinebench R23 is a benchmark test that evaluates the processor performance of a computer by using its CPU’s cores.

Thus, Cinebench R23 involves two tests – the single-core test and the multi-core test. For better understanding, the single-core test checks the CPU’s performance when using one of its cores.

Meanwhile, the multi-core test calculates the computer’s processor’s performance when using all its cores. Moreover, a high score on the Cinebench R23 test equates to good processor performance and vice-versa.

On that note, the HP 14-dq2053cl scored 1318 points in the Cinebench R23 single-core test and 4702 points in the multi-core test. Comparatively, this HP laptop has better performance than most of its competitors.

A vivid example is the ASUS ExpertBook B1 B1500 which also uses an Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor. Specifically, in the Cinebench R23 test, the ASUS ExpertBook B1 B1500 scored 1062 points in the single-core test and 3610 points in the multi-core test.

In summary, the HP 14-dq2053cl offers two processor options that deliver good performance for office-related tasks. Furthermore, this laptop exceeded some of its closest rivals on the CPU benchmark test.

As a result, the HP 14-dq2053cl deserves a rating of nine out of ten in this processor review section.

HP 14-dq2053cl: Memory (RAM) Performance

The HP 14-dq2053cl features a single memory slot and a 3200 MHz DDR4 memory type. Furthermore, this laptop offers a standard memory of 8 GB, which is also the maximum amount of memory that it supports.

Hence, you cannot upgrade the laptop’s memory beyond 8 GB RAM. This may sound a bit disappointing, but there is another model of the HP 14-dq2053cl that comes with two memory slots.

Also, this model offers a DDR4-2666 SDRAM memory type and a standard memory of 4 GB. However, unlike the model with one memory slot, this laptop model supports a maximum memory of 12 GB.

Hence, with the help of the second slot, you will be able to upgrade the laptop’s memory up to 12 GB RAM. Besides, higher memory equates to better and faster performance.

Therefore, for upgradability beyond 8 GB RAM, I suggest you purchase the HP 14-dq2053cl model with two memory slots. However, that particular model will cost more than the one with just one memory slot.

Nevertheless, for this review, our focus will be the HP 14-dq2053cl model with a single memory slot and 8 GB standard memory. With this amount of memory, this HP laptop should be able to multitask decently and efficiently.

For example, the laptop will be able to run about 10 Chrome tabs and two YouTube videos simultaneously without lagging. Also, switching between these tabs and videos should be as swift as possible for the laptop.

To further verify the performance of this HP laptop with 8 GB RAM, I will now share its PCMark 10 test result. Briefly, PCMark 10 is a benchmark test that estimates the memory performance of a computer by simulating office-related tasks.

These tasks include web surfing, word editing, video streaming, and other basic computing tasks. Furthermore, in this benchmark test, a high score equates to good memory performance.

So, according to the PCMark 10 test results, the HP 14-dq2053cl scored 4450 points. Comparatively, the ASUS Zenbook Flip 14 UX463 performed below this HP laptop.

Specifically, the ASUS Zenbook Flip 14 UX463 was only able to achieve a score of 3995 points on the PCMark 10 test.

Therefore, to wrap up this memory review section, I will rate the HP 14-dq2053cl an eight out of ten.

HP 14-dq2053cl: Storage Options and Performance

For storage, the HP 14-dq2053cl employs a PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD. This storage drive supports a maximum storage capacity of 256 GB.

Although 256 GB of storage space should be enough for regular or professional users, storage-hungry users will find it limited. Fortunately, the HP 14-dq2053cl features a multi-format SD media card reader for storage expansion.

Besides, because it uses SSD (Solid State Drive), this laptop should deliver fast operating speed and rapid boot time. This is because SSDs are the fastest storage drive available in the market – they are way faster than HDDs or eMMC storage drives.

To prove the above statement, I will proceed to discuss the laptop’s result on the CrystalDiskMark 3.0 test. In brief, CrystalDiskMark 3.0 is a benchmark test that calculates the performance of a computer’s storage drive by estimating its read and write speed.

For clarity, read speed is how fast it takes a storage drive to successfully open a file. Meanwhile, write speed is the time it takes for the storage drive to save a file.

Moreover, the higher the “MBps” value on this benchmark test, the faster the read and write speed of the computer’s storage drive. Hence, based on the CrystalDiskMark 3.0 test results, the HP 14-dq2053cl recorded a read and write speed of 499 MBps and 330 MBps, respectively.

When compared with the Lenovo ThinkPad E560, which also uses SSD, this HP laptop performed better. Specifically, the Lenovo ThinkPad E560 delivered a read and write speed of 462 MBps and 174.5 MBps, respectively.

In conclusion, although the HP 14-dq2053cl features limited storage space, it outperformed some of its competitors in a benchmark test. For this reason, I will rate the HP 14-dq2053cl an eight out of ten in this storage review section.

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HP 14-dq2053cl: Graphics Card Performance

Coming down to the graphics card, the HP 14-dq2053cl provides two options to choose from. The first option is Intel UHD Graphics.

This graphics card delivers a base frequency of 400 MHz and a maximum frequency of 1250 MHz. The second option, on the other hand, is an Intel Iris Xe Graphics.

In terms of speed, this GPU offers a base frequency of 400 MHz and a maximum frequency of 1300 MHz. Notably, both GPU options are integrated graphics cards.

Hence, they are embedded into the laptop’s CPU options. Basically, the first GPU option is embedded into the laptop’s Intel Core i3 processor option.

Meanwhile, the second GPU option is embedded into the laptop’s Intel Core i5 processor option. Hence, if you purchase the HP 14-dq2053cl with the Intel Core i3 processor, you will get Intel UHD Graphics.

On the other hand, if you buy the laptop with an Intel Core i5 processor, you will get Intel Iris Xe Graphics. However, because both graphics card options are integrated GPUs, they share the system memory with their respective processors to perform graphics-related tasks.

Due to this, with either of the GPU options, the HP 14-dq2053cl might not be able to run graphics-demanding tasks, apps, or games. However, with a higher boost frequency of 1300 MHz, the Intel Iris Xe Graphics should enable the laptop to handle simple photo editing and play some outdated games.

Speaking of games, the HP 14-dq2053cl should be able to deliver a smooth frame rate of 72.8 fps while playing Vampire Bloodhunt. For more insight into the laptop’s performance with the Intel Iris Xe Graphics, let us discuss its 3DMark test result.

In brief, 3DMark is a benchmarking tool that measures how well a computer’s GPU renders 3D graphics and games. Besides, the higher the score in this test, the better the graphics performance.

Thus, based on the 3DMark test results, the HP 14-dq2053cl scored 1611 points. In comparison, the MSI Modern 15 A11M, which also uses an Intel Iris Xe Graphics, was outperformance by this HP laptop.

To be more specific, the MSI Modern 15 A11M scored 1121 points on the 3DMark test. Therefore, the HP 14-dq2053cl deserves a rating of eight out of ten in this graphics card review section.

HP 14-dq2053cl: Battery Life and Performance

For battery, the HP 14-dq2053cl comes with a 3-cell 41 Wh Li-ion battery. According to HP, this laptop should last up to 7 hours and 15 minutes with this battery.

Just to be sure of HP’s claims, I will quickly highlight the video playback test result of the laptop. In case you do not know, this video playback test involves repeatedly playing a particular video until the laptop’s battery goes off.

So, at the end of this test, the HP 14-dq2053cl delivered a battery life of 7 hours and 21 minutes. Clearly, this battery life is on par with HP’s claim and even slightly better.

Moreover, when compared with some of its closest counterparts, this HP laptop has longer battery life. For example, the ASUS Zenbook Flip 14 UX463 delivered a battery life of 6 hours and 32 minutes on the video playback test. 

Thus, I will rate the HP 14-dq2053cl an eight out of ten in this battery review section.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

The HP 14-dq2053cl is a budget-friendly laptop that offers adequate performance and multiple configuration options. To give more details, this laptop comes with an FHD touchscreen display and a good battery life.

That’s not all; the laptop is also beautiful and durable. Moreover, it is also lightweight and somewhat compact, making it easy to carry around.

However, like every other budget laptop, the HP 14-dq2053cl has its shortcomings. To mention a few, the laptop’s storage space and keyboard are not so impressive.

Nevertheless, these flaws are nothing compared to the numerous excellent features that the laptop has to offer. Thus, If you’re interested in an HP laptop for your personal or office use without breaking the bank, the HP 14-dq2053cl definitely fits the part.

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