HP Pavilion x360 Review: A Convertible Laptop With Decent Specs

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By Oluwaseun Bamisile

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My take on HP Pavilion x360

Summary

The HP Pavilion x360 comes in three different models: 13″, 14″, and 15″ models. It also has expandable memory – the 13″ and 14″ can take up to 16 GB RAM, while the 15″ can take up to 32 GB RAM. This 2-in-1 HP laptop also offers up to a 1 TB SATA hard drive, which is large enough to store a lot of data. Unfortunately, although not surprising, the laptop’s HDD read and write speed is relatively slow.

Overall
3.7

Pros

  • Comfortable Keyboard
  • Decent Specs
  • Strong Speaker
  • Pen Included

Cons

  • Slow HDD
  • Blurry Webcam

HP Pavilion x360: At First Glance

The HP Pavilion x360 is a capable convertible laptop for handling the day-to-day workload like working from home or participating in distance learning. The is available in 13″, 14″, and 15″ models.

In addition, the HP Pavilion x360 has a powerful processor and a comfortable keyboard.

The laptop is a reliable performer that gets the job done. It has a few extra features that set it apart from the ordinary workhorse laptop.

The HP Pavilion x360 is well-equipped for standard office tasks and internet applications. The device is even capable of running games, thanks to its dedicated GPU.

Finally, if the HP Pavilion x360 sounds like the type of laptop you’re looking for, keep reading!

HP Pavilion x360: Design, Dimension & Weight

As I mentioned earlier, the HP Pavilion x360 is available in three models. All three models are very similar, with the weight and size being the only significant differences.

The HP Pavilion x360 laptops are designed for the type of work we do today and can withstand the demands of both work and leisure. The Entire body of the laptop is made with plastic except for the top areas, which are composed of metals.

The laptop has a touchscreen that can swivel 360 degrees, allowing it to be used as a laptop or tablet. Moreover, the touchscreen is responsive, and HP includes an ActivePen that works with Windows Ink.

Furthermore, to use the laptop as a touchscreen tablet, you may position the screen at any angle and even rotate it fully 360 degrees. The HP Pavilion can be used for drawing or graphic design due to the accuracy of the screen’s touches.

In addition, the lid of the laptop is stamped with the HP logo, and the palm rest is brushed aluminum, giving it a premium appearance.

HP used stainless steel hinges that are sealed to prevent dust from entering the Pavilion x360. They claim it extends the life of the rotating mechanism.   

The HP Pavilion x360 comes with Bang & Olufsen Audio and stereo speakers. Moreover, the speaker works perfectly and produces good sound. 

Despite the laptop’s size, the speakers are surprisingly loud, making it ideal for use as a portable music player.

A Webcam is located right above the laptop’s screen and can be used to snap photos, make video calls, and more. However, even though the Pavilion’s 720p webcam produces color-accurate the images may be a bit blurry.

Furthermore, the Webcam is good for casual Skyping or video calls, I wouldn’t advise using it for anything more important.

The HP Pavilion x360 comes with an excellent selection of ports. On the left side of the laptop, there is a USB 3.0 port, a headphone jack, a power button, and a security lock slot.

On the laptop’s left side, you’ll find the power jack, an HDMI port, one USB 3.0 port, one USB Type-C port, and an SD card slot. Unfortunately, the laptop lacks a Thunderbolt port.

The Pavilion x360’s keyboard is quite satisfying to type on. The keys aren’t fast, but they’re smooth.

Unfortunately, typing on the laptop may not be much fun as pressing the keys require some effort.

Just beneath the keyboard is a touchpad. The touchpad could handle Windows 10 gestures like three-finger tabbing and two-finger scrolling because it is equipped with Windows Precision drivers.

The Pavilion x360 comes with some HP-branded products such as the HP JumpStart, HP Support Assistant, HP Smart, and HP PC Hardware Diagnostics. There’s also HP CoolSense, which can automatically adjust performance and fan settings to reduce heat.

In terms of size and weight, the HP Pavilion x360 13” measures 333.2 x 224.2 x 21.3 mm and weighs 1700g. The HP Envy x360 14”, on the other hand, weighs 1720g and has dimensions of 334.8 x 226.9 x 19.9 mm.

The HP Pavilion x360 15″ weighs 2300g and has a dimension of 382 x 250 x 23.9 mm.

In comparison, all three HP Pavilion x360 models are lighter than the Dell G5 15 5590. The Dell G5 15 5590 weighs 2680g and measures 364.3 x 273.4 x 23.7 mm.

Finally, for its decent design, I’ll rate the HP Pavilion x360 a seven out of ten.

HP Pavilion x360: Processor (CPU) Performance

By now you know that HP offers Pavilion x360 in 13″, 14”, and 15”. The processor options depend on the model you get.

The HP Pavilion x360 13” comes with a 2-core Intel Core i5-4210U processor. The processor has a base frequency of 1.70 GHz, a maximum frequency of 2.70 GHz, and a 3 MB cache.

The HP Pavilion x360 14” and 15” models are powered by a 2-core Intel Core i5-7200U processor. Furthermore, the Intel Core i5-7200U processor has a base frequency of 2.5 GHz, a maximum frequency of 3.1 GHz, and a 3 MB cache.

The processors of the HP Pavilion x360 models have excellent performance features, guaranteeing a fast laptop.

The Pavilion x360 is also a fantastic multitasker with any of the processors. The processors can run 20 Chrome tabs and two 1080p YouTube videos at the same time without breaking a sweat.

For a detailed processor performance, I focused on the 14″ model.

The HP Pavilion x360 14” model I reviewed came with an Intel Core i5-7200U processor as expected. To determine the processor’s performance, I conducted a Geekbench 4.1 test.

The Pavilion x360 scored 12,495 on the Geekbench 4.1 overall performance test, which is just over the mainstream laptop average of 9,482. Unfortunately, it couldn’t perform better than the Acer Spin 3’s Core i5-8250U (scored 13,203) or the Asus ZenBook 13’s Core i5-8265U (scored 15,110).

However, it outperformed the Huawei MateBook D’s AMD Ryzen 5 2500U processor, which has an overall score of 8,845 points.

Finally, all things considered, I’m rating the HP Pavilion x360 an eight for processor performance.

HP Pavilion x360: Memory (RAM) Performance

All three models of the HP Pavilion x360 come with two RAM slots which support a maximum of 16 GB except for the 15” model. The HP Pavilion x360 15” model supports a maximum memory of 32 GB RAM.

Just like I did in the processor performance section, to dive deep into the RAM performance of the laptop, I used the 14″ model.

The HP Pavilion x360 14” I reviewed came with 16 GB of RAM (8 GB in each slot), making it a great multitasker. Furthermore, I had up to about 25 Chrome tabs opened to test its multitasking abilities.

In the Chrome tabs, apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Mail, and others were running. Despite the fact that these activities were occurring at the same time, the laptop performed well, with no lag or stuttering.

To further determine the memory performance, I conducted a PCMark 10 test. In the test, the HP Pavilion x360 scored 2832 points.

Comparatively, the HP Pavilion x360 performed better than the Lenovo ThinkPad L470. In the PCMark 10 test, the Lenovo ThinkPad L470 received a score of 2638.

Finally, I’ll rate the HP Pavilion x360 an eight out of ten for its memory performance. 

HP Pavilion x360: Storage Option & Performance

The HP Pavilion x360 comes with a 1 TB 5400 RPM SATA HDD. For more storage, the laptop also includes a multi-format SD media card reader.

When I review a laptop that has an HDD rather than an SSD, I expect it to be slow and sluggish. Unfortunately, my experience with the HP Pavilion x360 was exactly the same.

However, I believe that majority of us would choose a larger storage space than faster storage. Additionally, if you are a fan of HDD, then 1 TB of storage should be more than enough for you

The laptop I reviewed came with a 512 GB HDD. As we alays do in all of our laptop reviews, to evaluate the storage performance of the laptop, I conducted a CrystalDiskMark test.

In the CrystalDiskMark test, the HP Pavilion x360 obtained a sequential read speed of 72 Mbps and a sequential write speed of 34 Mbps.

Comparatively, the HP Pavilion x360 performed worse than the Acer Spin 3. The read speed of the Acer spin 3 was 92 Mbps, and the write speed was 50 Mbps.

To determine the SD card storage’s transfer speed, I also ran an SD card transfer speed test. The HP Pavilion x360 achieved a transfer speed of 77.3 MB/s in the test.

When compared to the Acer Spin 3, the HP Pavilion performed better in the SD card storage’s transfer speed test. The Acer Spin 3 has a transfer speed of 20.6 MB/s.

In general, compared to SSDs, for HDDs, everything takes a little bit of time to respond or boot up with this type of storage. It is important to bear this in mind as you decide whether to get this laptop or not.

It doesn’t necessarily mean that the laptop’s storage performance is a deal-breaker. As a matter of fact, you may not even notice the performance difference!

Based on my tests and the results achieved by HP Pavilion x360 in comparison to competing laptops, for storage performance, I’ll rate the HP Pavilion a seven out of ten.

HP Pavilion x360: Graphics Card Performance

Like its processor and memory, the HP Pavilion x360 offers different graphics options. The graphics card you get depends on the model you purchase.

HP Pavilion x360 13″ comes with an Intel HD graphics 4400 graphics card. The graphic card has a base frequency of 200 MHz and a boost frequency of 1000 MHz.

On the other hand, the HP Pavilion x360 14″ model offers even better graphics – NVIDIA GeForce 940MX. The graphic card has a base frequency of 1004 MHz and a boost frequency of 1242 MHz.  

The HP Pavilion x360 15″ model comes with Intel HD Graphics 620. The graphic card has a base frequency of 300 MHz and a boost frequency of 1000 MHz.

The HP Pavilion x360 14” model has a dedicated VRAM of 2 GB DDR3. Unfortunately, the GPUs in HP Pavilion x360 13” and 15” models don’t feature a dedicated VRAM.

For medium graphics games, the HP Pavilion x360 13′′ and 15” models should be enough. On the other hand, the HP Pavilion x360 14′′ model, with its 2 GB DDR3 VRAM is great for gamers.

The model I reviewed was the HP Pavilion x360 14” model which came with an NVIDIA GeForce 940MX graphic card. As I said earlier the graphic card is good for gamers.

To determine the graphic performance of the HP Pavilion x360 14″, I performed a gaming test.

In the test, the laptop managed to play Tomb raider 3 at 75.1fps when in a low-quality setting and 23fps when in a high setting. In addition, the HP Pavilion x360 can run most games smoothly in low resolution and low-quality settings.

Unfortunately, more demanding games like Speed Heat or Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order could not be played on the laptop.

In comparison, the laptop performed less than the Acer Spin 3. The Acer Spin 3 was able to play Tomb Raider at 90fps when in low-quality setting and 38fps when in high setting.

I recommend the HP Pavilion x360 14′′ if you want to use it for gaming or graphics-intensive tasks.

Finally, I am rating the HP Pavilion x360 a seven out of ten. This rating is for the 14″ model with the NVIDIA GeForce 940MX graphics card.

HP Pavilion x360: Battery Life & Performance

By now, I suspect that you would expect the 3 models of the laptop to offer different battery sizes, and you wouldn’t be wrong!

The HP Pavilion x360 13” model comes with a 3-cell 43.5WHr Prismatic battery. According to digit.in, the battery can last up to 6 hours 30 minutes.

On the other hand, the HP Pavilion x360 14” model comes with a 3-cell 41 Wh Li-ion battery. According to Laptopmag.com, the battery can last up to 6 hours 17 minutes.

Finally, the HP Pavilion x360 15” model comes with a 3-cell 48 Wh Li-ion battery. According to Laptopmag.com, the battery should last up to 7 hours 11 minutes.

The model I reviewed is the HP Pavilion x360 14” with a 3-cell 41 Wh Li-ion battery. To determine the battery performance of the laptop, I conducted a battery test.

In the test, which involves continuously surfing the web over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness, the laptop managed to last 6 hours. In comparison, the laptop fell short of the Acer Spin 3 which lasted 9 hours 12 minutes in the same battery test.

Finally, based on the battery tests from other sources, and our own battery test result, I will rate the laptop a seven out of ten for its average battery life.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is The HP Pavilion X360 a reliable laptop?

Yes, the HP Pavilion x360 is a reliable and secure laptop, but it’s also a boring device. You can enjoy light gaming on the laptop and the battery life is sufficient for moderate tasks.

2. What does X360 mean in HP Pavilion x360?

The x360 designation indicates that it is a convertible laptop which means it can be rotated up to 360 degrees. Because it can fold all the way back into a tablet shape, this laptop is also referred to as a 2-in-1.

3. Is The HP Pavilion X360 a good choice of laptop?

Yes, the HP Pavilion x360 is a good laptop with respectable performance, a pleasant keyboard, and relatively loud speakers.

4. Is the HP Envy better than the HP Pavilion?

Yes, the Envy features a more powerful processor, battery, and graphics card. The Pavilion, on the other hand, offers less impressive specs, so it is cheaper than the Envy.

5. Is HP a Chinese company?

NO! Hewlett-Packard, or HP, is a well-known laptop manufacturer based in the United States. Bill Hewlett and David Packard created the corporation in 1939. The company is headquartered in California and employs more than 66,000.

Conclusion

The HP Pavilion x360 is a good option for those looking for a low-cost convertible laptop, but it’s not very exciting. The laptop has excellent performance, a comfortable keyboard, and loudspeakers.

However, if you require color-accurate visuals or silent running, it best you look elsewhere.

The HP Pavilion x360 has decent specifications and features, and you can get it at a lower price than most of its competitors – plus the ability to fold the screen into tablet mode is a nice addition.

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Finally, for more laptop reviews, visit our Laptop Reviews page. You may also find our Laptop Specs page very helpful.

About the Author

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Oluwaseun Bamisile

Oluwaseun is the Lead Content Editor at Itechguides.com. He holds a National Diploma in Computer Science (currently studying part-time for his Higher National Diploma). An internet geek with a love for automobiles, he writes product reviews, tech articles, and how-to guides on the site.

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