Not many PC manufacturers out there have the sheer recognition and popularity of HP. It’s one of the biggest makers of computers, and for good reason, as the company tends to make some of the best laptops on the market each and every year.
But the company also floods the market with a ton of options, which no doubt contributes to its popularity. Focusing on the consumer brands alone, we have the Spectre, Envy, and Pavilion brands, plus the generic “HP Laptop” models. So where do you even begin to choose one? We’re here to demystify HP’s consumer laptop lineup so you can choose the brand that makes the most sense for you. Let’s take a look at how each of these brands differ from the other.
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Design and build quality
Spectre is the most premium lineup
The first thing you’ll notice with any laptop is its design, so let’s talk about that first. HP’s four consumer laptop lineups cover a wide range of options, and on the premium side of that range is the HP Spectre lineup. The Spectre laptops, which are mostly just the Spectre x360 14 and x360 16 nowadays, come with the most premium design, featuring an aluminum chassis with some unique elements to help them stand out. Previous models had a dual-color design, but things are a bit more subdued now. Still, you get a premium design with some colors to choose from, at least on the smaller model, including Sahara Silver, Nightfall Black, and Slate Blue. These cos also have rounder edges and are generally more compact, plus the corners near the hinge are trimmed, which makes it really easy to identify a Spectre laptop at a glance.
HP Envy laptops aren’t too different at first glance, as they’re still pretty premium devices. Most of them have a metal chassis that feel just as premium, but they’re a bit more bland and less unique. You get more plain silver colors with the occasional black, and you also see a little less attention to detail, like the keyboard keys not being color matches to the color of the laptop itself. There’s also no cool trims on the corners of the laptop, so they look much more generic. Envy models are available in various sizes, but mostly you get 14-inch, 16-inch, and 17-inch these days, and some of those models can be x360 versions, meaning they’re convertibles.
Envy laptops also tend to have more ports than the Spectre models, but Thunderbolt support isn’t quite as prevalent. Still this is firmly premium territory, and you can also tell because it uses the same angular HP glyph on the lid, rather than the round HP logo you see on the cheaper models.
Speaking of which, there’s the Pavilion brand next, which is where things get a bit weird. Pavilion laptops are very varied and there are a few variants within this lineup. The Pavilion Plus models are still fairly premium, and feature metal designs and even some color options you don’t often see on premium laptops. They start to get a bit heavier, but these could still fit in the Envy lineup, and even include the same HP glyph.
The HP Pavilion Aero is more focused on being lightweight, with a magnesium chassis but otherwise more mainstream design. This model already lacks the Thunderbolt ports of higher-end brands, and that’s the case with the more general Pavilion laptops, too. These models use a mix of plastic and metal and tend to be thicker and heavier than the Envy and Spectre laptops, while also losing ports like Thunderbolt in favor of more classic ports. These are also the models that have the classic round HP logo, making it clear which laptops are more so on the lower end.
At the bottom of the barrel we have the basic HP Laptop models, which are as simple as it gets. These laptops are all made of plastic and come in a wide range of sizes, from 14 inches to 17. Most of them will come in either silver or black colorways, but some do offer more options, but even then, sometimes the color of the lid may change, but not the entire laptop. These are often ticker and heavier laptops, and they also miss out on faster ports like Thunderbolt or even USB 3.2 Gen 2. They’re really cheap, and it shows.
Displays, cameras, and audio
Choosing the best multimedia experience
The display is another area where you’ll see big differences between HP’s laptops. The Spectre lineup is, of course, leading the pack with both the 14-inch and 16-inch models having a 16:10 aspect ratio. The 14-inch model comes with a 2.8K OLED panel by default, and the 16-inch version starts with a Quad HD+ IPS display but also offers a 2.8K OLED upgrade if you want the best quality possible. These are both fantastic screens, and they’ll give you the most premium experience. These laptops offer the best media experience overall, since they also include quad speakers for audio and an industry-leading 9MP webcam, which you can’t find anywhere else.
The step-down to the Envy lineup is immediately obvious. Here, all the models start with a more standard Full HD resolution and an IPS panel, though some models have upgrade options. Some Envy 17 models have an option 4K panel, though it’s still IPS. The latest Envy x360 models, both in 14-inch and 16-inch versions, also offer 2.8K OLED panel options, though, so you can get a comparable experience to the Spectre family. These laptops also have the more modern 16:10 aspect ratio, though the Envy 17 still uses a 16:9 display. Some previous generations also included 15-inch models, also with a 16:9 aspect ratio. The Envy laptops also step down to just two speakers, but they still have a great 5MP webcam.
The Pavilion lineup is once again a bit confusing. The Pavilion Plus models are up there with the Envy laptops, or even better. The latest 14-inch Pavilion Plus models start with a Quad HD+ IPS panel and have a 2.8K OLED upgrade, both with a 16:10 aspect ratio, so they could almost be compared to the Spectre laptops. The 16-inch Pavilion Plus also starts with a Quad HD+ panel. Once you step down to the other Pavilion models, though, you’ll see a lot more Full HD panels, usually with a 16:9 aspect ratio, though the Pavilion Aero has a 16:10 display and the option to get a Quad HD+ resolution. You’ll also notice that most Pavilion models have a lower brightness and worse color reproduction, so they look less vibrant (again, the Pavilion Plus models are the exception).
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All these Pavilion models still have dual speakers, of course, and the Pavilion Plus versions still pack 5MP cameras with Windows Hello support, but otherwise, you’ll see a huge drop in quality to 720p across the Pavilion lineup. These cameras are completely unremarkable. That might change with upcoming models, though, since the Pavilion Aero will also feature a 5MP webcam.
Finally, the HP Laptop models sit at the bottom, and they often start with super low-end panels with 1366×768 resolution and low brightness, around 250 nits, making them very poor by today’s standards. Most of them have options to upgrade to a Full HD panel, but you’re still stuck with a low brightness display and a 16:9 aspect ratio, so don’t expect anything fancy. For the larger 17-inch laptops, the base models have a slightly higher 1600×900 resolution, with the same options to upgrade to Full HD. Some models also have the option to add touch support, but you usually have to choose between that or the higher Full HD resolution. These laptops also come with dual speakers and 720p webcams most of the time, though some of the recent models have 1080p webcams, too.
Performance
Things vary a lot here
Things get really messy in the performance category due to the many different combinations of specs. For any given generation, you’re going to see the same processors overall, just with some slight differences in the tier of processor. That,c combined with options for discrete GPUs, makes things a bit messy, and it’s best to talk about each brand separately.
Spectre is Intel-only
First off, we have the Spectre brand with the Spectre x360 14 and x360 16. Both of these models feature Intel Core Ultra H-series processors, which are the latest and greatest from Intel. The 14-inch model starts with an Intel Core Ultra 5 125H, but both models go up to a Core Ultra 7 155H, which offers plenty of performance already. Neither model has AMD processors, which is very common for premium laptops.
Here, the big difference is that the 16-inch model gives you the option for dedicated Nvidia graphics, specifically with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU available in the top-tier configuration. The larger size can accommodate the extra power, and this GPU helps with tasks like video and photo editing, plus it can handle some light gaming.
Envy broadens your options
The HP Envy lineup is a lot more confusing, and we’ll focus on just the latest models with Intel Core Ultra processors and AMD Ryzen 8000 series. Indeed, Envy laptops actually have AMD options, and things vary a lot. Most of the current lineup comes in a convertible form factor, aside from the Envy 17.
The Envy x360 14 and 16 come in versions with both Intel or AMD processors. The Intel models come with Core Ultra U-series processors with either 9W or 15W power ratings, with the latter offering more performance at the expense of slightly higher power usage. You can go up to a Core Ultra 7 155U (15W) or Core Ultra 7 150U (9W). The AMD models feature Ryzen 8000 HS-series processors, so they should be a bit more powerful, going up to a Ryzen 7 8840HS. There’s also a 15-inch Envy x360 that’s still a holdover from previous generations. This model is currently only available with Intel Core Ultra processors, but it’s otherwise similar.
The Envy 17 is a bit different. This one is available with Intel Core Ultra H-series processors, so it’s a good bit more powerful. There’s also a model with a Core Ultra U processor, but this is paired with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050, so you get a bit more GPU performance for some light gaming or video editing.
There are some older models with some different specs, and they may be refreshed at some point. For example, there was an Envy 16 with H-series processors and up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060, which was one of HP’s most powerful laptops.
Pavilion is fairly straightforward (for now)
The Pavilion lineup, once again, has a lot of options. At the top end, we have the Pavilion Plus laptops, and these come with either Intel Core Ultra H-series processors or AMD Ryzen 8000 HS-series models. Neither model includes options for discrete graphics, but they do include the latest processors form either company.
The rest of the Pavilion lineup is currently still using older processors. Most Pavilion laptops have either 13th-generation Intel Core processors or AMD Ryzen 7000-series processors, and it’s important to mention that in many cases, the Ryzen processors are part of the 7030 or 7035 series, which are still based on the Zen 3 architecture rather than the more recent Zen 4. In this case, Intel is probably the better option. Except if you’re looking at the Pavilion Aero, which comes exclusively with AMD processors, specifically from the Ryzen 7035 series, with a Ryzen 8000 series model announced but not available yet. There are no Intel options here.
When you consider older models, things will get more confusing, but generally speak ing, Pavilion laptops won’t have dedicated graphics and they’ll stick to the more basic processors from Intel or AMD. There aren’t a ton of differences here.
The messy HP Laptop
Finally, the HP Laptop is an absolute mess, as it can include pretty much anything from either brand. You usually won’t see any dedicated graphics cards in any of these models, but the processors themselves can vary wildly. Intel processors can go from basic Celeron processors to Intel Core Ultra H-series, while AMD processors can go from the basic Athlon and Ryzen 7020 series that still uses Zen 2 CPU cores to higher-end Ryzen 7030 models.
There’s no guarantee you’ll get a specific processor just from the branding here, so you’ll have to look more closely to see what’s included.
Which one should you buy?
With all of this in mind, which HP laptop brand makes the most sense for you really depends on what you’re looking for. Performance is what varies the least between the different models, barring any differences in cooling. If you just want a fast laptop, you can find fast processors as low as the basic HP Laptop series, as long as you get the right model. If you need dedicated graphics, though, you’ll want to look towards the Envy brand or higher, and you’ll also need a larger laptop that fits a dedicated GPU.
The display and design are where the real differences start to be more apparent. The basic HP Laptop models have displays we wouldn’t recommend to anyone, and the Pavilion brand is still fairly basic. The Envy lineup has solid options that are enough for almost anyone, and the Spectre family has the most premium options that look fantastic. Similarly, the Spectre laptops have the most premium design, which helps them stand out a bit, while the Envy laptops still feel premium but are less unique.
The laptops that are easiest to recommend to most people are probably in the Envy lineup, but you can move up or down depending on how much you value the display and design, as well as your budget.