By James Gardner
- 3 minutes read - 498 wordsHP has been an ever-present brand in the laptop scene, and in the recent years we've seen them try to win all categories within the scene while taking back market share from Lenovo. This is why they've recently split their laptop offering to several distinct lines, which can be confusing for us consumers.
So today we want to clear up the mess, compare and review the differences between some of HP's current leading laptop lines: The old-timer HP Pavilion and the new arrivals Spectre, Envy and Omen.
Which one is the HP laptop you need? Which one fits who best? Which one is best value for money? Let's see.
The Gist
Pavilion |
Spectre |
Envy |
Omen |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Build | Colored Plastic (common) / Metal | CNC Aluminum | Stamped Aluminum | Carbon Fiber |
| General Weight | Heaviest | Lightest | Light | Heavy |
| Storage | Hard Drive (common) / SSD | SSD | Mostly SSD | SSD |
| Display | 11-15 inch | 13-15 inch, discrete graphics, 4K optional, SureView privacy for shaded angle view | 13-15 inch, discrete graphics | 15-17 inch, NVIDIA graphics |
| Overall Score | 8.9 | 9.2 | 9.3 | 9.0 |
| Best For | Common day to day tasks, students and families | High-end consumers, looking for best specs, lightest build and sleekest feel | Consumers looking for high-end but also value for money | Gamers |
| Price |
Summary
HP's wide variety of offering has its advantages and disadvanatges. On one hand, it's totally confusing when you start researching which HP Laptop to buy. On the other hand, they've got us covered, whatever our needs are.
The Pavilion is your general service laptop, has in itself a wide variety of options to choose from (plastic or metal build, SSD or mechanical hard drives, and other configuration options), but will be perfectly fine for standard use by students and/or families. If going for a Pavilion, we recommend taking full advantage of the value-for-money here, and going for the lower end of the price range.
The Spectre and Envy are for those looking a sleek laptop. The Spectre specifications are a bit better than the Envy, with the optional 4K display, the SureView privacy technology (it makes looking at your screen from the side impossible), Kaby Lake G processor and touch screen. However, these are usually not entirely warranted, and sum up to a worse bang for your back as opposed to the Envy.
Finally, for the Gamers out there, who require mobility while they play, the Omen presents a very good combination of graphics, durability, good looks and performance.
Conclusion
While for some, such as Gamers, there is a distinct offering and winner (read, Omen), for the general consumer there is no clear cut winner. It comes down to what's important to you as a user, and what are your requirements. Luckily, HP has you covered.
Students and families should opt for the Pavilion, Gamers for the Omen, people with no budget limit that look for highest-end and sleekest should go for the Spectre, and the tech-savvy yet budget-aware should definitely get an Envy.
