Which HP Notebook Is Right For You?

Posted by
February 16, 2018

HP is the world’s largest seller of personal computers, accounting for 1 of the 5 computers sold. The company offers a series of bewildering various budgets and use cases of laptop selection, from sub 200 Chromebooks to high-end workstations and mobile gaming platforms. So, if you decide to want a HP laptop, you have to choose not only the type you need, but which type you want to choose.

Do you want a value-driven Pavilion, a stylish and high-performing Spectre, or a superthin Envy? If you’re buying for a business, do you know the difference between an EliteBook and a ProBook? Below, we explore each HP sub-brand to help you decide.

HP Consumer Laptops
Line Best For Price Range Common Features
Spectre Consumers who can afford the sleekest lightweight laptops $999 – $1550 CNC aluminum; SSDs; high-res displays; Thunderbolt 3
Envy Consumers who want high-end laptops but also want to spend less or get more ports than on a Spectre $729 – $1,200 Stamped aluminum; SSDs; IR cameras
Pavilion Families and mainstream consumers $369 – $950 Colorful chassis; IR cameras; wide range of CPU and storage options
HP (no name) Budget-conscious consumers $279 – $700 DVD drives; mostly plastic; wide array of configs
Omen Gamers $950-$1,899 Discrete graphics; H-Series processors
Chromebooks Children, Chrome fans $179 – $350 Celeron processors; touch or non-touch screens
Stream Kids, adults who need a second PC $199-$249 Celeron processors; brightly colored chassis

Spectre: High-end consumer laptops

HP’s most premium laptops usually cost more than $1,000, but they are lightweight, have gorgeous designs and include beautiful displays. If you can afford the premium, these are the top-of-the-line HP notebooks for consumers or business users who don’t need IT management features such as vPro. Some Spectres even have the optional Sure View privacy screen, which limits viewing angles to prevent the person next to you on the plane from seeing your work.

A step above the Envy line, Spectres are usually made from CNC aluminum, which gives them a more refined, unibody look than other laptops. All Spectre laptops have SSDs, and it’s unlikely you will see one with lower-end specs, such as a Core i3 CPU or a sub-1080p display.

Common Spectre features include:

Standout models:

Envy: Stylish, powerful but less expensive than Spectre

HP’s Envy notebooks are thin, beautifully designed machines, which feature all-metal chassis and high-end components such as SSDs, high-res screens and discrete graphics. Envys are a little less expensive than Spectres and sometimes offer better value. However, you may see lower-end components such as mechanical hard drives on some models. The metal is usually stamped aluminum rather than the more-premium precision-milled metal on the Spectre line.

Common Envy features include:

Standout models include:

Pavilion: Mainstream consumer

HP’s Pavilion line includes a wide variety of laptops at mainstream prices. You may find Pavilions with metal chassis, but plastic is also common. Some of the laptops also come in bright colors.

You can find low-cost laptops such as the Pavilion x360 (11-inch) for under $400 or more-powerful systems such as the Pavilion Power for over $900. If you can’t spend more than $700 or $800, consider a Pavilion.

Key Pavilion features include:

Standout models include:

HP Laptops (No Name): Budget consumers

The least expensive HP laptops lack an official sub-brand, like “Pavilion” or “Envy.” They are simply named HP + model number. These lower-cost systems come in a wide array of colors and sizes. Prices range from around $279 on the low end to $700 on the high end, but most are under $600.

HP laptops start with low-end, Pentium and Celeron CPUs, but you can also find models with Intel 8th Gen Core processors inside. You can also get these HP laptops with optical drives, a feature you won’t find on the higher-end models.

Key features of “HP laptops,” include:

Some standout HP laptops are:

Chromebooks: Made for kids, Chrome fans

While HP doesn’t make as many Chromebook as Asus or Acer does, the company has healthy line of laptops powered by Google’s browser-centric operating system.

Standout HP Chromebooks include:

Stream: Secondary computers

If you prefer Windows to Chrome OS and you’re looking for an inexpensive secondary computer or a first laptop for kids, HP’s Stream line is for you. These sub-$250 PCs come in vibrant colors, such as purple and blue, and feature Celeron CPUs with flash storage.

Standout HP Streams include:

Omen: Made for gamers

If you’re a serious PC gamer, HP’s Omen line is made for you. These laptops have attractive, carbon-fiber lids that include the old Voodoo logo (HP acquired Voodoo about 10 years ago), along with high-end graphics cards and CPUs.

Standout HP Omens include:

HP Business Laptops
Line Best For Price Range Common Features
EliteBook 1000 High-end business users $1,000 and up CNC aluminum; lightweight; SSDs; high-res displays; enterprise-level security and manageability
EliteBook 700/800 Mainstream business users $800+ Aluminum chassis; high-res displays; SSDs; Sure View privacy screens
ProBook 600 Businesses on a budget that still need enterprise-grade security $599 and up Intel vPro management; self-healing BIOS
ProBook 400 Business users with modest needs at small-to-medium-size companies $499 and up USB Type-C ports; Intel or AMD processors; optional IR camera
HP 200 Business users on very-tight budgets $359 and up Optical drives; low-end specs
Zbook Professionals who need workstation-class performance $1.000 and up Optional Xeon processors; Nvidia Quadro graphics; 4K displays

EliteBook: Built for big business, top of the line

HP’s EliteBook line is designed for large businesses, offering a mix of security and durability. These laptops pack biometric login options and built-in security software, such as self-healing BIOSes and durable chassis that meet MIL-SPEC standards. These machines also provide vPro manageability, so IT departments can remotely update and control their fleets.

EliteBooks are divided into two series:

ProBook: Made for small business

Designed for small-to-medium-size businesses that don’t necessarily have large IT departments, HP ProBooks are less expensive than EliteBooks but still made to help you get work done. Some ProBooks also have old-time, legacy ports such as VGA connectors.

ProBooks are divided into two series:

HP 200 Series: Low-cost business laptops

These are the least expensive business laptops of all and the only choices for users who want optical disc drives. The HP 255, for example, costs just $359 and comes with an AMD processor, 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive.

ZBook: Mobile workstations

Video editors, architects and creative professionals who need workstation-level processing power but can’t be pinned down to a single desk should check out HP’s ZBooks. These workstation-class laptops are available with the most-powerful mobile processors and graphics, including Intel’s Xeon chip and Nvidia Quadro graphics.

Standout ZBook models include:

Battery Knowledge Base, Laptop Batteries Tips, Laptop Reviews, ,

Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader.

Comments

No comments yet.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.