HP Pavilion 15t-eg300 Review: Satisfying Everyday Widescreen Laptop for Less

7.5/ 10
SCORE

HP Pavilion 15t-eg300

Pros

• Good performance for the price
• Attractive with a solid, sturdy feel
• Pleasing audio
• Several configuration options

Cons

• Poor-quality base display
• Keyboard legends difficult to see

Widescreen laptops such as the HP Pavilion 15 are increasingly rare. Most laptops above $700 have switched to 16:10 or 3:2 aspect ratios, which gives you more vertical space to work in. Laptops with 16:9 displays are typically relegated to entry-level and midrange status. But while we roundly suggest staying away from small widescreen laptops, a larger 15.6-inch, 16:9 display is great for home use for work and entertainment. And that’s what you get with the Pavilion 15, where even the cheapest model has strong everyday performance, decent battery life and a slim but sturdy design.

Like many HP laptops, or really any laptop, it’s best to wait for a sale. I wouldn’t recommend this Pavilion at its regular price of $1,010. It’s currently deeply discounted for Black Friday, however, and starts at $530 for an excellent configuration, except for the display. The base configuration’s display really is the biggest strike against it, but thankfully, it can be upgraded for as little as $10. And while I can’t speak to the quality of the other three display options HP offers for it, it can’t be worse than the base display.

You’ve got options

This HP Pavilion 15 starts as low as $650 with an AMD processor (the 15z-eh300) and a sale price of just $350. But, like the Intel-powered 15t-eg300, you should skip the base display option if you can afford another $30. The configuration options is definitely a highlight here, letting you upgrade the processors, add more memory (for the AMD model, at least), increase storage and even the graphics with an entry-level discrete Nvidia GPU. There are also multiple color options available.

Models in the UK are not configurable but start as low as 419. In Australia, HP is clearing out 12th-gen Intel Pavilion 15 configurations starting at AU$1,055 right now. The good news there is you can get better specs, and going by our performance tests, the gap in speed between Intel’s 12th- and 13th-gen chips at this level is small.

Performance and battery life

If you’re in the market for a strong multitasking laptop for a home office or school work, the HP Pavilion 15 is a fine fit. It tested on par or slightly better than similarly configured 15-inch laptops past and present. Keep in mind, too, that we tested the base Intel configuration.

Loaded up with the top components HP offers, including the Nvidia GeForce MX550 discrete graphics, it should give you enough performance for basic photo and video editing and casual gaming. Perhaps more importantly, it’ll extend the overall performance longevity and the price still comes in under $1,000. One other thing: The specs HP lists for the laptop say it comes with a 65-watt power supply, but that’s for one configured with Nvidia GeForce MX550 discrete graphics. The one I tested has a 45-watt adapter.

Battery life came in at just under 6 hours on our streaming video test. With that in mind, as well as its nearly 4-pound weight, I wouldn’t recommend the Pavilion 15 as a commuter laptop or to carry around campus all day. For that, I recommend another HP, the Aero 13. The 13-inch laptop does have a smaller display (though it is a taller 16:10 aspect ratio), but its price and performance are in line with the Pavilion 15 we tested, it weighs less than 2.2 pounds (1 kilogram) and its battery life tested at more than 10 hours.

Design and features

The HP Pavilion 15 has a slim, sturdy body that’s a mix of plastic and metal. It’s also available in multiple colors, though the plain silver model I tested is attractive if nondescript. There’s little to no flex to the lid or keyboard deck. The laptop has a good full-size keyboard, so if you enter a lot of numbers, you’ll be happy. Plus, it’s backlit, which is good because the key legends are difficult to read unless you’re directly over the keyboard. Keeping the backlight on definitely helps with this keyboard design. The touchpad works well, too, and has a firm click and is not mushy.

Again, I recommend skipping the base display. Colors are dull, it’s not especially bright and everything looks washed out regardless of how you position it. It’s particularly poor off-angle to the sides and above and below. If you use it head-on, the panel is OK, but overall, it’s not good for an IPS LCD even at its low price.

Above the display is a serviceable 720p webcam; it’s fine as long as you have good lighting. The audio quality was surprisingly decent, though. Maybe it’s my low expectations, but the downward-firing speakers sounded reasonably full compared to the thin, tinny audio you’d typically get at this price. Paired with the widescreen display, this HP would be fine for binge-watching shows sans headphones.

A modern mobile desktop replacement

Overall, the HP Pavilion 15t-eg300 is a good option for anyone looking for a larger laptop to use around the house and for the occasional trip to the coffee shop. Battery life can be short depending on what you’re doing, but it’s on par with others at the price and size. The larger widescreen display is fine for work and entertainment, but you should spend a bit more for one of the other three panels HP offers if you can. Also, buy it when it’s on sale; otherwise, you can do better at its full $1,010 price.