TOP PICK 
BEST GAMING
BEST 2 IN 1
BEST CHROMEBOOK
BEST PORTABLE
Model
BLW's Score
90
94
90
84
85
79
MSRP
$428.99
$1,748.99
Price not available
$315.00
$549.99
$321.53
More Information
Processor
Intel Core i3-7100U 2.40 GHz
Intel Core i7-8750H 2.2 GHz
Intel Core i7-8550U 1.8 GHz
Intel Core Celeron N2840 2.16 GHz
AMD E2-7110 APU 1.8 GHz
Intel Celeron N3060 1.6 GHz
RAM
8GB DDR4
16GB DDR4
8GB DDR3L
4GB DDR3L
4GB DDR3L
4GB DDR3L
Hard Disk
1TB HDD
128GB SSD + 1TB HDD
512GB SSD
16GB eMMC
500GB HDD
16GB eMMC
Display
14" FHD (1920 x 1080)
17.3" FHD 144Hz (1920x1080)
15.6" UHD (3840x2160)
14” HD (1366 x 768)
15.6" FHD (1366x768)
14" FHD (1366 x 768)
Graphics
Intel HD Graphics 620
GeForce GTX 1060 6GB
NVIDIA GeForce MX150
Intel HD Graphics
AMD Radeon R2
Intel HD Graphics
OS
Windows 10
Windows 10
Windows 10
Chrome OS
Windows 10
Windows 10
Weight
4.85 pounds
8 pounds
4.5 pounds
4.41 pounds
4.73 pounds
3.17 pounds
TOP PICK
BLW's Score
90
MSRP
$428.99
More Information
Processor
Intel Core i3-7100U 2.40 GHz
RAM
8GB DDR4
Hard Disk
1TB HDD
Display
14" FHD (1920 x 1080)
Graphics
Intel HD Graphics 620
OS
Windows 10
Weight
4.85 pounds
BEST GAMING
BLW's Score
94
MSRP
$1,748.99
More Information
Processor
Intel Core i7-8750H 2.2 GHz
RAM
16GB DDR4
Hard Disk
128GB SSD + 1TB HDD
Display
17.3" FHD 144Hz (1920x1080)
Graphics
GeForce GTX 1060 6GB
OS
Windows 10
Weight
8 pounds
BEST 2 IN 1
Model
BLW's Score
90
MSRP
Price not available
More Information
Processor
Intel Core i7-8550U 1.8 GHz
RAM
8GB DDR3L
Hard Disk
512GB SSD
Display
15.6" UHD (3840x2160)
Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce MX150
OS
Windows 10
Weight
4.5 pounds
BEST CHROMEBOOK
Model
BLW's Score
84
MSRP
$315.00
More Information
Processor
Intel Core Celeron N2840 2.16 GHz
RAM
4GB DDR3L
Hard Disk
16GB eMMC
Display
14” HD (1366 x 768)
Graphics
Intel HD Graphics
OS
Chrome OS
Weight
4.41 pounds
BEST PORTABLE
BLW's Score
85
MSRP
$549.99
More Information
Processor
AMD E2-7110 APU 1.8 GHz
RAM
4GB DDR3L
Hard Disk
500GB HDD
Display
15.6" FHD (1366x768)
Graphics
AMD Radeon R2
OS
Windows 10
Weight
4.73 pounds
Model
BLW's Score
79
MSRP
$321.53
More Information
Processor
Intel Celeron N3060 1.6 GHz
RAM
4GB DDR3L
Hard Disk
16GB eMMC
Display
14" FHD (1366 x 768)
Graphics
Intel HD Graphics
OS
Windows 10
Weight
3.17 pounds
If you’re planning to purchase a new laptop you’re presented with a massive choice of machines and it can be difficult to choose the best one.
HP has got you covered as they manufacture such a wide range of laptops and are one of the most famous brands on the market. There are types suitable for home and office use, gamers, music and film lovers and travelers.
Carefully calculate your budget before buying to ensure you get a laptop that’s affordable. HP produce laptops to suit all budgets, from a couple of hundred dollars to a thousand plus.
Before you purchase a laptop you should consider what you’re going to be using it for.
If you need a laptop for occasional browsing or making notes then the HP Chromebook is a good choice. If you need a laptop with more storage and speed you’ll be looking at the middle of the range machines such an HP Notebook.
If you travel a lot or commute you’ll want a laptop that’s lightweight and easy to carry around. HP have a range of laptops that are slim, light and portable whilst being powerful enough to suit your needs.
When you’re on the move you’ll also want a laptop with a long battery life so that you don’t need to plug in and charge. Some care is needed when you’re looking at battery life as the manufacturer’s specs always publish the maximum battery life. If the spec says 6 hours of battery life it’s more realistic to expect 3 to 4 hours.
A few years ago, many people in the tech industry thought that laptops were on the way out. Tablets are becoming more powerful, but laptops still have their place and they will be around for the foreseeable future.
We’ve selected 6 of the best HP laptops and looked at each one in some detail. As well as the hardware we’ve looked at what each machine is suitable for.
Best HP Laptops By Category:
Overall Top Pick:
HP Notebook 15.6 Inch Touchscreen
This HP Notebook is fitted with the 7th generation Intel Core i3-7100U processor, with a speed of 2.4GHz.
Storage capacity is good thanks to the 1TB HDD. That’s plenty of storage for your movies, music and other content. 8GB RAM keeps everything running smoothly and the laptop has Windows 10 installed.
Specs
Benefits
Weighing in at just under 5 lbs, and measuring less than an inch thick, this laptop is perfect for everyday use when you’re on the move. The 15.6-inch touchscreen is ideal for work or play and it’s a great choice for movie lovers.
The keyboard on this laptop is solid with no flex when typing and there’s a numeric keypad on the right-hand side. The touchscreen can be used for navigation or you can use the standard touchpad.
Sound quality is provided by DTS Studio Sound which delivers deep bass and crisp highs when watching movies or listening to music. The built-in speakers deliver clear sounds with no vibration or buzzing.
The laptop is well equipped with ports and a 6-hour battery life is adequate for a laptop in this price range. The stylish black case is attractive and well-built, making the laptop sturdy and durable.
Drawbacks
Although this laptop is portable, we’d like to see a few ounces shaved off the weight to make it easier to carry around. Having a 5lb laptop in a bag with other accessories is going to be heavy.
We would also have liked the touch-pen to be included with the laptop as you have to purchase this separately. The pen is not overly expensive but it does increase the costs if you want to use this function.
Extra Features
- Sturdy and attractive black case
- Touchscreen
- Ports are well located
Buying Advice
Massive storage combined with 8GB RAM make this a fast and efficient machine for home or office use.
A crystal clear screen, great sound quality, price and decent battery life all contributed to making this our number one choice.
If you’re looking for an everyday machine that handles tasks with ease you should seriously consider this laptop.
Best HP Chromebook:
Newest HP 14-inch Chromebook HD SVA
The HP Chromebook is fitted with the Intel dual-core Celeron N2840 processor.
This has a speed of 2.16GHz which can be boosted to 2.58GHz. Internal storage is limited to 16GB but you can connect an external HDD if more storage is needed. The 4GB RAM is adequate for this type of machine and Google Chrome is pre-installed.
Specs
Benefits
If you travel a lot, this laptop is an excellent choice. It’s slim and weighs just over 4 lbs making it easy to carry around. The 14-inch screen is crystal clear and there’s a built-in webcam and microphone for video calling.
This silver colored laptop has an unusual matching keyboard. Navigation is smooth when using the central touchpad.
The Intel HD graphics processor provides good images when surfing the net or looking at photographs. The stereo speakers deliver decent audio when you’re watching video clips or listening to your favorite music tracks.
For a laptop of this size, it has an impressive number of ports allowing you to connect peripherals or to hook the laptop up to a larger screen.
Drawbacks
The silver keyboard is an attractive feature and looks great, but may be difficult to keep clean.
There is no separate number pad on the keyboard which could be a miss if you’ve been used to having one in the past.
The keyboard is also missing page up, page down and a home key which is frustrating when you’re used to having them. Overall, we feel the HP could do better with the keyboard on this particular model.
Extra Features
- Lightweight and slim
- Impressive number of ports
- Long battery life
- Good sound quality
Buying Advice
We chose this laptop for a few reasons.
Naturally there is the price. One of the main plus points is the stylish silver design. The long 9-hour battery life is another great feature that makes it the standout Chromebook from HP.
If you’re looking for an everyday laptop that will enable you to browse the web, listen to music and create documents, this one is a good choice.
Best Portable:
HP Notebook Vibrant Display E2 7110
The HP Notebook Vibrant Display is equipped with the AMD quad core E2-7110 APU processor with a speed of 1.8GHz.
There’s plenty of internal storage for a portable laptop with the 500GB HDD. The 4GB RAM handles most tasks with ease and there’s no sluggishness when multitasking.
Specs
Benefits
Weighing in at 5.5 lbs, the laptop is easy to carry around and its slimline design makes it easy to pop into your bag or briefcase. The 15.6-inch WLED screen is backlit and offers a crystal clear display when browsing, viewing still images or watching movies.
Sound quality is good and is delivered by the built-in speakers. You get 2276 MB of dedicated graphics memory from the AMD Radeon R2. With the integral DVD read/writer you are able to watch your favorite movies on the go, as well as burning discs in multiple formats.
The laptop has all the ports you’ll need while out and about. Multiple devices can be connected at the same time. The stylish black housing is sturdy and over 5 hours of battery life is possible following a full charge.
Drawbacks
This laptop features an island-style keyboard and a numeric keypad which is useful but there is some flex around the center of the keyboard.
The touchpad is slightly offset to the left making the design somewhat non-symmetrical, but, saying that, it’s smooth and easy to use for navigation.
Another problem with the laptop is that it’s pre-loaded with anti-virus software that’s only a demo and lasts for a month. Most laptop users prefer to install software they trust and know how to use.
Extra Features
- SuperMulti DVD/CD burner
- Adequate number of ports
- Touchpad with multi-touch gestures
- Attractive black case
Buying Advice
This great-looking laptop is our choice for the best portable HP laptop due to its weight, price and its versatility.
Having a decent sized screen, plenty of storage and plenty of ports makes it an excellent choice for people on the move.
We particularly like the quality of the sound and the graphics on this laptop which make using it a more enjoyable experience.
Best Budget:
HP Stream Laptop PC
The HP Stream Laptop PC features the Intel Celeron N3060 processor which offers a speed of 1.6GHz. The internal storage is 32GB and the 4GB RAM handles tasks efficiently and quickly on this budget laptop.
For ease of portability, this has to be one of the best budget laptops around, weighing just over 3 lbs. The 14-inch screen offers clear images and a good level of brightness.
Specs
Benefits
The HP Stream laptop PC is available in 3 vibrant colors and the well-made keyboard is a contrasting color.
For a laptop in this price bracket, the sound quality is surprisingly good, with clear highs and solid lows from the built-in speakers. The graphics are also better than on other laptops in this price range, thanks to the Intel HD Graphics 400.
There are enough ports on the laptop to suit most people’s needs. Windows 10 is installed and you can expect to get 10 hours out of the battery on a full charge, which is very impressive on a budget laptop.
Drawbacks
The internal storage is rather limited with only 32GB, although a flash drive or external HD can easily be connected when you need more.
The screen struggles to maintain clarity at certain viewing angles.
The touchpad is the same color as the laptop and we feel that having a contrasting color would improve the looks of the machine.
Only two USB ports; an extra USB 2.0 would be useful.
Extra Features
- Choice of colors
- Long battery life
- Front facing VGA webcam
Buying Advice
We chose the HP Stream laptop PC due to its high performance for such a reasonable price.
The laptop handles tasks efficiently and for browsing, creating documents and listening to music it’s a great choice.
If you’re on a limited budget, this HP laptop is worth considering and it’s the perfect choice for students or as a spare laptop.
Best For Gaming:
OMEN by HP 17-inch Gaming Laptop
The OMEN by HP gaming laptop is equipped with the 8th generation Intel core i7-8750H processor with a speed of 2.2GHz. This can be boosted to an astonishing 4.1GHz.
Internal storage is excellent thanks to the 1TB HDD and the extra 128GB SSD. 12GB RAM should be enough to handle most of your gaming needs and the laptop is super fast and slick.
Specs
Benefits
The anti-glare 17.3-inch screen is superb and offers quality images and crystal clear graphics at a wide degree of angles.
The keyboard on this laptop is solid and functional. It is backlit with red LED lights which looks great in low light. The black touchpad is easy to use and the left and right buttons are sturdy.
The sound quality on this laptop is outstanding. This is no surprise as it’s delivered by Bang & Olufsen high-quality speakers. The cutting-edge graphics jump out of the screen when gaming, due to the reliable NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Ti processing unit.
The laptop is equipped with the latest USB ports, allowing for super fast data transfer to other devices and drives. The 12-hour battery life is also impressive but it’s worth noting that this depends on usage—6 to 8 hours is more realistic.
Drawbacks
Being quite a large laptop, as most gaming machines are, this makes it heavy at a weight of 8 lbs.
Although the screen is 17.3 inches it’s not enough for some gamers and an external display over 19 inches would be better. Most gamers prefer large screens and will probably connect this laptop to another screen.
Extra Features
- Full HD display
- 2 extra memory slots for upgrades
- Compatible with Windows headset
- Customizable macros
Buying Advice
If you’re in the market for a good quality gaming laptop, then this OMEN by HP is a great choice. Excellent build quality, good looks and slick performance make the laptop stand out above many others.
As well as gaming, the laptop also handles all other tasks, such as browsing and downloading, with efficiency.
All of this comes at an attractive price.
The HP Spectre x360 is equipped with the 8th generation Intel Core i7-8550U processor with a base speed of 1.8GHz; this can be boosted to 4GHz.
Internal storage is 512GB. 8GB RAM is more than enough to run most programs and Windows 10 is installed.
HP Premium
One of the more common trends among recent laptops is plug-and-play components - instead of things being soldered onto the motherboard, they're clipped in at standardized attachment points, letting users easily swap out components that get worn out, damaged, or outdated. The HP Premium capitalizes on this by giving users a highly versatile skeleton that they can tune to meet their desired performance, tasks, and budget without needing to worry about damaging the computer during an upgrade.
To help new users shop within their own budget, this model offers you the chance to customize it before you even receive your model; you can take your pick of six different configurations, each one representing a different combination of processing power and memory drives. No matter which one you pick, though, you still get to enjoy the greater speed and crisper operation of Intel Core i7 processors, one of the most popular chi sets at the moment.
Speaking of speed, all of the options for the hard drive on this computer use solid state drives, a newer and measurably faster format than a traditional hard disk drive. Although one can easily switch to a hard disk for the added space they tend to offer, the solid state drive can read and write data far faster than a hard disk and executes such tasks as booting up the system or burning to a disk so quickly that you might be willing to forgo the extra space.
A possible turn-of for some shoppers will be the price, as this computer is on the expensive side; even for its considerable capabilities, there are better laptops on the market or nearly every application. This is especially true if one is willing to forego the touchscreen that this model sports; there are only a few sectors that need a touchscreen laptop, and anyone who doesn’t can save big by doing without it.
HP Backlit
Working on the same modular connections and the idea that the user should be able to personalize their laptop to the greatest possible extent,HP has also made this model available for the budget shopper. Available in six distinct configurations right out of the box, this will give great performance for most pedestrian users without breaking the bank.
One of the main appeals of this model is that it uses the AMD Ryzen chipset, a low-cost alternative to Intel chips that nevertheless delivers satisfactory performance for the majority of users. The processor speed can reach up to 3.5 gigahertz, some of the highest clock speeds that one is likely to find outside of gaming computers, making it capable of running intense workloads without breaking a sweat.
The Backlit supports up to 32 gigabytes of RAM, more than double the amount recommended for even the most modern titles in the gaming world, and so is able to run games, host websites, or analyze massive datasets without incident. The one thing it lacks for any of these is a discrete graphics card, but in most cases, there is more than enough RAM available to pick up the difference.
For storage, HP has adopted one of the growing trends in the laptop market to give this machine two separate drives. Like most manufacturers, they’ve provided the factory model with a fast solid state drive to run the operating system and a cavernous hard disk to hold large files or folders.
Although it is eminently serviceable, there are some users who will prefer the Intel chip set for its greater speed and reliability, and so may want to give this model a pass. Additionally, at nearly four pounds, it is somewhat on the chunky side to be used as a student laptop as it is billed; those with long class schedules or small backpacks might want to check elsewhere before buying.
HP IPS
This laptop is part of a class known as the ultrabook, a laptop that puts the very highest end of components into a case full of all the best ancillary features that can be had. HPs modular connection and customizability-centered approach let it push this ultrabook to specifications well beyond those to be found in most of the market.
There are literally a dozen possibilities you can select when ordering this laptop, depending on exactly what you are planning to do with it; unlike previous models, where only storage and processors could be customized when you ordered, this machine can be purchased either with the traditional Windows 7 that some people are used to or the newer and more powerful Windows 10. Whichever one you pick will be run on an Intel Core i7 quad-core processor, so you’ll have computer power to spare no matter what option you pick in the end.
If only because it is an ultrabook, it is no surprise that this model can support up to 32 gigabytes of RAM; ultrabooks carry that much processor power on a regular basis, as they are used for the most demanding of coding, editing, and hosting tasks. Storage is provided by a single drive bay capable of supporting solid state drives up to and including one terabyte, giving the user both the speed and space that an ultrabook user is almost certainly seeking.
As one might have conjectured, these are all fairly high-end additions for a computer to have, and they are ot free; even the most basic setup of the IPS weighs in at well more than one thousand USD, a price tag that will make many shoppers do a rapid about face. Because it is intended for work and not play, the IPS is also missing a discrete graphics card, making do with Intel Iris integrated graphics instead in an unusual spot of weakness for an otherwise fully upgraded machine.
HP Budget 15
As much as there is a demand for powerful machines that can do practically any function, there is also a significant market for simpler machines that people can use for pedestrian tasks such as web browsing, word processing, and keeping in touch with work, family, and friends. The HP Budget is aimed squarely at this category, deliberately choosing components that are somewhat dated to keep the operation simple and the cost of the model low.
The Budget comes with Windows 10 running on Intel Core i3, a fairly sedate combination that should get through everyday tasks in short order. The factory configurations begin at twelve gigabytes of RAM to handle heavier video conferencing or uploading large files for school or the office, and a relatively small 256 gigabyte solid state drive that holds both the system and a decent amount of storage as long as it is being used exclusively for documents and smaller applications.
It is worth pointing out that if the buyer doesn’t mind a modicum of self-servicing the computer or the cost of having someone else do so, the substandard components can be easily taken out of their modular clips and replaced with a much larger hard drive and RAM chip set. If one knows where to find the parts at a good price, this can yield an extremely powerful computer for far less than a factory model with the same specifications.
Unfortunately, most of those who would like this computer are specifically the kind of user that does not want to have to get their computer serviced, and in fact bought this model so that they would have a simple machine that didn’t need any further upgrades or attention. Although there is no denying that these users got their wish, this remains a mid range laptop at best, and anyone with heavy computing to do should probably move along.
Best HP 2 in 1:
HP Spectre x360-15 Quad Core
Final Thoughts
Whichever HP laptop you decide to purchase, you’ll have a machine that is easy to operate and it will perform well.
You have the ongoing support of HP if things go wrong and replacement components are easy to source when necessary.
Buying a laptop from a market leader is always a good choice and your laptop should serve you well.
Specs
Benefits
The Spectre has a relatively low weight of 4.4 lbs. It’s hardly noticeable when carrying it around. The 15.6-inch touchscreen is bright and clear and you have the added bonus of being able to use a digital pen.
The keyboard on this 2-in-1 laptop is excellent, with no flexing. It is backlit, which is useful in low light rooms. A great feature on this laptop is the larger than usual touchpad which makes navigating menus easier.
The laptop also features Bang & Olufsen sound technology and the audio is clear and crisp from the dual HP speakers. The NVIDIA GeForce MX150 processor provides excellent graphics making this a great all-round laptop.
The laptop features the usual ports you would expect to see on a high-end machine and all of your devices can be connected. A battery life of 8 hours is sufficient for most but this duration may drop depending on usage.
Drawbacks
Internal storage is adequate with 512GB but for the price, a 1TB would have been better.
Although the audio is clear, the built-in speakers tend to buzz at higher volume which is annoying.
The laptop also runs hot, causing the machine to shut down. A better quality fan would alleviate this problem.
Extra Features
- Wide vision IR camera
- Active HP stylus included
- HP Imagepad with multi-touch gesture support
Buying Advice
If you’re looking for a versatile laptop that does it all, it’s worth looking at this one. This machine is suitable for home use, office work, presentations and gaming.
The high resolution screen is another reason we selected this laptop in this category.
It looks sleek and stylish and having a lightweight device that is a laptop and a tablet in one unit, makes it a great choice if you’re traveling or regularly on the go.
