The Pavilion line was HP’s mainstay consumer entry-level marque, and this HP 15-fd0012nr represents a newer range of office/college laptops; it’s a not-so-Ultrabook laptop, but it has a lot going for it. This model we’re reviewing is bursting with high-spec hardware, from a 13th Gen Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, and 512GB SSD storage alongside Intel Iris Xe graphics, all for under $500. It’s a strong contender for a place in our best laptops for under-$500 list.
For the most part, it incredibly rocks those components, getting the job done which, while not competing with high-end laptops with Intel Core i9 or AMD Ryzen 9 chips, holds its own against peers like the Acer Aspire 5 or the Asus Vivobook 15.
All of those are packed into a handsome and ostensibly attractive case, slim enough that it looks pricier than it is, and given enough ports to make it fully useful for work and college. But for the price, corners have been cut, though they’ve been cleverly chosen and are likely to be features you can live without.
The keyboard is comfortable, though the case is entirely plastic, at least you get a full-size keyboard with a numpad on the side, something you rarely find on competing laptops this size. If you’re happy with its limits, the HP 15-fd0012nr is a clear winner.
About the HP 15-fd0012nr
The specs of our review unit are as follows:
- Processor: Intel Core i5-1334U
- Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD
- Memory: 8GB
- Display: 15.6-inch 1920×1080 IPS Display
- Operating System: Windows 11 Home
- Weight: 5.04 pounds
- Dimensions: 14.17 x 0.73 x 9.29 inches
Design & Features
The HP 15-fd0012nr readily sits on the upper side of the thin-and-light category at 5.04 pounds and 0.73 inches thick. You can toss this laptop into a backpack that weighs more than it, and it feels light enough on your back for most of your working day, of course, with slight breaks as you head out for the day.
The chassis is set on a natural silver finish that feels soft to the touch. On the base of the laptop is a sturdy construction with minimal flex, and the screen portion of the screen isn’t susceptible to flex either. It uses a micro-edge screen design, meaning you have tiny bezels surrounding the screen, giving you a bigger viewing area.
Port selection is excellent for a laptop that costs this much, including a single USB 3.1 Type-C port, two USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, a single HDMI port, and a single headphone/microphone combo. Yes, it doesn’t include a Thunderbolt port, but at this price point, the USB Type-C is more than sufficient for most digital peripherals.
Display, keyboard & touchpad
With a 1920 x 1080 resolution micro-edge display, it looks as sharp and vivid as we’d expect of a full-HD screen. It uses IPS (in-plane switching) display technology that offers impressive viewing angles, though it slightly dims when viewed from the sides, top, or bottom.
The screen is slightly dimmer than we’d like, measuring about 220 nits, below our comfortable indoor average of 250 nits. Then again, we’ve reviewed dimmer displays on laptops in this price range, but you’ll be able to view the Pavilion’s display comfortably indoors. Outdoor viewing might experience some difficulties viewing the screen.
The keyboard on the 15-fd0012nr is pretty comfortable for the work-from-home user or student who needs to churn out hundreds of term papers. Its square, flat keys feel solid rather than wacky, with good key travel and a satisfying mid-stroke bump. If you occasionally find yourself typing a lot, the keyboard here is among the best you can get, especially at this price point.
On the other hand, the trackpad is a bit on the wide side, which means your palms will frequently drag over it as you type. That wouldn’t be a concern if the trackpad were better at rejecting accidental swipes; alas, the Pavilion’s cursor occasionally jitters across the screen as your palm brushes the trackpad, especially on the right side.
Performance
With the HP 15 laptop, the company promises smooth day-to-day performance, making this machine a solid option for professionals working from home or an affordable alternative laptop for hotdesking.
Our review unit, the HP 15-fd0012nr, is powered by the aforementioned i5-1334U processor, 8GB of memory (on one slot), 512GB SSD, and Intel Iris Xe graphics. As specced, this is a capable workhorse that won’t overheat, no matter what you throw at it, for as long as you don’t include intensive tasks.
As a work laptop, the HP 15 will suffice for tasks in the realm of word processing, creating spreadsheets, email, and web browsing while listening to Spotify in the background – and it will not have any qualms. You can also do some photo editing on GIMP, as it allows for some basic modifications like layering images, cropping, and filling backgrounds.
On the flip side, the Iris Xe graphics option isn’t cut for modern AAA games, but you can still play basic games, but anything that requires a dedicated graphics card will be painfully slow. For a few hundred dollars more, you can score the MSI Thin 15 with a dedicated RTX 4050 graphics card, and it can be used for work, too.
Battery Life
On performance, the HP 15-fd0012nr is a laptop that easily punches above the weight. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for its battery life. With reduced brightness up to 50% and PCMark 10’s benchmark that simulates office work, the HP 15 laptop lasts around seven and a half hours, which is practically an hour less than the figure HP quotes.
Compared to the competition, the 15-fd0012nr doesn’t stack up nicely – the Asus ZenBook 14 lasts well over 12 hours, and our favorite Windows machine, Microsoft Surface Laptop 3, makes it to 8 hours 45 minutes.
HP 15-fd0012nr Review | Verdict
The HP 15-fd0012nr is a solid, affordable laptop for the home or office that can run most day-to-day tasks – whether it’s video calls, web browsing, college papers, music streaming, or light photo editing. Its only drawback is the display, which may be a bit too dim for some, but when used away from the sun, it’s as bright as they come. It’s not a drawback as such, just a thing to note before you buy.
Otherwise, the HP 15 laptop is portable and compact, making it a perfect candidate for those hotdesking or partially working from home. However, if you need an almost all-day battery and even better performance, the Acer Aspire 5 (2024 model) with a Core i7-1355U processor, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD storage is a great alternative.
Recommended Configuration
HP 15 inch Laptop, HD Display, 13th Generation Intel Core i5-1334U, 8 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, Windows 11 Home, 15-fd0012nr (2024)
11 used from $308.31
The Review
HP 15-fd0012nr
The HP 15-fd0012nr is an affordable laptop that carries a fair amount of power, a beautiful design, and a comfortable keyboard in a slimline shell. It’s not the most powerful around, but it’s a hard worker.
PROS
- Solid, portable build quality
- Great performance for the price
- Very good keyboard and trackpad
CONS
- Middling battery life
- Screen would be brighter
Review Breakdown
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ARS SCORE
