The Pavilion Plus 14 is a fascinating animal. The budget computers in the Pavilion line have been a step down from the higher-end models. HP has been releasing Pavilions that are in the middle of the range with their main draw being light weight.
Pavilion Plus is in that camp. It is the first Pavilion to include anOLED screen, and it is the lightest Pavilion ever. The model that I have, with a 12th Gen Intel Core i7-12700H, 16 gigabyte of RAM, 128 gigabyte of storage, and a 2.8K 90Hz display, is a step up from the $600 Pavilions I'm currently using, is currently priced at It isn't a budget laptop anymore.
There are some odd flaws left over from its budget roots, and the Pavilion Plus 14 is not the hands-down best laptop one can buy, but it does offer a combination of portability, power, and conferencing features.
There are four things that I like about the Pavilion Plus 14.
See how we rate our scores.
Carrying it around is my favorite thing about the Pavilion. It is easy to carry with one arm. I put this in my backpack, and it felt empty. I was concerned that I might not have remembered it. The Envy x360 15 is over a full pound heavier. It's fine to carry it around with two other laptops. There are a lot of laptops with Intel H-series chips.
I put this in my backpack, and it felt empty.
The 90WUSB-C is large for an ultraportable. I recently reviewed a gaming laptop from HP, and the Plus' charge is close to the size I was looking for.
There are two areas where the Pavilion Plus really stands out. There is a 14-inch display. It has a crisp 2880 x 1800 resolution, which is a higher resolution than the MacBook Air, and the 90Hz refresh rate gives it a smooth scrolling experience. Even though I was doing boring work in the office, I noticed the contrast between the deep black and bright whites. It was bright, reaching over 400 nits in my tests. The M1 MacBook Air has 400 nits of brightness, but that is not enough for most laptop use cases.
One of the best cameras I have used on a laptop is in this Pavilion Plus. In my bright office space, where I often look washed out, the details were accurate and the lighting was well regulated.
There are a lot of fancy features that you can use in the my HP app. As you move your camera, auto-framing keeps you focused. It did work despite the fact that this wasn't as smooth as Apple's Center Stage. You can turn on and off the adjustments. It's my favorite feature. You can freeze your video feed and put a banner at the bottom of the screen to let people know that you will be back. I don't know how many people will use this, but it's funny.
There is no physical privacy shutter and the camera doesn't support Windows Hello facial logins.
There are twousb-c, oneHDMI, and oneusb-a on the left
There is a earphone jack on the left.
One of the most powerful thin-and-light laptops you can buy is probably this one. The 12th Gen Core i7-12700H did a great job of handling my workload. I didn't get impatient while waiting for effects to work, as I sometimes do on budget-oriented competitors, and video calls were fine. It was on par with other top thin-and-lights such as HP's Envy x360 15.
The camera doesn't work with Windows Hello.
An H-series processor is more than enough for this device. The lack of graphics in this model wouldn't make it a good choice for those use cases. I would like to see HP go for a more efficient chip.
The Pavilion Plus has a better battery life than some H-series Intel laptops have. The lifespan I got isn't good enough for a laptop that says it's portable. After three and a half hours of use, I was already down to 20%. I used about four hours and 38 minutes per day. If shoppers don't mind being limited by battery life, they may prefer to go for a graphics-powered workstation.
The Pavilion Plus 14 is built to the same specifications as other Pavilion models. There is a recycled aluminum lid. It is not flimsy, but there is some flex in some parts. The keyboard deck has a nice texture and I like it. The vibe is professional and premium, but there is only one thing that makes it special.
I don't like the look of the bezels. It is not because of their size, but because they are more noticeable. They look and feel like plastic, and don't fit in with the rest of the equipment.
The packaging and various parts are made from recycled materials. I remind people that e-waste and energy consumption have a huge environmental impact. I don't think recycled aluminum makes up for the power-hungriness of this device.
You need to agree to the following in order to use the HP Pavilion Plus 14.
License terms for Microsoft and HP.
Yes or no can be said to the following.
Privacy settings include location, Find My device, sharing diagnostic data, inking and typing, tailored experience and advertising ID. To improve HP products and services, and to send personalized offers and news, you should allow HP to use information about your system.
There are two mandatory agreements and 13 optional agreements to use.
The Pavilion Plus 14 is a good mid-range pick. At this price point, the screen is hard to beat and the camera is good. The MacBook Air is not as smooth or as bright as the Pavilion can provide.
It isn't for everyone. The inefficiency of the processor makes it ideal for a small group of shoppers who are looking for heavy-duty power and a great screen. If you want an ultraportable that performs well, there are better choices out there.
Monica Chin is a photographer.
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