HP Pavilion 15.6", Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSB+32GB Optane, Lunar Gold

I am reviewing the HP Pavilion 15 laptop. It has a 15.6 inch HD screen which is nice for streaming and graphics. This is my first laptop that is not a Mac so it took me a while to get used to, but what I did like is that it is fairly lightweight, it has a nice microphone and speakers, and is easy to set up. It also has a touchscreen, which I wasn't sure I would use or even like, but I LOVE it! From completely dead it only took two hours to get a full charge and the battery life is quite good. There are two type-A USB ports and one type-C USB port, a HDMI port, a SD media card reader and a headphone jack. No CD/DVD drive but I guess that is the norm now. The Intel core i7 makes it fast and easily streamed Netflix for me. I appreciated the numeric keypad on the side also. It took me a while to figure out how to get the keyboard backlit but I did, but it doesn't stay on. The laptop is predominantly plastic also, which I was surprised by but you really can't do much better for the price. This would be a good laptop for students or for those of us who just use it for shopping and zoom visits, not sure about gaming since I don't do gaming. For what I need, this laptop is perfect for me.

The HP Pavilion Laptop 15-eg0050wm is near-perfect mid-price notebook, with stellar performance and luxury features aplenty. But before we get into the review, I'd like to give HP some advice: fix your nomenclature! HP's lineup this year includes several lookalike Pavilion laptops with similar-sounding names and prices that vary only slightly. The features, however, vary a lot. For example, Model 15-eg0050wm (this one) has a big, beautiful full-HD multi-touchscreen whereas lookalike Model 15-cs3055wm has no touch capacity whatsoever. Other models lack backlit keyboards, etc. Avoid disappointment: if you've read the reviews and settled on a particular model, for goodness sake, write the model number down and be sure it's the one in your shopping cart. Personally, I suggest going with 15-eg0050wm: PLUSES: ❤ Bright, Vibrant Screen. When you unbox this laptop, you may look at the screen and say "meh," because HP's default graphics settings are more natural and less intense than the defaults used by some other manufacturers. The default displays of Samsung tablets, for example, are so saturated colors appear hallucinogenic, so if that's what you're used to, your HP screen may strike you as pallid. Not a bit! Just fire up the Intel Graphics Command Center pre-loaded on your system and you can manually adjust color intensity, hue and saturation of still images and videos, live previewing your changes. In seconds, my screen colors popped to my complete satisfaction. ❤ Fleet, flawless multi-touch capability (identifies all ten of your fingertips separately). I adore my mobile, Android apps and this feature enables me to emulate them on PC if I feel like it. ❤ 16:9 aspect ratio. This used to be the normal PC screen ratio, but narrow screens are in vogue these days and so much the pity if, like me, you frequent text-heavy websites and enjoy reading long articles. Old school 16:9 is much better for readers. ❤ Super-responsive, whisper-quiet backlit keyboard that is a joy to use and doesn't click or flex. Touchpad is oversized and there is a dedicated number pad. NOTE: The gray keyboard numbers and symbols do not contrast anywhere near highly enough against the warm silver for hunt & peck typists or the visually impaired but more about that in the Minuses section. ❤ Sufficiently loud speakers for a laptop. Sound doesn't distort at max volume. HP makes a point of letting you know they're made by Bang & Olufsen, but don't set your expectations too high -- these are still only laptop speakers and the sound is thin. Still, it isn't tinny, and that's saying something these days. (I preferred HPs pre-2015 speakers made by Beats). ❤ Very lightweight -- 1.75kg (3.85809 lbs). AC adapter is also light and compact. ❤ Build-quality feels super-solid. I'd been concerned HP's ballyhooed micro-edges (thin bezels) might make the laptop flimsy as I'm accustomed to work-issued HP Elitebooks built like tanks, but the unit is plenty sturdy and requires no special handling. ❤ Terrific strong Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5 signals: it sees many networks and devices that my other pcs, tablets, phones and smart appliances aren't detecting. Screencasting to my Chromecast and Fire TV dongles is working flawlessly. ❤ The Windows 10 Operating System is a very clean install with almost no junkware added. The only exceptions are Netflix and the security provider McAfee (I uninstalled both). ❤ Battery: Lasts 8 hours. Charges pretty fast. I play no video games and I am getting the promised 8 hours (I would gmore if I didn't set my screen to maximum brightness). ❤ Case color: I was happy to unbox and find that the Lunar Gold case is a warm silver, not gold. Who would want a gold-colored laptop? ❤ 512 Gig solid state drive. Fast and silent. ❤ 8 Gigs of Ram: more than adequate for my programming and entertainment. ❤ Cool and quiet: I was a mite concerned, having read reviews about some related Pavilion models claiming the fan ran constantly. Oddly, the fan did fire up and run at first but only during the initial hours of setup. After the first full charge was completed (and I had uninstalled all of the McAfee software), the fan rarely ever goes on and it's running cooler than average for a laptop: between 96 and 104 Fahrenheit. MINUSES: ☹ The main drawback of this Pavilion line is that the product designer responsible for the keyboard sacrificed function for the sake of form in selecting a font color and style that is only barely visible if you are using the laptop in a well-lit room. Honestly, I really resent this new breed of product and software designers that give no thought at all to those who are lesser abled or visually impaired. Many, many reviewers have mentioned their difficulties in reading the keyboard. HP could make lemonade from lemons and produce a silicone keyboard overlay with high contrast characters and symbols on it, pricing it very reasonably and marketing it directly to everyone who purchased the product. I am a very fast touch typist so this poor visibility doesn't prevent my enjoyment of this product --however even controls as simple as the power key (hidden in the function row) require a few seconds hunt. I plan to buy some tiny nail stickers for manicures to affix to the case above the Power and Delete keys and add a tiny silicone bump to the "A" and the "J" so I can position my hands without looking. ☹ Ports: It doesn't have a standard ethernet port. This is scarcely a negative, because you can still use a USB-C to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter to achieve a hardwired cable connection, and most folks don't use ethernet on notebooks, but still some might miss that port. Here are the ports it does have, according to HP's website: "This model has a 1 SuperSpeed USB Type-C® 10Gbps signaling rate (USB Power Delivery, DisplayPort™ 1.4, HP Sleep and Charge); 2 SuperSpeed USB Type-A 5Gbps signaling rate; 1 HDMI 2.0; 1 AC smart pin; 1 headphone/microphone combo". There is also a built-in smart card reader. ☹ No paper manual: This isn't a hardship for people like me who look stuff up online but I don't think manufacturers have any idea how much some older consumers miss big, fat hard-copy manuals with step by step instructions. I have relatives who would love a new computer or phone but refuse to upgrade, fearing the learning curve without a manual. ☹ This may be the fault of McAfee, not HP, but I specifically declined the offer of a software trial and yet not only was said software installed but I found myself on their mailing list. Bad McAfee! Nevertheless, it was simple to remove all traces of the product, which can't always be said for security software. CONCLUSION: All in all, this is the by far the nicest non-employer issued laptop I have ever had to date. In an age of declining manufacturing standards and poor quality control, HP is still generally reliable and the Pavilion line is reasonably priced. I love it! Just be sure to identify the appropriate model that has all the features you want and buy accordingly. The difference in price from one Pavilion model to the next is that significant and you may regret the features you forfeit more than any savings you gain.