HP’s New Pavilions Bring Premium PC Features to the Masses

HP's New Pavilions Bring Premium PC Features to the Masses

Today, HP announced a new lineup of Pavilion laptops and convertibles that bring premium features from its Envy and Spectre products to the masses: Starting prices range from $350 to $700, depending on the model.

“Our latest Pavilion is a convertible that offers features typically reserved for our premium products, including pen for those who want to draw or take notes directly on the screen,” HP vice president Kevin Frost in a prepared statement. “So students and aspiring digital creators can interact and create on our PCs in new and unique ways.”

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HP Pavilion
HP Pavilion

These PCs seem to hit a nice sweet spot of value and price. And as some of you may recall, I recently wrote about my issues with overly expensive devices in Let’s Talk About Smartphone Pricing (Premium). That article obviously focuses on smartphones, but I did mention the following:

“Looking around my home office, I see several premium PCs waiting to be reviewed. And I will get to them, dutifully, as I should. But I also know that most of the people reading this site—myself include—either couldn’t afford to pay the prices that these PCs command or simply never would do so regardless. For most people, a less expensive PC would do very nicely.”

HP Pavilion colors

Perhaps one of these is such a PC. So I’ll reach out to HP about doing a possible review.

For now, however, here’s an overview of the announcement: HP has revved its Pavilion laptop and Pavilion x360 convertible PC lines with new designs and some features that were previously reserved for its premium PC products, including premium materials, USB-C connectivity, and active pen support.

HP Pavilion x360

Likewise, each features 7th generation Intel Core i3-i7 processors, dual SSD/HDD storage options on select models, a choice of AMD Radeon or NVIDIA GeForce discrete graphics, all-day battery life (up to 10 hours) with HP Fast Charge on select models, an HP Wide Vision camera or optional IR camera with Windows Hello support, HP Audio Boost and Bang & Olufsen tuned sound, and unique color options.

The Pavilion laptops come in 14- ($699 and up), 15- ($599 and up), and 17-inch ($629 and up) versions, while the convertible Pavilion x360 comes in 11- ($349 and up), 14- ($449 and up), and 15-inch ($579 and up) versions. (I know some of those prices don’t make sense; that’s what the HP spec sheet says.)

I hope to have more to say about these devices soon.

 

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Conversation 14 comments

  • Bats

    13 April, 2017 - 5:03 pm

    <p>The use of the word "premium" is way overused. Anyone can go into Best Buy and see the tables of laptops and desktops that are all premium. Not one can be called "non-premium" or "cheap." Then you can go to the table on the far side of section and see the computers that contain AMD chips along with Intel Atoms, Celerons, and Pentiums.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>If HP is bringing these so-called "premium" features into the Pavillion line, that means they were able to find a low cost "cheap" parts to build them into their low end machines. Make no mistake, Pavillions are the low end computers.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>I bought 2 Pavillion laptops in 2004 and 2007 (or somewhere in that time frame.) Those laptops had built in cameras, harmon kardon and JBL speakers, lightscribe drive, and so on….At that time, they were "premium" features as well.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>FYI, the HP Pavillion dv9000t still runs today.</p>

    • Waethorn

      13 April, 2017 - 5:44 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#97808">In reply to Bats:</a></em></blockquote><p>Consider yourself lucky. The dv6000 and 9000 and Compaq v3000 and 6000 had issues across the board and were on a massive recall that HP couldn't keep up with, so they ended up quietly killing the recall. AMD systems had NVIDIA chipsets which couldn't survive their own heat, while Intel systems had defective thermal monitoring. Other brands were affected by the AMD problems – even Apple, who was using the higher-end nForce 9000 chipset at the time. It's the reason why NVIDIA stopped producing motherboard chipsets. I don't ever see any of them anymore, as most of the ones I had seen had already died years ago (usually within a couple years of purchase)</p>

      • palmpre

        14 April, 2017 - 12:10 am

        <blockquote><a href="#97813"><em>In reply to Waethorn:</em></a></blockquote><blockquote><em>I'm still using my DV6000 with its Centrino Duo processor. It's running Win8.1 and has an SSD. Never understood why the fan ran so frequently when it didn't seem the PC was doing much. Only part I had to replaced was the power button cable.</em></blockquote><blockquote><em>With all the money I've been saving, finally ordered a Spectre x360 15t last week.</em></blockquote><p><br></p>

  • BrandonCBoyer

    13 April, 2017 - 8:57 pm

    <p>I saw this and went to HP.com, but they are not available to buy yet. I am a stock holder of HP and this stuff really annoys me that the company doesn't move fast enough in today's world. However I really think these devices are nice looking, and will be good sellers in time for back to school and graduation. I just wish that they would make it a company standard to have signature edition on all their PCs. </p>

    • delorean

      14 April, 2017 - 2:00 am

      <blockquote><a href="#97833"><em>In reply to BrandonCBoyer:</em></a>&nbsp;I was interested in the HP Slice about a year ago. But they never put the i7 model in their store. It is still not in their online store. (hp.ca) I contacted HP to ask when it would be offered and I got the answer "I don't know". I gave up and built my own PC. The form factor of a custom build is not as nice but I got more PC for the money. It would have been the first HP I ever purchased.<img src=""></blockquote><p><br></p>

  • RobertJasiek

    14 April, 2017 - 12:47 am

    <p>Whether Pavillon, Spectre, Elite other HP models and other models with similar keyboard layouts by other manufacturers – none of them is "premium" or "productive" as long as design destroys function by including unproductive, tiny, unusuable arrow keys. It would be absolutely no problem to include normal-sized arrow keys by shrinking the right SHIFT-key. These details are sufficient reason for me to never buy any product with such a design mistake. Design, however beautiful, must never destroy function. This is so basic we already learnt it in the arts lessons at school. Quite contrarily, other manufacturers have started to copy HP's great fundamental mistake. A keyboard is not a painting but is a device to be used.</p>

    • wshwe

      14 April, 2017 - 11:00 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#97844">In reply to RobertJasiek:</a></em></blockquote><p>I hate small right SHIFT keys.</p>

      • RobertJasiek

        14 April, 2017 - 11:29 am

        <blockquote><a href="#97865"><em>In reply to wshwe:</em></a></blockquote><p>Whilst I hate small left SHIFT keys:) Anyway, there are several possible solutions, among them, ugh, making the left SHIFT key smaller, moving the key left of the right SHIFT key to: right of the left SHIFT key (as done on various occasions), move the right SHIFT key of constant size left by one normal key width and then there is the necessary space for the 4 arrow keys in normal size.</p>

    • MutualCore

      15 April, 2017 - 4:23 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#97844">In reply to RobertJasiek:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>Even Macbook Pro w/Touchbar has half-size up/down arrow keys. All laptops have this compromise. I honestly can't imagine doing all my computing on a friggen laptop like some of ya freaks!</p>

  • Billzeal

    Premium Member
    14 April, 2017 - 1:11 am

    <p>HP just keeps rolling out good product's. What a come back for this company. Quality after Quality. Great time for PC enthusiast's and everyone else too</p>

  • sharpsone

    14 April, 2017 - 11:51 am

    <p>Sexy!</p>

  • MutualCore

    15 April, 2017 - 4:22 pm

    <p>Interesting. I thought HP was dead, baby dead in PCs after 2012.</p>

    • Angusmatheson

      16 April, 2017 - 12:18 am

      <blockquote><em>I am worried about HP and all the OEMs. Although PC sales were finally up in 2016 profits continued to fall last year. Not many companies can flourish while they are shrinking. I may be wrong, I have no data, but I bet the majority of Surface profits came not from Apple profits but from OEM profits as fewer Premium PCs were sold by them. </em><a href="#98078"><em>In reply to MutualCore:</em></a></blockquote><p>https://secure.marketwatch.com/story/hp-revenue-grows-on-pc-sales-but-challenges-ahead-2017-02-22</p&gt;

  • ben55124

    Premium Member
    17 April, 2017 - 5:42 pm

    <p>Hopefully all the 14"+ have 1080P or better. WXGA needs to go away.</p>

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