Best HP Laptops

Written by laura

Updated July 2024

Although Hewlett-Packard is perhaps best known for their printers and ink, they also offer impressive PC hardware, including desktops, monitors, and even laptops. In fact, HP’s laptops are some of the best bargains in the business: They’re rugged, powerful, and in many cases even feature touchscreens — all at impressively low prices.

If you’re in the market for a Windows laptop, or even a Chromebook, that can keep up with you, it’s worth it to check out the latest gear from HP.

If you expect to be traveling with your HP laptop, buy a spare power cable and keep it with your laptop. You’ll be able to recharge wherever you go, and you’ll still be able to charge the battery at home even if you lose the second cable.

HP laptop battery life

One of the biggest differentiators among different HP laptop models is how long the battery will last. Battery life is arguably a laptop’s most important feature, so as you’re comparing the available options to your needs, think about the following.

• Carefully compare “standby” time versus usage time. Most HP laptop product descriptions provide two numbers: how long the laptop will last in “standby mode” and how long the laptop will last while in use. If you frequently go long stretches of time without plugging in, buy an HP laptop with the longest usage time you can afford. (And don’t forget that all published battery specifications are estimates, so your usage may vary from those numbers.)

• Note that laptops with larger screens consume battery power more quickly. We love a big, beautiful laptop screen as much as anyone, but bigger screens use more power. If you’re making the jump from a 13-inch laptop to a 15-inch laptop, expect the battery life to take a modest hit.

• Be aware that not all HP laptops feature user-replaceable batteries. Most HP laptops make battery replacement a straightforward procedure – a welcome feature that is disappearing all too quickly in the laptop market. If you expect to keep your laptop for more than three years, make sure you buy one that allows you to replace the battery. Models without user-replaceable batteries are typically thinner, lighter, and less expensive, but they become extremely problematic once the battery stops holding a complete charge.

HP laptops vs. HP 2-in-1s

Hewlett Packard makes two different types of laptops: traditional and 2-in-1. Each is tailored to specific uses, so think about which kind best meets your needs before you start shopping.

• HP laptops are traditional notebook computers for which the only input methods are a mouse and a keyboard. These laptops are generally more affordable, but you won’t be able to take advantage of touch-based features like pinching to zoom.

• HP 2-in-1s are laptops with touchscreens. These machines utilize the Windows 10 “tablet mode,” where the entire interface is optimized for touch input. These laptops are ideal for anyone who needs both the “lean forward” experience of a laptop and the “lean back” experience of a tablet.

Choose wisely. HP 2-in-1 laptops are generally more expensive due to the touchscreen, but you can’t add touch support to a traditional laptop. Once you’ve made your purchase, it will be too late to change your mind.

Windows vs. Chrome OS

HP manufactures laptops with both Microsoft Windows and Google’s Chrome OS. If you’re not sure which is right for you, consider the strengths and weaknesses of each before you buy.

• Microsoft Windows is the most widely used operating system on earth – and it’s the operating system of choice for most businesses. The current iteration – Windows 10 – is incredibly powerful and even includes a built-in voice assistant, Cortana. However, Microsoft’s track record with software updates is slow, so it’s often considered a less secure OS.

• Google’s Chrome OS is based on its popular web browser and can run any web-based application or browser extension you can throw at it. (Don’t worry if that sounds limiting; it isn’t – it just means that you’ll need to get used to working in a browser.) Chrome OS is less expensive to license and therefore typically comes on bargain-oriented laptops. If you’re looking for a competent laptop and you’re comfortable in a web browser, using Chrome OS is a solid choice.

Tips

• If you plan on connecting multiple devices to your HP laptop, determine which USB ports support USB 2.0 and which support USB 3.0. Both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 slots look physically identical, but the latter represents a significant improvement in the amount of data and power that can be transferred to a peripheral device. Consider the devices you’ll be connecting to your laptop: which ones support USB 3.0 and which don’t? By pairing up each of your devices with the optimal slot, you ensure that your gear is getting the power and data it needs as quickly as possible. (Don’t forget that USB 3.0 ports are backward compatible with USB 2.0 and USB 1.1 hardware.)

• If you frequently use a digital camera, get an HP laptop with an SD card reader. Some HP laptops include secure digital (SD) card readers, so you can insert an SD card directly into the machine to look at files. SD card readers are a must-have for anyone interested in photography – it’s the fastest way to transfer images from a digital camera to a laptop hard drive.

• If you’re comparing different HP models, pay close attention to how much each weighs. One thing that’s easy to lose track of is how much each laptop weighs – but the differences among models can be dramatic. HP’s thin and light ultrabooks are typically around three pounds, while their laptops with DVD drives edge closer to six or seven pounds (and that’s before you add any peripherals). If you’re going to be carrying around your HP laptop, save yourself a sore back and buy a model that’s appropriately light.

If you’re a gamer, pay close attention to the laptop’s video specifications. If a laptop lists having “integrated graphics,” it doesn’t have a dedicated video card and will likely have problems playing triple-A titles like World of Warcraft. Suitable laptops for gaming have a discrete video card, typically featuring video hardware from NVIDIA or AMD.

FAQ

Q. Can I make my laptop’s battery last longer?

A. Yes! There are plenty of simple ways to extend the battery life of your laptop when you’re on the move. Try some of the following:

Click on the battery icon at the bottom of the screen, and activate Battery Saver mode. This dims the screen by 30% and prevents many universal apps from running in the background.

Type “see which apps are affecting your battery life” into the Windows search bar, press enter, and close the power-sucking apps that you aren’t actively using to conserve your laptop’s battery life.

Select a dark theme from your laptop’s display options. You’d be surprised how much extra battery power it takes to continuously illuminate bright colors.

Q. How much memory (RAM) does my new laptop need?

A. It depends on how you’re going to use it. If you plan on using your laptop for gaming, video editing, or running multiple programs at once, we highly encourage you to find a laptop with a larger amount of memory — in the 16GB to 32GB range. On the other hand, if you’re buying a laptop purely for web browsing or word processing, you’ll be fine with less — 4GB to 8GB.

In a nutshell, if you’d prefer a more versatile laptop, it’s a good idea to buy a model with more memory.

Q. How do I compare laptop resolutions?

A. Unfortunately, many laptop listings don’t make it easy to pinpoint how great its picture quality is at a glance as if you were trying to buy a television, but here’s a handy cheat sheet to help compare laptop resolutions:

3840 x 2560 = 4K Ultra High Definition. Gorgeous, and great for playing high-end video games and movies published in this format.

1920 x 1080 = Full HD. Fantastic for watching Blu-ray movies and playing video games.

1600 x 900 = HD+. A good fit for streaming video, simple video games, and DVDs.

1366 x 768 = HD. Good enough for browsing the internet, word processing programs, and simple laptop tasks.