If you’re searching for a terrific all-around ultra-portable laptop under $1,000, the HP Pavilion Aero 13 is the one to get.
It’s cause the HP Pavilion Aero 13 comes with a strong AMD Ryzen 7 CPU, a brilliant, colorful 13.3-inch display, a superlight chassis, and a clicky keyboard, all at a very reasonable price. Some users, however, may be disappointed by the tiny keyboard deck and the absence of a microSD card slot.
But there are minor flaws that are readily overlooked when considering how fantastic the HP Pavilion Aero 13 is. It’s without a doubt one of the greatest laptops you can purchase.
What you will see here:
Design of HP Pavilion Aero 13
The HP Pavilion Aero 13 may appear to be sleek and compact, but that is nothing compared to how it operates. With a weight of about 2.2 pounds, this beauty seems like a paperweight in your hands. It complements the hood’s simple design, which has a glossy HP logo imprinted in the middle.
When you open it up, you’ll find a sleek, small keyboard deck along with a fingerprint reader on the bottom and a smooth glass touchpad right next to it. Meanwhile, the display’s bezels will welcome you with their thin curves.
The HP Pavilion Aero 13 is lighter than its competitors, weighing only 2.2 pounds. Despite being slimmer, the Asus Zenbook 13 OLED (2.5 pounds), Lenovo ThinkPad X13 (2.8 pounds), & Dell XPS 13 OLED (2.8 pounds) are all heavier than the Aero 13.
Display
The 13.3-inch, 1920 x 1200 screen on the HP Pavilion Aero 13 is surprisingly beautiful for the price, due to its bright and vibrant panel.
It will amaze you how the Aero 13’s screen handles the contrast during night scenes when watching the teaser for DC’s Batman flick. The graphics were so crisp and bright even in the dead of night. The clarity is also on the next level.
The Aero 13 managed to capture 119.5 percent of the sRGB color spectrum, making it more vibrant than normal. The Aero 13 outperformed the XPS 13 OLED and ThinkPad X13, which came in second and third, respectively, with 117.3 percent and 102.1 percent. The Zenbook 13’s OLED display, on the other hand, can display 132 percent of the sRGB color spectrum.
The Aero 13 is an outstanding little beast for a sub-$1,000 laptop, with a brightness of 451 nits. It outperformed the Zenbook 13 OLED (396 nits), ThinkPad X13 (278 nits), and XPS 13 OLED in terms of brightness (417 nits). Who claims you have to be high-end to have a brilliant screen?
Audio of HP Pavilion Aero 13
While the bottom-firing Bang & Olufsen speakers on the HP Pavilion Aero 13 aren’t very powerful, they’re well-balanced.
The laptop has the B&O audio control program, which allows you to tweak the audio quality, but not in a way that significantly improves audio performance. Presets for Movie, Music, and Voice are included, and even a full EQ for audiophiles to experiment with.
Software and Warranty of HP Pavilion Aero 13
The lower the price, the greater the bloat. The Aero 13 is the newest victim of this tried-and-true recipe. But, removing obnoxious software like Kaspersky, Hotels.com, or a tool that drives you to a URL for an Adobe free trial is all it needs to preserve a few hundred dollars. Not going to give HP a pass on this one, but the tradeoff is simple to justify.
There are eight branded apps that HP offers to the table. That’s seven too many since as Asus, Lenovo, and others have done, they could simply be combined into a single app. Support Assistant is the HP-branded software you’ll want to have around as a resource for updating drivers, checking warranty status, and viewing device health. If you don’t have an HP printer, HP Smart will be useless, while QuickDrop is yet another tool for sharing photographs between devices. HP covers the Pavilion Aero 13 with HP’s standard one-year guarantee.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The Aero 13 boasts one of the most comfortable keyboards, albeit it may take some getting used to owing to its narrow deck.
The keys have a clicky, snappy feel to them and have proper space. The little deck is the only actual obstacle you must overcome. You’ll be OK if you’re familiar with the feel of a 13-inch laptop. Give yourself time if you’re downsizing.
It’s not the biggest touchpad, at 4.5 x 2.5 inches, but it’s one of the smoothest, allowing your finger to glide across it like glass. It also has those deep clicks which make you feel powerful while making a decision.
Ports in HP Pavilion Aero 13
The HP Pavilion Aero 13 has a surprising amount of ports for such a small laptop.
The 1 drop-jaw USB Type-A port, 1 USB Type-C port, HDMI port, and a headphone jack are on the left, while one drop-jaw USB Type-A port and power jack are on the left.
However, a microSD card slot would have been welcome.
Price and configuration
The HP Pavilion Aero 13 is available via HP’s website and third-party retailers. For $839 it consists of an AMD Ryzen 7 5800U processor, 16Gb ram, a 512GB SSD, and a 13.3-inch screen. This laptop comes in silver by default, but you may upgrade to white, Pale Rose Gold, or Warm Gold for an extra $10-$15.
If you’re looking for a cheaper option, the $749 entry-level model comes with an AMD Ryzen 5 5600U processor, 256GB SSD, and 8GB RAM. Meanwhile, for $1,099 MSRP, you can purchase a beefed-up model that has the same CPU and RAM but replaces the SSD with a 1TB drive and boosts the display resolution to 2560 x 1600 pixels.
Conclusion
For those who value mobility above all else, the HP Pavilion Aero 13 laptop is an obvious choice. With excellent performance as well as a great display and a comfy keyboard, the Aero 13 is a fantastic ultraportable all-arounder. Except for the fact that its deck is a little on the tiny side and it lacks a microSD card slot.
You can always opt for the Asus Zenbook 13 OLED, which is just as cheap as the Aero 13 but has a brighter display and a better battery life. It can’t equal the Aero 13’s incredible lightness, though. If that’s important to you, the HP Pavilion Aero 13 is a great, budget-friendly ultraportable.
