HP recently added a new model to its Pavilion line up in India: the HP Pavilion Plus 16. This laptop has a 16-inch form factor, which is becoming increasingly popular among users who want a larger screen without compromising on portability. The HP Pavilion Plus 16 offers a clean and simple design and a powerful hardware configuration that includes an Intel Core i7-13700H processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 GPU. With this combination, the HP Pavilion Plus 16 aims to bridge the gap between regular laptops and gaming laptops. The laptop costs around Rs 1,25,000, but is it worth it? In this review, we'll find out whether this laptop is a balanced and affordable choice for those who need a versatile device. But first let's take a look at its specifications.
hp pavilion plus 16 specifications
| Specifications | hp pavilion plus 16 |
| processor | Intel Core i7-13700H processor |
| GRAPHICS | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU (6GB GDDR6 Dedicated) |
| Display | 40.6 cm (16-inch) diagonal, WQXGA (2560 x 1600), 48-120 Hz, IPS, micro-edge, anti-glare, low blue light, 400 nits, 100% sRGB |
| Memory | 16 GB |
| storage | 1TB |
| keyboard | Full-size, backlit, soft gray keyboard with numeric keypad |
| webcam | HP Wide Vision 5 MP IR camera with temporal noise reduction and integrated dual array digital microphone |
| connectivity | Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (2×2) and Bluetooth 5.3 wireless card |
| I and | 1 Thunderbolt 4 with USB Type-C |
| 2 USB Type-A | |
| 1 USB Type-C | |
| 1x HDMI 2.1 port | |
| 1x AC connector | |
| 1 headphone/microphone combo | |
| Audio | B&O Speaker |
| Battery | 4-cell, 68 Wh Li-ion polymer |
| Power Adapter | 135W AC Power Adapter |
| weight | 1.89 kg |
| DIMENSIONS | 35.7 x 25.35 x 1.77 cm (front); 35.7 x 25.35 x 1.99 cm (back) |
| Colour | natural silver aluminum |
HP Pavilion Plus 16 review: Build and design
Let's start with the physical aesthetics of the laptop. Overall, the laptop has a sleek and premium design, with sharp edges and a silver-colored metal chassis. It comes with an aluminum display shell, which has a frosted finish that adds a modern touch to the laptop and prevents fingerprints. The laptop weighs 1.89 kg, which is a bit heavy, but the weight is balanced and it is easy to carry. The laptop has a thin profile and curved edges at the bottom, making it thinner than its actual dimensions. The hinge of the laptop is smooth and allows you to open the laptop with one hand and the screen does not move much in any position.
Laptops offer a variety of I/O ports for connectivity. On the right side, you can find the power connector, a USB Type-A port, a Thunderbolt 4 port, and a USB Type-C port. However, these ports are quite close to each other, which can make it difficult to use them together. On the left side, you can find another USB Type-A port and an audio jack. I find the placement of the audio jack a bit worrying as it is located on the top left corner, which may be inconvenient for some users, as the cord of their audio device may get in the way of their hand movements.
HP Pavilion Plus 16 review: Display and speakers
The HP Pavilion Plus 16 has a 16:10 screen that gives you more room for your content, which is enhanced by thin bezels on both sides (right and left). The screen displays colors accurately, as it covers the full sRGB range. The screen isn't OLED, but it still has deep blacks, high contrast, and vivid colors. The screen also has wide viewing angles with minimal color distortion. Anti-glare coating on the screen helps you work or enjoy content in bright settings without excessive glare. The only downside is that the screen isn't very bright at 400 nits, so you may have trouble viewing it in direct sunlight. The screen is designed for both regular and gaming laptop users, and makes games look and feel amazing.
The sound quality of this laptop is enhanced by B&O speakers, which produce crisp and powerful sound. However, the speakers could use more bass, and their lower location can reduce the volume when the laptop is on a soft surface like a bed. Still, the speakers are satisfactory for immersive gaming. For a better sound experience, you can use headphones or a wireless headset with Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity.
HP Pavilion Plus 16 review: Keyboard and trackpad
This laptop has a very large keyboard with a full-size numpad. The keys are nice and spaced appropriately, and have good depth to get the job done. The keyboard is backlit and comes with three levels of brightness. Unfortunately, the LED backlight output is low for environments that are not completely dark.
The track pad has a large surface area, which makes navigation easy, including gesture-based input. Overall, it is accurate, easy to use and has a satisfying click sound.
HP Pavilion Plus 16 review: Productivity and gaming
The Pavilion Plus 16 is a versatile laptop that can handle various tasks with ease. Whether you need to edit photos or videos, or work on your office or school projects, this laptop can do it all with ease. I tested its gaming performance and found it to be satisfactory for light games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Destiny 2, PUBG, and others. However, it had difficulty running Farcry even at low graphics settings, and would often freeze or crash.
During my testing, I also ran various benchmark tests on the laptop and here are the benchmark results of my test unit:
|
benchmark |
score |
| 3DMark: Time Spy | 3931 |
| Cinebench R24 (singlemulti) | 110/737 |
| PCMark10 (overall) | 6625 |
| geekbench6 single/multi | 2226/11126 |
HP Pavilion Plus 16 review: Webcam, privacy and security
The laptop has an IR webcam, located at the top edge of the screen. It supports Windows Hello facial recognition, which offers both speed and security. The webcam has high resolution and a wide angle, and the AI noise-canceling mic excels at eliminating background sounds during video calls or online gaming. The only drawback is that the laptop does not have a fingerprint reader.
The webcam comes with a useful physical privacy shutter, which lets you block the camera whenever you want. You can also mute the mic with a keyboard shortcut. The IR webcam and privacy shutter provide a balance between convenience and privacy.
HP Pavilion Plus 16 review: Battery, charging and heat management
The HP Pavilion Plus 16 offers solid performance and a battery life of four to five hours for normal use and three hours for mixed use. However, playing games with high graphics settings drains the battery quickly. In my testing it only lasted two hours. The battery also takes a long time to charge, taking 2-2.5 hours to reach full capacity. So, I think the laptop is not very impressive in terms of battery life and it is just average.
The laptop overheats even when performing graphics-intensive tasks like gaming. I noticed uneven temperatures across the laptop's body during my testing, with one side being too hot and the other side being too cold.
HP Pavilion Plus 16 review: Verdict
The HP Pavilion Plus 16 is a sleek and powerful laptop that offers a 16-inch screen, an Intel Core i7 processor, and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 GPU. Laptops can handle various tasks with ease, like photo and video editing, office and school projects, and gaming.
However, it struggles to run some heavy games like Farcry. The laptop has a good display, sound, keyboard, trackpad, and webcam, but it lacks a fingerprint reader and a bright screen. It overheats and its battery life is also mediocre.
The laptop is a balanced and affordable option for those who need a versatile device but is not very impressive in terms of performance and features. It is suitable for casual gamers and regular users, but not for hardcore gamers and professionals.
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