HP Pavilion Plus 14 laptop review: OLED, 90 Hz, and 12th gen Core H

The HP Pavilion Plus 14 is the “Pro” model to the standard Pavilion 14 . It carries higher-end options such as Core H-series CPUs and an OLED display to contrast the typical Core U-series and IPS options of the standard Pavilion 14. Our test unit in review comes with the Core i7-12700H CPU, integrated Iris Xe graphics, and a 90 Hz 16:10 1800p OLED display for approximately $850 USD retail.

Other SKUs are available as well as shown by the table below. The Pavilion Plus 14 competes with other midrange or higher 14-inch Ultrabooks like the Asus VivoBook Pro 14 , Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Pro , or the MSI Modern 14 series. More HP reviews: The Pavilion Plus 14 retains the aluminum look and feel of the original Pavilion 14 despite all the internal changes likely to save on costs.

Had HP introduced any significant design improvements, then this Pavilion Plus model would have essentially been an Envy product which is a costlier series from HP. This isn’t to say that there are no superficial changes, however, as the Pavilion Plus 14 is visibly flatter around the edges and with a different bottom plate design to cut down on overall thickness by about 0. 7 mm.

Chassis rigidity is good around the base with very little flexing. The lid and inner plastic bezels, however, are noticeably more susceptible to twists and damage especially since there is no Gorilla Glass option to reinforce the panel. Build quality is still comparable to the competing Vivobook or IdeaPad series nonetheless.

Dimensions are shorter in width but longer in length than on the standard Pavilion 14 due to the new 16:10 aspect ratio. Overall weight remains the same at about 1. 4 kg.

Port options are mostly the same as on the standard Pavilion 14 but with one big change: HP has dropped the proprietary AC adapter barrel port for a second USB-C port. We expect most if not all non-gaming Pavilion models in the near future to move to USB-C charging as well. Port positioning may be unfavorable to some users as most of the ports are along the right edge potentially occupying valuable desk space.

Thunderbolt is unfortunately not supported as such a feature is still reserved for higher-end models like the Envy or Spectre for the time being. The integrated spring-loaded MicroSD reader offers decent transfer rates of ~80 MB/s considering the Pavilion price range. Pricier alternatives like the Spectre x360 14 can move files from card to desktop at over 3x the speed.

The unit ships with a budget Realtek RTL8852AE module for Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5 connectivity. Transfer rates, while consistent and serviceable for streaming and most scenarios, are much slower than the more common Intel AX200/201 series. The model incorporates a 5 MP webcam unlike the 1 MP webcam on the standard Pavilion 14 for sharper images.

There is no privacy shutter or IR sensor for Windows Hello support, however. The bottom panel is relatively easy to remove with just a Philips screwdriver and sharp edge. There are thankfully no hidden screws underneath any rubber feet unlike on older generation Pavilion models.

In fact, HP even has a handy video for users who want to service the laptop. Once inside, users can swap out the WLAN, battery, or M. 2 modules as needed.

RAM is soldered and not user-upgradeable. There are no extras in the box other than the AC adapter and paperwork. The standard one-year limited manufacturer warranty applies if purchased in the US.

Both the keyboard and clickpad remain identical to the regular Pavilion 14 which is hardly a complaint since we loved the keyboard on the Pavilion 14. When compared to the keyboards on the Asus Vivobook or Lenovo IdeaPad, the keyboard on this Pavilion is surprisingly crisp and with satisfying travel when pressed. Our main complaint continues to be the white backlight which contrasts poorly with the white key caps.

We suspect that this won’t be an issue on any of the other four color options. The clickpad is large at 12. 5 x 8 cm compared to the already large 12 x 7.

5 cm on the competing Yoga Slim 7i Pro . Cursor control feels spacious as a result and also very smooth because of the 90 Hz refresh rate of the display. Meanwhile, the feedback from clicking is satisfactory albeit slightly spongy and a bit on the loud side.

It’s one of the more comfortable clickpads we’ve used on a Pavilion-class laptop nonetheless. The Pavilion Plus 14 uses the same or similar 1800p Samsung OLED panel as found on the Vivobook Pro 14. Thus, the viewing experience between the two laptops is nearly identical.

We can say, however, that the Asus laptop includes more OLED care features not found on the HP such as blue-light settings, flicker reduction slider, burn-in abatement, and easier color space changes that enthusiasts can appreciate. Beyond that, it’s tough going back to 60 Hz IPS after experiencing 90 Hz OLED. It’s worth noting that the OLED panel exhibits a flickering of 357 Hz on all brightness settings including maximum.

This appears to be a common trait on newer OLED panels with native refresh rates above 60 Hz. If your eyes are sensitive to flickering, then it may be best to avoid using such OLED laptops for long periods. We’re able to record 100 percent P3 color coverage to back up HP’s claim of full DCI-P3 colors.

Most IPS displays in this price range only promise full sRGB coverage in comparison such as the one on the Yoga Slim 7i Pro 14 . The OLED panel on the Pavilion is not calibrated at factory, however, likely to save on costs. The high black levels of OLED make it more comfortable for viewing outdoors when compared to IPS at the same brightness setting.

Nonetheless, glare is still visible on our glossy OLED panel in most outdoor conditions. Maximum brightness is otherwise above average for a Pavilion to be comparable to the Asus Vivobook Pro 14 or Yoga Slim 7i Pro 14. We set our unit to Performance mode via Windows and the HP Command Center software prior to running any benchmarks below.

We recommend that users become familiar with HP Command Center as both performance and network settings are toggled here. Raw multi-thread performance is about 20 percent slower than expected from a Core i7-12700H laptop. The Dell XPS 17 9720 , for example, ships with the same Core i7-12700H CPU and yet it offers 40 to 45 percent faster multi-thread performance even after accounting for any throttling.

The deficit is wide enough that even the more power efficient Core i5-1240P is only about 10 to 15 percent slower than our H-series Core i7-powered HP. It’s a fast laptop for the size, but it could have certainly been faster given what we’ve observed on other laptops with the same processor. Users can configure with the slower Core i5-1240P or Core i7-1255U if desired.

The latter in particular is the only SKU with a discrete GeForce RTX 2050 option albeit at the cost of ~40 percent slower multi-thread performance compared to our Core i7-12700H. The Nvidia option is not available on the Core-P or Core-H configurations likely due to thermal limitations. Running CineBench R15 xT in a loop shows a performance drop of about 10 percent after the initial run as shown by the graph below.

PCMark results are where we expect them to be relative to other laptops equipped with the same Core i7-12700H CPU if not a tad bit slower. CrossMark results in particular are slower than average likely due to the slow CineBench results recorded above. LatencyMon shows DPC issues when opening multiple browser tabs on our homepage.

4K video playback is otherwise perfect with low resource utilization as to be expected from a modern Core H-series processor. Our unit ships with the midrange 256 GB SK Hynix BC711 PCIe3 x4 NVMe SSD offering excellent sequential read rates of about 3400 MB/s but much slower sequential write rates of only about 1000 MB/s. Higher-end PCIe3 drives like the Samsung PM981a series can offer over two times the write rates.

The drive in our test unit exhibits no throttling when subjected to DiskSpd in a loop. However, performance would sometimes dip to the 2550 MB/s range before jumping back up to 3400 MB/s likely due to some interrupting background activity. We made sure to uninstall any automatic backup and McAfee processes beforehand and yet the small dips would continue.

Graphics performance is slightly slower than expected. Our HP returns frame rates that are a few percentage points lower when compared to the average laptop with the same Iris Xe 96 EUs GPU. It’s still good enough to play most games at low settings, but it is now outclassed by the recent Radeon 680M .

Upgrading to the GeForce RTX 2050 option is expected to increase graphics performance by roughly 150 to 180 percent over our Iris Xe. Strangely, 3DMark results are inconsistent between Balanced and Performance mode even after repeated runs. When running actual games, however, we can see the differences in clock rates and power consumption as shown in our Stress Test section below.

Fan noise is not an issue despite the usage of a Core H-series CPU in a chassis size typically reserved for Core U-series options. When browsing the web or video streaming, for example, fan would would hover in the 27 to 28 dB(A) range against a silent background of 23. 3 dB(A) to be just barely audible in most conditions.

Fan noise picks up considerably when running higher loads like games where fan noise can be between 34 and 45 dB(A). Even so, this range is closer to many Core U-series Ultrabooks and still quieter than on the MSI Modern 14 or Asus Vivobook Pro 14 each with faster discrete GPUs. The system will always be warmer on its right half than the left due to how the cooling solution is positioned inside.

This kind of temperature behavior is unfavorable as it means the right hand can sometimes feel uncomfortably warm. A more symmetrical temperature gradient, such as on the HP Spectre x360 14 , is generally more comfortable. Hot spots can reach about 39 C and 36 C on the top and bottom, respectively, when running demanding loads like games.

This is nevertheless cooler than what we observed on the Asus Vivobook Pro 14 or Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Pro 14 where hot spots can reach 43 C on the top or 53 C on the bottom. When running Prime95 to stress the CPU, clock rates and package power draw would boost to 3. 5 GHz and 60 W, respectively, for the first couple of seconds until hitting a core temperature of 95 C.

Clock rates and package power draw would then drop to the 2. 2 to 2. 9 GHz range and 45 W, respectively, in order to maintain a slightly cooler core temperature of just under 90 C.

In comparison, many Core U-series-powered 14-inch laptops would stabilize at significantly cooler temperatures of around 70 C such as on the recent Dell Inspiron 7420 . The temperature consequences of the more demanding Core i7-12700H CPU in our HP is evident. When running Witcher 3 on Performance mode to represent stressful loads, GPU clock rate and temperature would stabilize at 1397 MHz and 84 C, respectively, compared to only 1197 MHz and 80 C when running on Balanced mode.

These core temperatures are again warmer than what we’ve come to expect from a 14-inch laptop with no discrete graphics. Running on battery power limits performance. A 3DMark 11 run on batteries would return Physics and Graphics scores of 12896 and 5591 points, respectively, compared to 16077 and 6649 points when on mains.

Power consumption is generally higher than on other 14-inch laptops running on Core U-series CPUs. The standard Core i5-1135G7 Pavilion 14 , for example, is 69 percent more power efficient when running Prime95 which correlates with its 65 to 70 percent slower multi-thread performance as recorded above. Power consumption can also be higher when simply idling on desktop since OLED is more power-hungry than IPS when displaying white colors.

Idling on a predominantly black screen at the maximum brightness setting, for example, would consume just 6 W while an all-white screen at maximum brightness would consume over 19 W. In comparison, the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Pro would consume just 10 W under similar conditions. It’s likely not a coincidence that the preset desktop background is mostly black in color as HP knows it would be more power efficient than a brightly colored alternative.

We’re able to record a maximum draw of 90 W from the medium-sized (~13 x 6. 5 x 2. 9 cm) 90 W AC adapter when running Prime95.

This maximum doesn’t drop by much over time and so users can expect the charging rate to slow if running such demanding loads. Runtimes are average at best likely due to the utilization of both OLED and a Core H-series CPU instead of the more efficient U or P series. It doesn’t help that most webpages are predominantly white in color which will demand even more from the battery.

We’re only able to record a battery life of just 4. 5 hours when browsing the web on the Balanced power profile compared to almost twice that on the MSI Modern 14 or Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Pro. Charging from empty to full capacity with the included adapter takes between 2 to 2.

5 hours. The Pavilion Plus 14 is one of the least expensive laptops you can find with a 12th gen Core i7 H-series CPU and a 90 Hz OLED display. The fast CPU and OLED panel mean longer legs for the Pavilion system even five years down the line.

We appreciate the ease of servicing and comfortable keyboard as well especially on a budget series like the Pavilion. A balanced and affordable system with the latest Intel 12th gen CPUs and a 90 Hz OLED display. There are some cut corners to keep in mind.

For one, battery life takes a hit due to the demanding CPU and OLED panel. Secondly, the GeForce RTX 2050 option is only available with the Core-U SKUs meaning any Core-H configurations are stuck with integrated graphics only. In contrast, the Asus VivoBook Pro 14 offers Ryzen H-series and GeForce RTX options simultaneously as well as an OLED display.

Lastly, CPU performance, while still great considering the form factor, is slower than on most other laptops with the same Core i7-12700H. It’s a tradeoff for the small size that performance hunters may not like to hear. When considering the price, however, the Pavilion Plus 14 balances affordability, performance, features, and size a lot better than expected.

The Pavilion Plus 14 is now available at Staples , Walmart , and the official HP store at various configurations from $709 to $1229 USD. .