By Vivek Singh Chauhan
New Delhi, Nov 6 (IANS): In a bid to offer premium-looking laptops with solid specifications, tech major HP has brought the new Pavilion Aero 13 to India, as notebooks as a category are witnessing tremendous growth.
Despite the shortage of components and supply constraints, the global notebook PC market delivered 8 per cent year-over-year (YoY) growth in the third quarter (Q3) this year, according to Strategy Analytics. HP shipped 14.3 million units with a 21 per cent market share, and India remained a key growth market.
The HP Pavilion Aero 13 has been priced at Rs 79,999 onwards for the AMD Ryzen 5 5600U processor variant. The AMD Ryzen 7 5800U variant is priced at Rs 94,999.
The notebook has been launched in three colour options -- pale rose gold, ceramic white and natural Silver.
Let's find out how the notebook with AMD Ryzen 5 5600U in rose gold colour performed in our test.
In terms of design, the laptop with less than a kilogram feels very well made. The entire structure is made of aluminium, with thick components that do not flex or creak in any manner.
HP also chose a rose gold colour scheme and a somewhat rougher polish for its surfaces, the kind that resists smudges and scratches while still providing a solid grip when the laptop is lifted. There is a big shiny HP logo on the lid.
On the sides of the notebook, there are two USB-A ports, one USB-C port, a full-size HDMI port and a headphone jack. The USB-C connector, which allows data, video, and charging, is located on the left edge of the device. A barrel-plug charger is also included.
The laptop includes a 16:10 display, minimal bezels, and a camera and microphones on top. The hinges make it simple to lift and adjust the screen by yourself. It also limits the lean-back angle to about 145 degrees.
The laptop features a 13.3-inch laptop with a 16:10 aspect ratio. It has a 90 per cent screen-to-body ratio, which is equivalent to considerably more expensive gadgets.
The 1920 x 1200 display is quite bright, with a maximum brightness of almost 400 nits and you can experience vibrant images when surfing the web and streaming videos with 100 per cent sRGB for a wider colour palette. As a result, Aero's display is one of the brightest.
In terms of keyboard and touchpad, the precision touchpad is smooth and sensitive without any jumpiness. The surface is spacious and responsive and the keyboard feels about as nice as any narrow laptop at this price.
On the right side of the armrest, beneath the arrow buttons, there's a finger-sensor with Hello support, but no IR camera.
The notebook that we used comes with a six-core Ryzen 5 5600U, which we would not expect to be a big step down in performance. The entire Ryzen 5000 line is fast. It offers 16GB RAM and 512GB internal storage.
The processor is generally for thin and light laptops based on the Cezanne generation. The performance was impressive.
In terms of battery life, the 65W battery adapter recharged the battery up to 50 per cent in over 30 minutes and the 45W battery adapter recharged the battery up to 50 per cent, within 50 minutes when the system was off.
Conclusion: With a powerful processor and good battery life, the lightweight HP Pavilion Aero 13 delivers a flawless sustainable design with the power to be entertained, connected and productive. It surely stands out in its price segment.