The HP Pavilion lineup has provided us with some very precious gems over the past few years. However, few have presented as great a cost/value relationship such as the model we're gonna tackle today. Specifically, today we're gonna take on the review of the HP Pavilion x2 10-n113dx.
This is a nice little detachable laptop that can work both as a standalone tablet or as a modest entry level laptop. It doesn't have much in the way of technical specs but its low cost price coupled with its quality build have helped it become a rather unusual success for HP. Let's see what all the fuss is about, shall we?
Pros: Low end price, quality build, nice display, 2.5 pounds, comfortable keyboard.
Cons: Atom series processor, 2GB of RAM limits multitasking.
Quality build on a low cost convertible
I'm not quite sure the term "convertible" actually applies to this kind of laptop/tablet but for the sake of simplification let's just go with it. That said, I'm a big fan of the quality build of the HP Pavilion x2 10-n113dx. While the norm at this price point tends to be more "cheap plastic" this model actually offers a more robust material that - while still being plastic- gives you way more confidence than other models.
Its display is a 10.1 inch IPS WLED anti-glare screen that presents a standard resolution of 1280 by 800 pixels. That's a higher pixel density than most laptops on the 13 inch spectrum which typically pack a 1366 by 768 pixel resolution. All in all, the display is pretty comfortable and the keyboard, despite being detachable, is quite ergonomic for long typing sessions.
Something I really appreciated about the keyboard is the fact that it's slightly inclined, which means your palm rest space doesn't hurt you at any point and therefore delivers a more relaxed typing experience. That's actually one of my favorite things about the MacBook Air as opposed to the MacBook Pro, who's linear keyboard and sharp edges actually hurt my palm rest.
Finally, portability is a major benefit to the Pavilion X2 since it weighs just 2.5 pounds, making it extremely easy to place it on your bag and be on your way.
Tablet internals
Make no mistake, performance on the HP Pavilion x2 10-n113dx is sub-par for an actual laptop. For a tablet we'd say it's fine but for a main laptop intended for heavy usage you might wanna look elsewhere. Browsing, editing files, watching movies and that kind of things are fine but anything that demands more resources than your standard "consumer session" is gonna end up being a pretty frustrating experience.
Why do we say this? Well, just look at the processor. Specifically, we've got an Intel Atom X5-Z8300 quad core processor that clocks in at 1.44 GHz and reaches its maximum potential at 1.88GHz. Sounds good on paper but let's not forget that this is an "Atom processor" which means it's a CPU meant for mobile devices that require low resources. The previously mentioned tasks are all ok but going beyond that is definitely a bad idea.
RAM ends up solidifying that statement with a single 2GB DDR3L module which will allow you to have a bunch of tabs open at the same time but that's about it when it comes to extensive multitasking.
Finally, storage on this model is defined by a 32GB eMMC module which is one of the reasons the tablet is so light since it doesn't carry your run of the mill heavy hard drive.
Anything else?
Well, we should probably mention it actually packs a great connectivity suite, all things considered. In that regard we've got a single USB 3.0 port, a miniHDMI 1.4 output as well as USB type C 2.0 port. There's also an audio jack, the latest WiFi 802.11 ac standard as well as Bang&Olufsen speakers and an HD webcam to chat up with your friends and family members.
Wrapping up our review of the HP Pavilion x2 10-n113dx
The HP Pavilion x2 10-n113dx reviewed today comes with the latest iteration of Windows; Windows 10 and all in all, being a budget two in one we're actually quite fond of it. The price of this model is it's best virtue but even if you set that aside, once you consider that this device was mainly built towards media consumption it's actually a pretty competent tablet that has the added benefit of offering a detachable keyboard that won't slit your wrists when typing for several hours in a row.
That said, if you're looking for an actual convertible (non detachable keyboard) then you'd be much better off with some of Dell's latest budget models.