Pros
- Superb battery life
- High-end specs (512 GB SSD, 16 GB RAM, Core i7)
- Fast charge technology
- Lightweight design
Cons
- You can't upgrade the RAM
- No backlit keyboard
- No fingerprint sensor
When looking for an affordable laptop one quickly realizes that it's a game of compromises. You have a nice display and you compromise on storage, you have a good processor and you compromise on design, basically, the only thing you don't compromise is on price point. However, once price stops being a big issue and you're able to stretch your budget in search of a high-end laptop you can forget about compromising - for the most part at least -.
Such is the case of HP's latest ultrabook; the HP Pavilion 15-cs3019nr. HP's new model comes packed with high-end features such as a quad-core Core i7 processor, a massive 512 GB SSD unit, and a very impressive 16 GB of RAM, not to mention many many more features that have us drooling.
Today we're here to uncover what all of its specs mean for day to day users to figure out if this is the laptop you've been looking for. Join us as we tell you everything you need to know in this review of the HP Pavilion 15-cs3019nr.
Index
- Design
- What's the performance like?
- Who is this laptop for?
- Battery and Connectivity
- Anything else I should know?
- Closing remarks and rating;
A breathtaking design
Let's kick things off by tackling the design. In that regard, we've got a stylish computer with a solid build made from metal to deliver a sturdy yet elegant look. It's not as lightweight as we would've expected weighing just above 4 pounds, but it's still pretty portable considering it's not a 14-inch laptop but rather a fully-fledged 15.6-inch model.
The display is beautiful, with a 15.6-inch diagonal that boasts a tight 1920 by 1080 pixels - also known as Full HD -. In any case, it's not a regular display but rather a WLED-backlit display, which delivers better color accuracy, higher contrast, and an overall "crisp" image.
It should also be pointed out that HP would not allow its latest flagship to come with "full-on bezels" and - as is the new standard - has opted to implement micro-edge bezels which basically means you've got an 81% screen to body ratio. This gives the laptop a more modern and stylish look that's always a bonus.
The keyboard is alright with a comfortable key travel distance for long typing sessions and a numeric keypad on the side for those who often use their laptops to crunch numbers.
So, what's missing?
However, we can't ignore a couple of things we don't particularly like. First off; the keyboard is not backlit, which is pretty odd these days when laptops half the price come with backlit keyboards.
Secondly; there's no fingerprint reader, again, this is something that laptops half the price have so it's hard to understand why HP would opt to not include these very common and useful features on the HP Pavilion 15-cs3019nr.
Moving on with the design, the speakers for this particular model are located right above the keyboard and the design is also quite original, managing to differentiate themselves from the standard laptop speakers.
There's also a slight tilt to the keyboard which, though not as pronounced as the ergo-lift on the Asus ZenBook 13 UX333FA-AB77 we've recently reviewed, still manages to deliver a more ergonomic typing experience.
A killer performance
When it comes to performance unless you're a gamer or a graphic designer it doesn't really get much better than the specs the HP Pavilion 15-cs3019nr is packing.
In a quick rundown, we can see that we're dealing with a powerful 10th generation Intel Core i7 processor with 4 cores and 8 threads that can operate at a base clock speed of 1.3 GHz and reach a maximum speed of 3.9 GHz -it's a mobile processor - when pressed for more CPU-intensive tasks.
Aside from the powerful processor which is about as good a processor as you're going to get on an ultrabook you've also got 16 GB of DDR4 RAM for the most intensive multitaskers out there as well as a massive 512 GB of SSD storage.
In the event that you come from a laptop that used a Hard Drive instead of an SSD you should be prepared to be fully blown away by the sheer speed on basically everything you do on this laptop from turning it on to downloading files up to rendering video, you'll never know how you've managed to live without one.
All in all, with this set of key specs it's pretty clear that the 15-cs3019nr is a powerhouse if we've ever seen one. Specifically, this PC is suited for just about anything you want to throw at it with the only exception of graphically intensive tasks such as gaming where you will definitely notice some lag due to the absence of a dedicated graphics card.
Either way, this laptop is also suitable for professional-grade picture and video editing thanks to its Intel Iris Plus GPU.
However, we would not recommend this particular model if professional-grade video editing is part of your daily routine since you'd be better off and get better performance - and a better price - out of a laptop such as the Acer Nitro 5 AN515-54-5812 which comes with a powerful dedicated graphics card.
Battery life and connectivity features
Beyond the weight of a device, another thing that truly contributes to the portability of a laptop is its battery life. In this particular case, HP hasn't let us down with a very respectable battery life that delivers an average 7 hours upon mixed usage and roughly 9 hours on more basic usage of just some light web-browsing with the brightness set to 50%. That's quite alright, more so considering the powerful specs that the laptop has to power.
When it comes down to connectivity, if you thought a high-end device such as this one would have all the bells and whistles; you were right.
Starting off with the latest WiFi standard (WiFi 6), there's also the latest generation Bluetooth connectivity (BT 5.0) to quickly and seamlessly connect to your devices and, as expected, we've also got a couple of USB 3.1 (Type A) ports, a standalone USB 3.1 (Type C) port -the one you connect to your phone-, as well as an ethernet port for a wired internet connection and an HDMI output to connect the HP Pavilion 15-cs3019nr onto an external monitor.
What else should I know before making the call?
Aside from the key specs we've covered previously. You should also know that this laptop has Amazon's Alexa assistant integrated onto the OS, whereby you can use it just like you would use Siri or Google Assitant. Truthfully, this is not a feature one makes much use of in a laptop but it's still nice to have it there.
The Bang and Olufsen speakers are alright but I would not throw away my Bluetooth speakers anytime soon if I were you, we're still talking about the sound having to come out of a very small metal casing.
Something else you should know is that while we really love the fact that this laptop packs 16 GB of DDR4 RAM which allows for an extremely fluid multitasking experience, it should be pointed out that you won't be able to upgrade such a RAM - not that you'd need to if you're like 99% of PC users - since it's soldered onto the motherboard.
You should also know that, while this laptop comes with a very generous battery life, it also features a quick charge feature, whereby you can charge 50% of the battery in just 45 minutes, making the laptop even more portable than expected.
Wrapping things up: Should I get it?
Design9
Display9
Hardware9
Graphics8
Battery Life9
Connectivity9
In short
This is an excelent choice for those looking for a powerhouse laptop to tackle on all sorts of demanding and undemanding tasks.
8.8
The HP Pavilion 15-cs3019nr we've had the pleasure of reviewing today has us drooling. While this laptop is not for everyone, if you can afford it then it's definitely the laptop most of us would be able to take full advantage of.
We love the powerful i7, the spectacular 16 GB of RAM, and don't even get us started on the 512 GB of SSD storage. The display is nice while also modern thanks to the reduction of its bezels and the laptop is pretty portable both in weight (a little over 4 pounds) as well as battery life that allows us to go a whole day without searching every which way for a power outlet.
The only people who would not find this laptop to fit their needs would be people looking for a smaller form factor to carry around, to whom we would recommend something like the Asus ZenBook 13 UX333FA-AB77 as well as gamers or graphic designers, to whom we would recommend a laptop that packs a solid dedicated graphics card rather than an integrated one -as advanced as it may be-. For the rest of us mere mortals, this laptop is a game-changer and a model you won't regret purchasing.