HP Pavilion 15-dw0083wm: Review of the Everyman's Laptop

Finding a laptop that fits your needs is easier than ever today. You can buy a powerhouse laptop if you're a very demanding user or you can get yourself a Chromebook if you're not interested in much more than surfing the web. 

There's also a third kind of user; the average user who needs more than a Chromebook but less than a powerhouse. For such a user, HP has prepared the very compelling HP 15-dw0083wm.

Sure enough, the name doesn't exactly roll out your tongue but this affordable laptop has gained quite a good reputation despite competing with several other models that feature significantly better specs at a similar price point (for example the Asus F512JA-AS34 we reviewed a few months back). 

That said, we can't argue that there's something to be said for keeping it simple and that's exactly what HP has opted to do with this model. Now, without further ado, let's dig into this review of the HP 15-dw0083wm.

A simple yet elegant design

Starting things off with the design, we have to say that we honestly love the design of this model. Again, HP isn't reinventing the wheel here or anything but its simple lines, minimalist design, and matte red coloring on the back of the case and in the base have simply managed to seduce us. 

As you'd expect from a laptop launched in 2020, HP's newest bet also slims the bezels a bit though not as much as you'll see on higher-end models. Specifically, HP claims the standard 81% screen-to-body ratio most mid-range laptops have. 

The keyboard is comfortable with spacious keys and a dedicated numeric pad on the side which can be very useful for many people. Unfortunately, it's not backlit but we weren't really expecting it to be.

Finally, the screen is conformed of a WLED backlit display of 15.6 inches and an HD resolution of 1366 by 768 pixels. That's right, this laptop does not feature a Full HD, despite most of its competitors in a similar price range featuring it.

That said, the display is alright and while it's missing a few pixels on paper, the truth is that in a day-to-day usage this isn't something you'd really notice, the quality is alright, colors are fine and brightness is correct which is ultimately what most of us care about.

What about performance?

Let's get one thing straight; this is not a powerhouse laptop. 

It's not aimed at intensive professionals, graphic designers, programmers or anyone who needs a lot of CPU power. It's aimed at the average user who needs a laptop to edit some documents, surf the web, stream movies, listen to music, and chat with friends. 

You can get away with some basic programming (think HTML, CSS, and Javascript) but it's hardly the laptop we'd recommend for heavy-duty back-end programming.  

Now that we've addressed the elephant in the room, performance on the HP 15-dw0083wm is actually quite good. Equipped with a quad-core Intel Pentium Silver N5000 CPU that clocks in at a basic 1.1 GHz and can reach up to 2.7 GHz when we need more power, this laptop performs properly the tasks we just pointed out. 

Add to this processor 4 GB of DDR4 RAM and 128 GB of SSD storage and you've got yourself a laptop that is mostly aimed at students or people who are going to give it a light usage. 

What does it mean that it comes with 4 GB of RAM?

Specifically, the fact that it comes with 4 GB of RAM means that it's limited in terms of multitasking and you shouldn't expect to use this laptop with 10 browser tabs open at the same time unless you're asking for it to crash. 

Having said that, it's important to note that this laptop features the possibility to upgrade the RAM. We've crafted a tutorial to help you upgrade the RAM on the HP 15-dw0083wm with the whole step-by-step process from start to finish. You don't need to be tech-savvy to follow it, it's a very simple process that can be done in as little as 5 minutes. 

Alternatively, if you're interested in boosting performance but you're not quite ready to open the laptop up then we've also compiled a list of tips and tricks you could implement to improve the speed of the HP 15-dw0083wm if it were running slow by your standards. In that tutorial, we tackle everything from clearing up disk space to how to navigate the task manager to reduce animations that tend to consume a lot of resources on a laptop such as this one. 

On the other hand, if you're a very demanding user who needs to have several programs working at the same time then you might want to consider a model such as the aforementioned Asus F512JA-AS34 which arrives, right off the bat, with 8 GB of RAM, a Full HD display and a more interesting processor. 

That said if you're not an avid multitasker and you rarely have more than three or four chrome tabs open at a time then the HP 15-dw0083wm will easily cover your needs.

What about battery life? Is this a gaming laptop?

Battery life is perhaps one of this laptop's most attractive features. Specifically, HP promises almost 11 hours of battery life on a full charge. What's more, HP also includes fast charging technology on this model so you can charge up to 50% of the battery in just 45 minutes, a very attractive proposition indeed.

However, after years of experience in the field, we would recommend you expect battery life along the lines of 7 hours with normal usage, expecting more than that is just setting yourself up for disappointment. Don't forget that manufacturers claim battery life based on use cases that are hardly common and therefore aren't all that reliable.

When it comes to gaming, of course, this is not a gaming laptop. With an integrated graphics card, this laptop is good for streaming movies and such but gaming isn't really within its capabilities.

Connectivity and extras

When it comes to connectivity, the HP Pavilion 15-dw0083wm is pretty complete with all the standard options you'd expect from a 15.6-inch laptop such as this one. 

That amounts to a single USB 2.0 port, a couple of USB 3.1 ports, one of which is a USB type C port, ethernet and HDMI inputs, and an SD card reader. As you'd expect, there's no DVD reader.

We've also got WiFi 5, also known as WiFi 802.11 ac connectivity (up to 3 times faster than the previous generation) and Bluetooth support. 

Something a few people have pointed out is that this laptop comes with Windows 10 Home in S Mode. In case you've never heard of S Mode, it's a new feature many new laptops come with where you get a more decaffeinated but safer version of Windows which doesn't allow you to install any third-party apps (ie Chrome). 

That said, if you want to switch out of S mode on the HP 15-dw0083wm all you have to do is say so when you attempt to do something that's not allows (such as installing Chrome) and you'll be immediately invited to remove S Mode. 

What Are Customers Saying?

Customers generally had positive feedback about the HP Pavilion 15-dw0083wm. They appreciated its performance and found it to be a good machine for their everyday tasks such as email, web browsing, shopping, and playing poker. The laptop was described as fast, with a quick start-up and shut-down, and a battery that lasted longer compared to previous laptops.

Some customers mentioned the inconvenience of the laptop coming with Windows 10 S mode enabled. They had difficulties downloading other browsers like Firefox and had to switch out of S mode by visiting Microsoft's website. Once out of S mode, they were able to download the necessary software and customize their browsing experience.

The design of the laptop, particularly the red color and silver keyboard, received positive comments. However, it was noted that the keyboard markings might be difficult to see unless the lighting is just right, unless the user is proficient in touch typing.

A few customers mentioned the absence of an indicator for the NUM LOCK key, causing inconvenience when working with the numeric keypad. Some customers also expressed frustration with the lack of adjustable color temperature for the screen.

Overall, customers found the HP Pavilion 15-dw0083wm to be a decent laptop for the price. It was commended for its performance, battery life, and design. However, the limitations imposed by Windows 10 S mode and certain keyboard issues were points of concern for some users.

What's the verdict?

Sure enough, the HP 15-dw0083wm reviewed today doesn't come with all the bells and whistles we've grown accustomed to in the last few months but that hasn't stopped it from gaining stellar reviews. 

Things like a Full HD display or a Fingerprint sensor are features that are more than welcome but far from essential for the vast majority of users.

 If that's your case and all you want is a good quality laptop to browse through chrome, stream movies, edit documents and have the battery life to easily carry it around without a care in the world then this laptop is going to be a great fit.