A cheap laptop that isn’t cheap enough
Premium laptops make the headlines, but budget laptops make the world go around for many consumers. HP’s least expensive 15.6-inch Windows notebook, the Laptop 15z, starts at just $279.99 ($609.99 as tested). It has the essentials for home and school and lasts for a long time unplugged, but that’s about it. The system’s build quality, screen, and keyboard are below par even for the economy class. The Lenovo IdeaPad 3i 15 is more appealing, and you can do even better if you spend a tad more for the Acer Aspire 5.The Design: No-Frills Economics
The Laptop 15z has only enough performance to get you online in its $279.99 starting configuration, which combines a dual-core AMD Athlon processor, 8GB of memory, and a 128GB solid-state drive. It’s tragically saddled with an 11-inch-Chromebook-class 1,366-by-768-pixel screen, which is easily avoided by spending $20 for a far sharper and more desirable full HD (1,920-by-1,080-pixel) panel. (HP doesn’t seem to stock many preconfigured Laptop 15z models but will readily build you one to order.)
Doubling the storage (to 256GB) carries the same $20 upcharge, while stepping up to a more competent quad-core Ryzen 3 processor adds $60. All told, a reasonable loudout for under $400 is well within the range of possibility. Our $609.99 test unit was loaded with a six-core AMD Ryzen 5 7530U, 12GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a low-blue-light 1080p display, making it more of a midrange contender.
If you prefer Intel to AMD silicon, HP offers the Laptop 15t (that’s t, not z) starting at $379, which apart from the CPU seems identical to the Laptop 15z. CPU choice isn’t a big concern for a budget laptop—the priority is just getting a usable machine—but at least HP gives you options. You can also find 14- and 17.3-inch flavors of this laptop that differ only in screen size and keyboard layout.
At 0.73 by 14.2 by 9.3 inches (HWD) and 3.5 pounds, the Laptop 15z is of average size and weight for an economy 15.6-inch rig. Our review unit looks especially spartan in black plastic; one of HP’s optional colors (Natural Silver, Diamond White, Moonlight Blue, and Pale Rose Gold) can improve its visual appeal.
The 15z’s all-plastic construction is the norm for rock-bottom-priced laptops; I normally wouldn’t carry on about it except this HP’s lack of strength is alarming. The chassis is so flexible that even pressing on the touchpad causes the whole laptop to bend. Treating the notebook roughly or even picking it up one-handed isn’t advised.
The keyboard echoes the hollow plastic feel, with presses that feel and sound uninspiring. I scored below my standard in the Monkeytype online typing test at only 94 words per minute with 97% accuracy. There’s no keyboard backlighting available, which is understandable at the Laptop 15z’s base price, but not so for my over-$600 test unit. The buttonless touchpad is reasonably sized and tracks well, though I avoided pressing to click because of the chassis flex.
Ports include one USB Type-A, one USB Type-C, an HDMI monitor port, and an audio jack on the left side and another USB-A and the AC adapter connector at right. All the USB ports are version 3.2 offering 5Gbps of bandwidth, which is plenty for this laptop’s intended usage. The HDMI port is unfortunately version 1.4b, which only allows 4K output at a slide-show-like 30Hz refresh rate instead of the 60Hz you’d get from HDMI 2.0b. Still, in this price range, that’s unlikely to be a deal-breaker.The Screen: At Least It’s 1080p
Before I say anything more about my review unit, I’m morally obligated to reiterate that the HP’s base 1,366-by-768-pixel screen should be avoided unless you want to feel like you’re in the early 2000s.
