HP Pavilion Power 15-CB052TX Review

As someone who writes about technology, one query you get all the time is regarding laptops. Most users are still befuddled about how to pick a good laptop, be it for work or for study. Anyway, queries regarding a good laptop for consuming entertainment content surely has dried up over the past few years.

Still, an answer is no longer that easy, unless the person is open to buying an AppleMacBook. Even as reviewers it is becoming tougher to experience new laptops, as many companies like Sony have lost interest in the segment. But there are still some serious players like HP and Dell, who are making laptops for all kinds of users.

HP Pavilion Power 15-CB052TX price in India: Rs 89,852

HP Pavilion Power 15-CB052TX

The HP Pavilion Power is a full bodied laptop, the type that will look more at home on a desktop than on your lap. It is not that heavy, but yes it is a bit bulky if you are used to a MacBook Air like me. Anyway, being a 15-inch laptop it offers a full keyboard with a separate number pad on the right like good old times.

It has a full row of function keys on top and no attempt has been made to save space in anyway. Despite the flourish with the keyboard, there is space for a speaker strip as well as a large trackpad. The keys offer enough space in between them to reduce false strokes. Also, the trackpad is very responsive.

The keys offer enough space in between them to reduce false strokes. Also, the trackpad is very responsive.

The design is nothing really out of the box, except for the fluorescent green colours on the review unit we got. Not sure how many people would like that on what might end up as being an office device. But, it does match with the HP bag the unit came in. Thankfully, the laptop comes with all connectivity options you can think off from USB to HDMI and card readers. There is even a USB Type-C port to charge the new age smartphones and devices.

One of the best aspects of the HP Pavilion Power is the Full HD screen which is very sharp and offers great colours. The viewing angles are also really good. Adding to the entertainment quotient of the device, the audio is powered by B&O. Yes, this is one of the best sounding laptops around. It also offers users the ability to select the audio mode of their preference – music, movie and voice.

Thankfully, the laptop comes with all connectivity options you can think off from USB to HDMI and card readers. There is even a USB Type-C port to charge the new age smartphones and devices.

Given that the HP Pavilion Power is powered by an seventh generation Intel Core i7 processor with 8GB RAM, performance was not an issue at any stage while using the device. It did everything wonderfully well and that too without heating up at any stage. I think this laptop is great for power users who might want to edit videos and photos on a regular basis.

The Pavilion Power has Windows 10 preburned, but there are some good software additions from HP. I particularly liked the HP Orbit apps that lets you link a bunch of devices, over a common Wi-Fi, to easily share all types of content. It works a bit like AirDrop and is very efficient, though I found it a bit slow at times.

The HP Pavilion Power is a full bodied laptop, the type that will look more at home on a desktop than on your lap.

The battery life is about six hours on a full charge and with medium brightness on the screen. The device has a battery saver mode that might give an hour extra.

HP Pavilion Power 15-CB052TX: Should you buy?

If you are looking for a powerful Windows laptop, then this is clearly one of the best options out there. Given the size and weight as well as the use case, I think this would be more of a desktop replacement than a laptop you would carry around all the time. But then, as with most other Windows devices now, there is a price to be paid for high-end performance and dependability and in this case that is close to Rs 90,000 and I am not sure I want to spend so much on a laptop that is not really mobile.