By HP offers an extensive range of laptop brands. They have gaming laptops like the Omen and Victus, as well as professional laptops like the Dragonfly and Elitebook models. But they also have the manufacturer’s entry-level laptop lineup, the HP Laptop.
The HP Laptop 14 will undoubtedly meet your needs for both a stylish appearance and strong performance for daily tasks. Although we appreciate the affordable price and extended battery life, HP skimped on the screen and cooling system. Continue reading to find out more.
HP Laptop 14: Specifications
- Name of the product: HP Laptop 14-ep0865no
- Tested: February 2024
- Producer: HP
- Processor: Intel Core i3-1315U
- Intel UHD Graphics 64EU for graphics
- Memory: 8 GB DDR4
- 512GB SSD for storage
- 14-inch matte IPS display with 1920 x 1080 pixels and 60 hertz
- 1080p webcam
- USB-C 3 Gen 1, 2 USB-A 3 Gen 1, HDMI, and headset connections
- Wireless: Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 6.
- Windows 11 Home is the operating system.
- Other: illuminated keyboard, fingerprint reader
- Level of noise: 0–40 dBa
- Battery life: 15 hours and 15 minutes (low load, low brightness), 3 hours and 10 minutes (high load, full brightness).
- 32.4 x 21.5 x 1.7 cm in size
- 3.08 pounds in weight
- A 3.5-star rating for the HP Laptop 14.
Hardware and performance of the HP Laptop 14
The following are the specifications: A modest Intel Core i3 processor of the power-efficient sort, 8GB of RAM RAM, 512GB of SSD storage, a small set of USB 3 ports, an HDMI connector, a headset jack, and a reliably reliable network connection via Wi-Fi 6.
If you want to do anything more complicated than resize and trim photos for a website, this is a computer for browsing, office work, and maybe basic photo editing. It’s not optimal for managing the multi-threaded demands of a Windows 11 PC due to its very low total number of cores—just 6—and even the smallest attempt at active multitasking can cause brief processing pauses.
The reviews of my performance show this. Single-core performance measurement routines yield good results, but multi-core operations are far slower than those on most other systems. This covers tasks like exporting videos, requiring multitasking, and database jobs. In those circumstances, additional RAM would have also been beneficial. This particular model has no upgrade options and only 8GB of RAM.
HP Laptop 14: Screen and fans
Since the majority of the chassis is made of plastic, fans are the only means of dissipating processor heat. They seem to have only two modes: semi-fast with semi-high fan hissing and full blast with more noise. This causes them to run frequently, even at modest loads. In the long term, it can undoubtedly become bothersome. There doesn’t seem to be a setting or feature to regulate the cooling and lower noise.
There are advantages to the HP Laptop 14 if you can put up with somewhat less powerful performance and obtrusive fans. Its elegant design has a solid metal screen lid, muted dark blue surfaces, and a comfortable keyboard with clear illumination. Its delicately rounded edges and light weight make it easy to carry anywhere. In addition, the mouse pad is well-made and comfy.
For an IPS screen in a low-cost laptop, the screen’s matte coating effectively reduces reflections, and the screen panel itself is of decent quality. The colors are even and neutral, and the contrast is superb. If the angle is too narrow, I notice distinct contrast shifts and spots that are pale black in height. However, when I sit down to work on the computer as usual, I don’t notice anything.
HP Laptop 14: Screen and sound
A small flicker appears on the screen when the brightness is reduced, indicating that basic pulse modulation is used to control it. It could be tiresome and irritating for certain individuals to view this. I’m not that sensitive, myself. Low color gamut and general low brightness concern me more because they make the image appear washed out and make it harder to view in overly bright conditions. Even a bright window behind you might make reading challenging.
In a typical indoor setting, though, it’s difficult to find fault. It appears fantastic when using it for document editing, web browsing, and movie streaming. Speakers tucked inside in the chassis provide clear, crisp audio. They have a lot of volume, but the bass and midrange lack richness and depth. compact speakers in a compact laptop are not unusual, but when testing laptops, I usually hope for a little bit more. They can surprise you at times.
With HP’s sound control software, I can adjust the equalizer and obtain a good noise reduction for the integrated microphone. Since it is typically extremely noisy, this might be necessary. Thankfully, the webcam is completely silent and features 1080p resolution. It does, however, have muted hues and little contrast. Although it’s not a professional grade, it works well enough for a video conference.
Software and battery life on the HP Laptop 14
Regarding the keyboard, there are a few unique buttons. It can be useful to fast access the emoji menu by pressing one of those buttons. Another one can be configured to open Omen Gaming Hub or My HP. These two programs hold settings for a plethora of things on other HP PCs, including fans, performance modes, screen and sound profiles, system maintenance, and much more.
In this case, neither performs much, although they do provide support information and display hardware status. Rather, there are a few distinct apps, like the Audio Center, each with a unique purpose. Apart from HP’s software, you also receive a trial version of McAfee security software and some links to Booking and Amazon, but that’s the extent of the obtrusive bloatware.
Compared to other laptops of a similar nature, battery life is better. For more than three hours, I can vigorously use the computer. It should last me a full working day if I don’t push it too hard. However, since you can only charge the battery using the charger’s unique round plug and not the USB-C port, it’s better to carry the little charger with you.
