Does the HP Pavilion Aero make compromises to be so light?

HP recently introduced the Pavilion Aero, which it calls its lightest consumer laptop yet. It’s a really interesting product because, at first glance, it looks set to compete with the best HP laptops out there. It has a powerful AMD Ryzen processor, high-end storage and RAM configurations, a great display, and all while being super light. But HP still labels this under its mainstream Pavilion brand, instead of the more premium Envy or Spectre lineups. And when it starts at just $749, you have to wonder what compromises are being made with the Pavilion Aero.

Contrary to what it might seem, the HP Pavilion Aero isn’t a perfect laptop, but that doesn’t mean it’s not great. There’s a lot of value to be had in this package, but it’s also important to look at what’s missing. That’s what we’re doing here, so you can make a more informed decision when considering a purchase.

What the Pavilion Aero does right

First, let’s talk about what makes the HP Pavilion Aero great. HP outfitted this laptop with AMD’s latest Ryzen processors, up to a Ryzen 7 5800U. That’s not only a high-end mobile Ryzen processor, it’s actually the higher-clock variant of the Ryzen 7. Many other laptops come with the slightly slower Ryzen 7 5700U, so it’s impressive that HP went with the more powerful version. Even if you opt for the Ryzen 5 variant. you’re getting a Ryzen 5 5600U, not the slower 5500U.

HP also lets you configure this laptop with up to 1TB of SSD storage and 16GB of RAM, which isn’t too shabby at all. Even the base configuration has 8GB of RAM, which is enough to have a good experience on Windows. As far as performance goes, the Pavilion Aero doesn’t make any big compromises.

HP also did a great job with the display. It’s one of the first laptops in this price range to come with a 16:10 aspect ratio, which is usually reserved for premium laptops. This taller display is great for productivity and reading content, and HP even offers it in a WQXGA (2560 x 1600) resolution variant, which is super sharp for a laptop this size. Even at the base level, the 1920 x 1200 resolution isn’t bad at all. Many laptops at this price still have lower-resolution displays, including other Pavilion models.

To round things out, HP also didn’t sacrifice its environmentally-friendly initiatives with the Pavilion Aero either. The build still uses a lot of ocean-bound plastics and water-based paint to help reduce environmental impact. It also still has a premium build, using a magnesium-aluminum alloy that’s common on ultra-light laptops. Some users say magnesium can feel cheaper than a standard aluminum build, but that will depend on your taste.

Another thing that’s great about the Pavilion Aero is it comes in four different color options. They’re all kind of subdued, but having that many choices is still very nice, and extremely uncommon in this price tier.

What are the compromises?

Despite all that, there are no miracles at play here, and there are definitely compromises made to get the Pavilion Aero to be so light and affordable. Let’s start with the display, which has no touch support, even as an optional add-on. Many of the company’s Pavilion laptops at least give you the option to add touch support, and most premium laptops give you that option, too. Not everyone needs a touchscreen, but some of us would definitely appreciate it. Also, that display isn’t covered by glass, just plastic, which can make the device feel somewhat cheap.

Above that display, you’re not going to see an IR webcam either. Windows Hello facial recognition isn’t always a guarantee, but many laptops at this price do have it. Not only that, the webcam itself is just 720p, so it’s not going to blow your mind. To be fair, even some premium laptops have 720p cameras, but it’s something you should be aware of.

And while we’re on the topic of Windows Hello, HP is very unclear about the presence of a fingerprint sensor. Some variants have it but the fingerprint sensor isn’t mentioned anywhere when you’re buying the laptop. It’s not visible in most of the official renders from HP either, so it doesn’t look like it’s something you’re guaranteed to get. It’s pretty uncommon for laptops at this price to have no sort of biometric authentication by default, so that’s a notable sacrifice.

There’s some other things, too. By default, the keyboard on the HP Pavilion Aero isn’t backlit. You do get the option to add it, but that costs an extra $20, and it probably adds a bit of weight to it. Another thing that’s missing is an option for 4G LTE. In fairness, that’s not something a lot of laptops have at this price, but some products do offer it. In fact, last year’s HP Pavilion x360 14 had it, and it came in at under $700 in price. It’s also odd to see a laptop in this price range still using a proprietary barrel charging pin, instead of having two USB Type-C ports. It can charge via USB Type-C, so it would have been better if the company just went all the way with it.

Finally, as we’ve mentioned, some users find that a magnesium alloy can feel cheap in the hand. It’s a durable material, but because of how light it is, it doesn’t feel as substantial as aluminum.

It’s still a fantastic laptop

All compromises considered, the HP Pavilion Aero is still great. It does make some sacrifices but at the end of the day, they’re on things that not everyone needs. Lots of people don’t care about touch support on their laptops, and if you already didn’t have Windows Hello on your previous laptop, you won’t notice it’s gone here. All of these downsides have to be contextualized, and it’s really up to you if they affect your experience negatively.

The HP Pavilion Aero nails a lot of the basics — it has powerful processors, a great display even in its base configuration, and it’s super light. You can also configure with some high-end specs like a Quad HD+ display, up to 1TB of storage, and 16GB of RAM. It’s certainly possible to have a fantastic experience with this laptop. It’s a standout example of what can be done with an AMD Ryzen laptop. You just need to make sure you’re OK with giving some of the niceties you usually get with premium devices.

If you’re looking for even more affordable options, be sure to check out our list of the best budget HP laptops.

HP Pavilion Aero

The Pavilion Aero is HP's lightest consumer laptop, but it still packs a punch. With poweful AMD Ryzen processors, and a tall and sharp display, it's extremely comptetent for its price.

Buy at HP

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Here’s a look at a prototype of Apple’s cancelled AirPower mat

AirPower was announced back in 2017 and was said to be able to wirelessly charge three devices at a time. For anyone who has an iPhone, an Apple Watch, and AirPods, it would have fit into the Apple ecosystem perfectly. However, the company eventually canceled AirPower, citing that it didn’t meet its “high standards”. However, an Apple prototype collector by the name of Giulio Zompetti has managed to purchase what seems to be a prototype of the AirPower mat.

Source: Giulio Zompetti

Speaking to The Verge, Giulio Zompetti says he has been able to purchase a prototype AirPower unit specifically from Chinese e-waste sources. “The unit lacks all of its exterior housing, and shows this beautiful and heavy stainless steel chassis,” Zompetti said. Zompetti also shared a video on Twitter, demonstrating that it works.

AirPower pic.twitter.com/bv8gi0NiiL

— Giulio Zompetti (@1nsane_dev) August 5, 2021

“It doesn’t work with production devices, because the coils are woken up by the device,” explained Zompetti, who has been able to charge two prototype devices simultaneously so far. Zompetti says that he received the prototype in December, having been able to activate it with a serial lightning cable.

“It’s an engineering prototype, it’s not meant for plug and play,” Zompetti told The Verge. “When I connected my serial lightning cable to it, I could see some chars on the log, so once I fixed the BAUD rate, I was able to read a comprehensible log.” The AirPower mat even has an interactive shell, due to it being an engineering device.

AirPower’s idea was that you could place wirelessly charging objects on it to charge anywhere on the pad, and you wouldn’t need to find any particular place to charge the device. While it does appear to work according to Zompetti, it never made the light of the day due to alleged issues in production that relate to overheating. Zompetti hasn’t run into any of those but doesn’t rule out the possibility of their existence.

Zompetti has a reputation for collecting old Apple prototype devices and has traveled to engineers to help them repair old prototypes that they may have had on hand. “It’s almost always about finding broken or incomplete units and fixing them to bring them back to life,” Zompetti said. The AirPower mat that he found is “definitely among the best” prototype hardware he’s found so far, he says.

Featured image: AirPower mat photos by Giulio Zompetti

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YouTube tests a new gesture to let you scrub videos faster

Last year, YouTube removed the ability to tap anywhere on the seek bar to jump to that specific point in a video. Instead, the new method now requires the user to hold and slide their finger over the seek bar to move forward or backward. Building upon this change, YouTube is testing a nifty gesture in the Android app for faster and easier video scrubbing.

As first spotted by Reddit user u/FragmentedChicken, YouTube for Android is rolling out a new slide to seek gesture that makes scrubbing through videos a lot more convenient.

To use it, simply long-press anywhere on the video and then drag your finger across the screen to start scrubbing. This is better than the two-step process we have right now, requiring you to first tap on the screen to reveal the seek bar and then aiming and sliding your thumb/finger along the line.

When the gesture is activated, a pop message appears on the screen that reads, “Slide left or right to seek.”

Gesture controls are nothing new to YouTube. Users can already double-tap in quick succession to rewind or skip 10 seconds, swipe to enter full screen and down to exit, and double-tap with two fingers to skip video chapters.

The new slide to seek gesture seems to be rolling out as a server-side switch. It wasn’t available on any of my phones running YouTube version 16.30.34. I even tried sideloading the latest beta from APKMirror, but it didn’t trigger it either.

Google routinely A/B tests a lot of features across its apps and services that don’t always make it to the final product. But there’s a good chance the slide to seek gesture will see a wider rollout on Android considering it’s already live on the iOS version of YouTube.

Have you received this new gesture in your YouTube app? Let us know in the comments below.

YouTube (Free, Google Play) →

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These are the best lightweight laptops you can buy: Samsung, HP, and more

Buying a new laptop is always hard, but it’s not for lack of choice. There are lots of fantastic laptops out there, and choosing one can be tricky. There are different form factors, sizes, processors, and many more factors to consider. But one factor that tends to be pretty important when choosing a laptop is its weight. Laptops are meant to be portable, and carrying a heavy device in your backpack gets uncomfortable very quickly. Some of us want something truly portable, and we’re here to help you find it. We’ve rounded up some of the best lightweight laptops you can buy right now.

All the laptops on this list are running Windows, and of course, they’re all going to support Windows 11 when that releases later this year. If Windows isn’t your thing, you can also check out our list of the best Macs, as well as the best Chromebooks. Windows is generally the operating system that can work for well for anyone though, so all the options on this list are great.

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• Best overall: Samsung Galaxy Book Pro
• Best convertible: HP Elite Dragonfly Max
• Best clamshell laptop: Acer Swift 5
• Best 17-inch laptop: LG gram 17
• Best mainstream laptop: HP Pavilion Aero 13
• Best for business: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga
• Best mainstream business laptop: HP EliteBook 840 Aero
• Best tablet: Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable

Best overall: Samsung Galaxy Book Pro

Samsung recently returned to making high-end Windows ultrabooks, and the Galaxy Book Pro really knocks it out of the park. It’s powered by Intel’s Tiger Lake processors, featuring Iris Xe Graphics. That’s already a strong starting point, and you can combine it with up to 512GB of storage and 16GB of RAM to get a top-notch experience. That’s already a great starting point for being one of the best lightweight laptops out there.

What makes it stand out the most though, is it’s one of the laptops that has an AMOLED display, and Samsung displays are always a treat. There are very few laptops with OLED displays, but there are even fewer of them that aren’t 4K, so it’s great to get this 1080p option. You may say 4K is better, but it’s arguably unnecessary on a screen this size. It’s way more expensive, and it takes a big toll on battery life. This gives you the benefits of AMOLED on a relatively affordable package that still gets solid battery life — Samsung promises up to 21 hours on the 13-inch model.

All of that comes in a package that weighs under 2lbs (for the 13-inch model), so you can easily take it anywhere. It’s hard to go wrong with the Galaxy Book Pro as a combination of a lightweight form factor, high performance, and stellar display. If you have a Samsung Galaxy phone, you even get some additional integration with things like Quick Share and other Samsung apps. You can choose between 13.3-inch and 15.6-inch sizes in the link below. If you want a convertible and you’re OK with a little extra weight, there’s also the Galaxy Book Pro 360.

Samsung Galaxy Book Pro

Samsung's Galaxy Book Pro is a stellar combination of powerful specs, long-lasting battery, and a gorgeous display in a laptop that's still lightweight. It's really hard to go wrong with it if you want something you can take anywhere easily.

Buy at Samsung

Best convertible: HP Elite Dragonfly Max

If you’re specifically looking for a convertible laptop that’s still really thin and light, the HP Elite Dragonfly Max is a stand-out choice. Coming in at just under 2.5lbs, this is a laptop that’s designed for businesses, but that doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate everything it offers. It’s made of CNC-machined magnesium that gives it a lightweight, but premium-feeling build, and it’s packing all the powerful specs you could want. You can have it with an Intel Core i7-1165G7, or spring for a vPro model for extra performance and security. You can also get up to 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage, so you won’t be missing out on much here.

There’s a lot more worth noting here. It comes with Windows Hello facial recognition, a 5MP camera, a privacy screen that protects your data from people looking over your shoulder, and more. A feature that’s worth noting is optional support for cellular connectivity, and you can even choose between LTE or 5G. If you need to get work done on the road, it’s great to have this option so you don’t have to depend on Wi-Fi.

If you’re still unsure, you can always read our review of the HP Elite Dragonfly Max, but if you’ve made up your mind, you can buy it below.

HP Elite Dragonfly Max

The HP Elite Dragonfly is a fantastic convertible that's designed for business users, but it's great for anyone. It has the high-performance and versatility for anyone's needs, plus a lot of security and privacy features.

Buy at HP

Best lightweight clamshell: Acer Swift 5

The Acer Swift 5 is another fantastic laptop, this time for fans of more traditional clamshell designs. It’s made out of a combination of magnesium alloys, allowing it to be just 14.45mm thin and weigh 2.31lbs. It’s still a powerful laptop though, with Intel’s latest Tiger lake processors, 16GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of SSD storage. You actually get dedicated graphics too, with an NVIDIA GeForce MX330, so you can even get some light gaming in every now and then. That’s pretty impressive for a device this light and thin.

Another thing that helps the Swift 5 stand out is its design. In a market often saturated with neutral colors and designs that piggyback off Apple’s MacBooks, Acer actually did something unique here. The Swift 5 comes in Mist green, and it has some nice gold accents that are sure to grab people’s attention when you pull it out in public. Of course, there are other great things here, like a 14-inch IPS display, and a built-in fingerprint reader for security.

Acer Swift 5

The Acer Swift 5 is a great lightweight clamshell laptop that offers the latest and greatest in terms of specs, plus a dedicated GPU from NVIDIA. It also has a fairly unique design and a nice IPS display.

Buy at Amazon

Best lightweight 17-inch laptop: LG gram 17

You might think that a 17-inch laptop can’t be considered thin and light, but LG has actually been doing it for years. The gram lineup is well-known precisely for having some of the best lightweight laptops, and while the gram 17 gets close to 3lbs, it’s still an impressive machine. The highlight is, of course, the big 17-inch display that comes in the 16:10 aspect ratio and Quad HD+ resolution. That’s a killer combination of specs that makes this PC fantastic for work. You get a large canvas to see more of what you’re working on, and everything looks extra sharp and crisp.

You’re also not short on power. You get Intel’s latest Tiger Lake processors, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage, which gives you plenty of power to work, plus enough space for lots of documents. There’s also Thunderbolt support, and up to 19 hours of battery life on an 80Wh battery. That’s a solid number for a laptop with a large, high-resolution screen like this. No matter how you slice it, the LG gram 17 is a very impressive combination of a large and sharp display, solid battery life, and a lightweight build. If you need a large screen you can take anywhere, this is one of the best lightweight laptops you can get.

LG gram 17

The LG gram 17 is an impressive 17-inch laptop that offers top-notch specs across the board. With a sharp display and high-performance components, it's crazy it still weighs less than 3lbs.

Buy at Amazon

Best mainstream lightweight laptop: HP Pavilion Aero

HP recently introduced the Pavilion Aero, which the company calls its lightest consumer laptop ever. At under 2.2lbs, it certainly is very light but that doesn’t mean it’s not powerful. It’s powered by AMD’s Ryzen 5000 series mobile processors, and it packs up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage. AMD’s latest processors are arguably better than Intel’s competing products in many ways, so this is a great choice for fans of team red.

The display is pretty impressive, too. It’s a 13.3-inch IPS panel, but it comes in the taller 16:10 aspect ratio, which isn’t super common on laptops in this price range. Not only that, there’s a WQXGA resolution option, which is extra sharp. Plus, it’s not common for laptops to offer a lot of color variants, but HP has gone the extra mile here. There are four colors available, and while they’re somewhat subdued, some of the options are still pretty unique compared to most other laptops. This is one of the most affordable laptops on this list, and considering what it offers, you can’t really go wrong.

HP Pavilion Aero

The HP Pavilion Aero is HP's lightest consumer laptop, but it's still very powerful with AMD's latest processors, plenty of RAM and storage, and a tall, sharp display. It's also relatively affordable for what it offers.

Buy at HP

Best for business: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga

Lenovo’s ThinkPad lineup has always been aimed at business users, and it usually looks pretty similar each generation. The X1 Titanium Yoga tries to bridge together modern and classic elements alike. For starters, it has the latest Intel processors, up to 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD, which is a recurring theme on this list. But it also has a tall 3:2 aspect ratio that’s great for productivity, and that’s a very high 2256 x 1504 resolution. Of course, it’s a convertible too, so it has a touch screen and pen support. At the same time, the classic red nub to control the mouse is still here, carrying the legacy of the ThinkPad family.

That’s far from everything you can get with the ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga. It has an IR camera and fingerprint reader for Windows Hello, but you can also get it with human presence detection, so it wakes up as soon as you walk up to it. You can get it with Windows 10 Pro, add LTE or 5G connectivity, and you get a quad-speaker system that should be great for calls and media consumption alike. It’s one of the best convertibles there, and at just over 11.6mm thickness and 2.5lbs weight, it’s also very lightweight.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga is a high-end laptop with lots of modern features and classic Thinkpad elements. It has high-end processors, a sharp display with touch and pen support, and extra security features.

Buy at Amazon

Best lightweight mainstream business laptop: HP EliteBook 840 Aero

If you want something a little more traditional, the HP EliteBook 840 Aero is another great business laptop. It’s a typical clamshell form factor, but while it’s basic in some ways, it still has a lot to offer. It has Intel Tiger Lake vPro processors, up to 64GB of RAM, and 2TB of SSD storage. It’s truly a laptop that can last you for a long time because it has very high-end specs and security features.

It’s highly customizable too, and that’s a big part of its appeal. You can add 4G or 5G connectivity, Tile tracker integration, a privacy screen and keyboard, a fingerprint reader for Windows Hello, and a SmartCard reader, in addition to the configuration options you’d expect. Some things are standardized across the board though, like the display resolution being Full HD and the inclusion of Windows Hello facial recognition. Still, if you’re looking for a lightweight business laptop that can be tailored to your needs, this is one of the best.

HP EliteBook 840 Aero

The HP EliteBook 840 Aero is a typical clamshell laptop with tons of configuration options for business users. It has high-end specs that ensure it will last you a long time, too.

Buy at HP

Best lightweight tablet: Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable

There aren’t a lot of premium Windows tablets out there aside from Microsoft’s Surface line, but the Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable is definitely one of the best options you can find. Like other laptops on this list, it has Intel’s latest Tiger Lake processor, including vPro support, plus up to 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. However, there’s a bit of a difference here from some of the other laptops. It uses Intel’s “UP4” processors, which consume less power, but offer very similar performance.

It’s just a tablet, but you can add a detachable keyboard if you want to type more comfortably every now and then. The Full HD display hits 500 nits of brightness and it also supports pen input. Plus, it’s protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 6 DX, so it should be very durable. In fact, the whole tablet is designed to meet military standards for durability, and it has plenty of nice bonus features.

4G support is optional, and you can also add presence detection for easier sign-in, NFC, and a SmartCard reader. Something else that makes this stand out compared to, say, the Surface line, is it actually supports Thunderbolt 4. That gives you lots of expansion options, even though the device itself is very compact and lightweight at 1.7lbs. If you want to learn more about the Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable, you can read our full review, but if you’re set on it, you can use the link below.

Dell latitude 7320 Detachable

The Dell Latitude 7320 is a fantastic tablet that uses low-power processors, but can still handle almost all kinds of day-to-day tasks. It has a premium design and some useful features like facial recognition, optional 4G connectivity, and more.

Buy at Dell

No matter which one you choose, you’re getting a fantastic experience with the devices on this list, and as we’ve mentioned, they’re all going to get the upgrade to Windows 11 when it releases. While all these are light, they do come in various sizes, so you can definitely find something that still suits your tastes. I personally prefer larger displays, so something like the LG gram 17 would be great for me, though the 15.6-inch Galaxy Book Pro is also very tempting.

Another thing that’s worthy of appreciation is some devices at least still try to look a little different. It’s great to see PCs like the HP Pavilion Aero and the Acer Swift 5 that deviate a bit more from the typical silver and black colors most laptops tend to have. If you want something that stands out from the crowd, those are two great options, too.

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HP Pavilion Aero vs Lenovo Yoga 6: Which is the best mainstream laptop?

HP recently launched the Pavilion Aero laptop, which the company says is its lightest consumer laptop yet. At less than 2.2lbs, it’s certainly lightweight and packs some power too, courtesy of the latest AMD Ryzen processors. It’s one of HP’s best laptops, but the laptop market is a crowded one and there’s always tough competition out there. In this match-up, we’re going to be pitting the HP Pavilion Aero vs the Lenovo Yoga 6, another 13-inch AMD-powered laptop that has a lot to offer. This is also one of Lenovo’s best laptops, specifically in the budget segment.

Just looking at the display size and processors, these laptops may seem similar, but there’s actually quite a bit that’s different. Most of the time, it’s not just about performance. Making a choice needs to take into consideration design elements and extra features each device offers. Let’s take a look at what each of these laptops brings to the table, and why you might prefer one over the other.

Specs

While specs aren’t everything in a laptop, as we just said, it’s always good to know what’s inside each of the laptops. This offers a solid ground for comparison, even if there’s a lot more that needs to be considered. Here’s how these two laptops stack up:

	HP Pavilion Aero	Lenovo Yoga 6
Processor	AMD Ryzen 5 5600U (2.3GHz base, 4.2GHz boost, 6-core) AMD Ryzen 7 5800U (1.9GHz base, 4.4GHz boost, 8-core)	AMD Ryzen 5 5500U (2.1GHz base, 4GHz boost 6-core) AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (1.8GHz base, 4.3GHz boost, 8-core)
Graphics	AMD Radeon Graphics (7-core, 1.8GHz) AMD Radeon Graphics (8-core, 2GHz)	AMD Radeon Graphics (7-core, 1.8GHz) AMD Radeon Graphics (8-core 1.9GHz)
RAM	8GB 16GB	8GB 16GB
Storage	256GB 512GB 1TB	256GB 512GB 1TB
Display	13.3-inch, WUXGA (1920 x 1200), IPS, micro-edge, anti-glare, 400 nits 13.3-inch, WQXGA (2560 x 1600), IPS, micro-edge, anti-glare, 400 nits	13.3″ FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS, touchscreen, 300 nits
Audio	Dual speakers, Audio by B&O, HP Audio Boost	Stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos
Webcam	HP True Vision 720p HD camera	720p HD camera
Windows Hello	No	Fingerprint reader
Battery	3-cell 43Whr battery 65W charger	4-cell 60Whr battery 45W charger
Ports	1 USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps, Power Delivery, DisplayPort 1.4, HP Sleep and Charge) 2 USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) 1 HDMI 2.0 3.5mm combo audio jack AC smart pin	1 USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps, DisplayPort, Power Delivery) 1 USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps, DisplayPort) 2 USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) 3.5mm combo audio jack
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 5 (1×1) + Bluetooth 4.2 Wi-Fi 6 (1×2) + Bluetooth 5.2 Wi-Fi 6 (2×2) + Bluetooth 5.2	Wi-Fi 6 (2×2) + Bluetooth 5.0
Colors	Natural Silver Ceramic White Warm Gold Pale Rose Gold	Abyss Blue
Size (WxDxH)	11.72 x 8.23 x 0.67 in (297.69 x 209.04 x 17.02 mm)	12.13 x 8.12 x .67 – 0.72 in (308 x 206.4 x 17 – 18.2 mm)
Weight	<2.2 lb (<997.9 grams)	2.91 lb (1.32 kg)
Starting price	$749.99	$749.99 (varies)

Design: Clamshell or convertible?

The differences between the HP Pavilion Aero and the Lenovo Yoga 6 start right away with the form factor and that alone can make the decision for you. The Pavilion Aero is a typical clamshell laptop, while the Yoga 6 is a convertible. If you just want a basic laptop form factor, then the Pavilion Aero might work. But for someone like me, who loves convertibles, there’s no debate that the Lenovo Yoga 6 is more appealing. You can rotate the screen all around and use it as a touchscreen, which is simply more fun and natural. Plus, the Yoga 6 also supports active pens — although you’ll need to buy it separately.

In terms of looks, it’s fair to say these two laptops trade blows. HP went the extra mile and offers four different color options for the Pavilion Aero, which is great to see. Most laptops these days only give you one or two color options, and very often they’re neutral tones. It’s always great to see a company offer more options.

On the other hand, the Lenovo Yoga 6 only comes in Abyss Blue, but it has an ace up its sleeve. The top half of the laptop is covered in fabric, and it looks amazing. It’s classy and elegant and stands out tremendously. Plus, it can give you a more comfortable grip. Both laptops score points here, but I’d personally give the win to the Lenovo Yoga 6.

As far as ports go, both of these laptops miss out on Thunderbolt support, since they have AMD processors. However, the HP Pavilion Aero has a USB Type-C port with a 10Gbps signaling rate, which gives it the potential to be faster than any of the ports on the Lenovo. HP also includes an HDMI port, which is still the most common display input on monitors and (especially) TVs.

On the other hand, the Lenovo Yoga 6 has fully transitioned to USB Type-C for charging (and thus has two Type-C ports), while HP still has a proprietary barrel-type charger.

There’s something else that’s missing in the HP, and that’s Windows Hello support. The laptop doesn’t have an IR camera and the fingerprint sensor is not there by default, so if you want to keep your computer safe, you’ll need to use a password or PIN. That’s an odd omission considering how so many mainstream laptops now have some kind of biometric authentication. The Lenovo Yoga 6 at least has a fingerprint reader below the keyboard, which makes unlocking your PC much easier.

“(…)while both laptops are relatively light, the HP Pavilion Aero is the clear winner in terms of portability.”

Finally, while both laptops are relatively light, the HP Pavilion Aero is the clear winner in terms of portability. It weighs under 1kg, or 2.2lbs, which makes it very easy to carry anywhere. The Lenovo Yoga 6 starts at 2.91lbs, which is significantly more. That tends to be the case with convertibles, but it’s still a significant difference, and if you’re carrying it in a backpack for hours, you might notice it after a while. The HP Pavilion Aero is also thinner and less wide than the Yoga 6, though it’s taller. That’s partly because of the display, which we’ll get to next.

Display: The HP Pavilion Aero has a taller, sharper, and brighter screen

If you pay attention to the more premium segment of the laptop market, you’ve probably already seen a few devices with taller displays. For many years, almost every laptop used a 16:9 aspect ratio, and that was mostly to match the aspect ratio of DVD movies and shows. In recent years though, we’ve seen a few premium laptops like the Microsoft Surface family, MacBook, and others using 3:2 or 16:10 aspect ratios.

The HP Pavilion Aero is one of the first to bring that to the mainstream market. Specifically, it has a 16:10 aspect ratio, and that means you get a little extra vertical space. It may not sound like much, but this difference lets you see more text while browsing the web or writing up a document, which can be very convenient.

That’s not all it brings. If you’re willing to shell out a bit more, you can pay for the 2560 x 1600 panel, which is much sharper and makes everything a little easier on the eyes. With the Lenovo Yoga 6, your only option is a 16:9 Full HD panel.

If that wasn’t enough, the screen on the Pavilion Aero goes up to 400 nits of brightness, which is a big deal if you want to use it outdoors. The Lenovo Yoga 6 goes up to 300 nits, which is good enough to use indoors but can be hard to see under direct sunlight.

On the other hand, as we’ve mentioned, the Lenovo Yoga 6 is a convertible, so that display is a touchscreen. You don’t get that option at all with the Pavilion Aero, which might be an important factor for you. However, there’s no denying that, in terms of the quality of the display, HP easily has Lenovo beat in almost all areas here.

“(…)in terms of the quality of the display, HP easily has Lenovo beat in almost all areas here.”

As for sound, the two laptops are similar. The HP Pavilion Aero has two speakers with sound tuned by Bang & Olufsen (B&O), but there’s no mention of support for Dolby Atmos. The Lenovo Yoga 6 has stereo speakers and it claims support for Dolby Atmos, which can offer extra immersion when watching movies or shows.

Both laptops also have 720p HD cameras, which are probably fine for day-to-day use. Most laptop webcams aren’t that great, and you shouldn’t expect anything mind-blowing from either one, but they’re both acceptable.

Performance: The Pavilion Aero has faster processors than the Yoga 6

Both of these laptops have AMD Ryzen 5000 series mobile processors, up to 1TB of storage, and 16GB of RAM. That may seem like both laptops are exactly on the same level, but there are some differences here.

The HP Pavilion Aero is using processors with slightly higher clock speeds, despite being very similar. For example, the Ryzen 5 5500U in the Lenovo Yoga 6 has a base clock of 2.1GHz and it can boost up to 4GHz, but the Ryzen 5 5600U in the HP Pavilion Aero has a 2.3GHz base clock and 4.2GHz boost clock. In the case of the Ryzen 7, the integrated Radeon Graphics in the HP Pavilion Aero are also slightly faster than those of the Lenovo Yoga 6.

Looking at GeekBench scores, the difference is noticeable. Benchmark results for the Pavilion Aero with a Ryzen 5 5600U often seem to be upward of 1,200, a score that’s almost never seen for the Ryzen 5 5500U. A similar story happens with the Ryzen 7 models. The Ryzen 7 5800U often breaks 1,300, sometimes 1,400, but the Ryzen 7 5700U never seems to come close.

One area where HP seems to make some odd choices is wireless communication. The default configuration still only supports Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 4.2, both of which have been superseded. There are options for Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2, but you have to specifically select them. HP’s website makes this a little weird because there’s no extra cost if you choose the upgraded version, but at least that means you don’t have to think about whether you should upgrade. You’ll always want to choose the newer models.

HP Pavilion Aero vs Lenovo Yoga 6: bottom line

It’s fair to say that in the areas that are objectively comparable, the HP Pavilion Aero is a more compelling offering compared to the Lenovo Yoga 6. You get faster processors, a faster USB Type-C port, and a display that’s better in almost every way. It can get brighter, you can get it at a higher resolution, and it has a tall aspect ratio that makes it better for productivity. To round things out, it’s also lighter and more portable.

“(…)if you want the most performance, the best display, or the best portability, the HP Pavilion Aero pulls off a convincing victory here.”

But it’s not always about the objective specs. The Lenovo Yoga 6 does offer versatility thanks to the convertible form factor. If you love using touchscreens and fancy using your PC as a tablet every now and then, that’s the option you want. You can even use it to draw with an active pen. Plus, the Lenovo Yoga 6 uses a USB Type-C charger by default, so you’re less likely to worry about not having the right charger.

Finally, you may also want to consider looks. HP offers a few colors to choose from for the Pavilion Aero, so you’re more likely to find something that suits your taste. But the Lenovo Yoga 6, despite only coming in one color, is far more unique than any of HP’s color options. That fabric coating is just not something you see every day, so you have to give it points for that.

If it was me making the choice, I would probably still go with the Lenovo Yoga 6 for its form factor. But if you want the most performance, the best display, or the best portability, the HP Pavilion Aero pulls off a convincing victory here. You can buy either one from the links below, or check our roundup of the best AMD-powered laptops to check out some other options.

HP Pavilion Aero

The Pavilion Aero is HP's lightest consumer laptop, but it still packs a punch. With poweful AMD Ryzen processors, and a tall and sharp display, it's extremely comptetent for its price.

Buy at HP

Lenovo Yoga 6

The Lenovo Yoga 6 is a powerful AMD-based convertible that's got a lot to offer. It has a stylish fabric-covered design, a fingerprint reader for Windows Hello, and top-notch specs.

Buy at Best Buy

The post HP Pavilion Aero vs Lenovo Yoga 6: Which is the best mainstream laptop? appeared first on xda-developers.

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What configurations of the ASUS Chromebook CX9 are available?

ASUS launched the Chromebook CX9 a few weeks back, which they originally introduced at CES 2021. This is one of the most premium Chromebooks on the market today. If you want premium build quality, high-end specs, and security features, then this is the laptop for you. While all the models of the CX9 share the same amazing build quality, there are several configurations available. You can choose from different Intel Tiger Lake processors, upgraded RAM and storage options, and various display resolutions. In this guide we’ll take a look at all the configurations available for the ASUS Chromebook CX9, highlighting the key differences.

What the models share

All models of the Chromebook CX9 include a backlit keyboard, glass touchpad with built-in LED numberpad, and Harman Kardon powered speakers. Build quality is premium, with extreme military-grade durability — panel pressure, shock, and drop tested. The CX9 features Bluetooth 5.0 and a 720p webcam in each model as well.

Every configuration comes with a bevy of connectivity options. Ports include, 1 HDMI 2.0b, 1 Audio Jack, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type A, and 2 Thunderbolt 4 ports with display and power delivery support.

Base model

The base model of the CX9, retailing at $749, features an Intel Core i3-1115G4 Processor 3.0 GHz (6M Cache, up to 4.1 GHz, 2 cores) on the inside. You also get 8GB of LPDDR4X onboard RAM. As for storage, this configuration boasts a 128GB M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD, which is very fast.

ASUS packed in a 14″ FHD (1920*1080) 16:9, anti-glare display, with 400 nits of peak brightness. Unfortunately, the base model doesn’t feature a touchscreen. The other main downside to the base model is you don’t get a high-end GPU, only Intel UHD Graphics inside.

Core i7 model with FHD display

Moving up in price to the $1,149 model, the processor jump is significant, with an Intel Core i7-1165G7 Processor 2.8 GHz (12M Cache, up to 4.7 GHz, 4 cores). This price jump also bumps up the RAM to 16GB and storage to 512GB of SSD storage. The display features the same resolution and brightness, but adds touchscreen and USI pen support.

As for premium features, this $1,149 configuration also adds a fingerprint sensor just below the directional keys on the keyboard. This model also features Intel Iris Xe graphics. Overall, $400 is a pretty big price bump, but you’re getting a huge bump in performance.

4K model coming soon

We know that ASUS also plans to offer a model of the CX9 with a 4K display at some point. Details on this model are still rather sparse — we only know that it’s coming later this year. It makes sense this model would likely feature a Core i7 processor, with other specs similar to the $1,149 model mentioned above. Pricing is also unknown, but we can expect somewhere north of $1,400 based on the pricing of the other models in the lineup.

No matter which model you choose, ASUS definitely delivered one of their best Chromebooks with the CX9. It would be nice to eventually see the Core i5 make its way to the CX9, but there aren’t many other things to complain about with this lineup.

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Best ASUS Chromebook CX9 cases: TIMBUK2, Waterfield, and more

The new ASUS Chromebook CX9 is one of the most innovative devices running Chrome OS today. Using your ASUS Chromebook CX9 daily comes with some inherent risks. It’s possible to drop your device and damage it while working. Chromebooks are made to be portable. To protect your investment when you’re out and about, you can grab a sleeve or bag at a fairly low price. This is even more important if you have a touch-enabled Chromebook like the CX9. Most of these options are on sale often, making the deal even sweeter. With so many different cases and sleeves available, you can find something that fits your personal style and has functionality for daily work and play.

Amazon Basics Executive Laptop Sleeve

Best basic sleeve

If you just want a basic sleeve with no frills, Amazon has you covered here. This sleeve's size ranges from 11.6 inches up to 15.6 inches, depending on the size of your Chromebook. With three color options to choose from and a low price, grab this if you just need to carry your Chromebook outside on occasion.

View at Amazon

Case Logic Carrying Case 13/14

Best carrying case

If you need extra protection for your Chromebook CX9 when carrying it around, the hard shell on this sleeve can do just that. Meanwhile, the inside is soft to absorb any impact from your laptop moving around.

View at Best Buy

Nacuwa Hard Sleeve

Best hard sleeve

If you want top of the line protection, get this hard sleeve from Nacuwa. With a range of size options, this sleeve is suitable for any Chromebook. You also get protection from spills, and a few inner pockets to organize cables and your laptop charger.

View at Amazon

UNIKA Leather Sleeve

Best leather sleeve

For those that want an elegant sleeve, UNIKA has a nice selection of color options. This sleeve features an ultra-thin design and accommodates 13-15 inch Chromebooks.

View at Amazon

Lymmax shockproof sleeve

Best shockproof sleeve

Sometimes we all have a clumsy day or two. With the Lymmax shockproof sleeve your laptop will stay protected even if you drop it. This sleeve comes in a range of color options but is limited to 13-15 inch size compatibility.

View at Amazon

Nillkin laptop sleeve with stand

Best sleeve with stand

Would you like a laptop sleeve that doubles as a stand? Nillkin offers just that at a price under $30. With four color options to choose from you should be able to find one that matches your personal style.

View at Amazon

TIMBUK2 Stealth Folio

Storage on the go

If you need a case to store lots of gear with your ASUS Chromebook CX9, the TIMBUK2 Stealth Folio is perfect. You get multiple compartments for chargers, dongles, and more.

View at Amazon

Waterfield Designs PC SleeveCase

Premium custom fit

Luxury bags are tough to find for Chromebooks, but Waterfield Designs offers an excellent custom-fit option. You can specific the exact dimensions of your Chromebook and they will built you a custom case made of waxed canvas or ballistic nylon. This is a premium sleeve with amazing build quality.

View at Waterfields Designs

NIDOO 14 inch laptop sleeve

More color options

Color options are fun on any accessory, but Chromebook cases tend to come mostly in black or grey. The NIDOO 14 inch laptop sleeve comes in numerous colors so you can express your personal style and protect your CX9 at the same time.

View at Amazon

That completes our roundup of the best available cases and sleeves for the ASUS Chromebook CX9, one of ASUS’ best Chromebook models. Keep in mind Amazon constantly discounts several of these products, so it’s wise to often keep an eye out. You can also set up a page monitor to get notified of any drastic price drops.

Let us know which case or sleeve you prefer for your Chromebook travels.

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