HP 15z (3JE20AV_1, 2018)

HP 15z 3JE20AV_1 (2018) Affordable 15.6″ Laptop with AMD CPUs, Optional Touch

HP 15z (3JE20AV_1, 2018)
HP 15z (3JE20AV_1)
HP 15z (3JE20AV_1) White
HP 15z (3JE20AV_1) Gold

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The HP 15z (3JE20AV_1, 2018) is a cheap 15.6-inch notebook model starting at around $300. It’s a plastic-cladded 4.6-pound laptop with a 0.9″ thick profile, optional touchscreen, a chiclet style keyboard with numeric pad, and a trackpad with mechanical click buttons. The machine is available in six different colors: black, white, silver, gold, dark gray, and blue.

The 1366×768-pixel HD display resolution is an unwritten standard on budget notebooks. The HP 15z 3JE20AV_1 is no exception. Yes, you can configure the laptop with an optional Full HD 1920×1080 screen, but in both cases IPS technology for wide viewing angles is missing. Optional touch input support on this model is a nice perk, considering it is a budget-class laptop.

As opposed to the Intel-based HP 15t, the HP 15z 3JE20AV_1 is powered by AMD’s processors. The basic configuration comes with the AMD A9-9425 dual-core processor with the Radeon R5 integrated graphics. The AMD Ryzen 3 2200U quad-core with Radeon Vega 3 graphics is a step up, whereas the Ryzen 5 2500U quad-core with Vega 8 offers the best performance among them. All the offered chips are good for the daily web, Office document editing, and multimedia playback chores of the average user. The Ryzen-branded chips provide a smoother experience than the A9 when dealing with Windows 10 OS and programs and are much better at demanding tasks like video editing. In laptop processor tests, Ryzens rank similar to the more popular Intel’s mid-range 8th Gen Core i3 and i5 U-series CPUs.

The notebook’s RAM size of 8 – 16 GB means enough capacity for multitasking in common computing scenarios, so users won’t encounter problems while running multiple programs at the same time.

For storage, HP has provided mechanical hard drive and much faster solid state drive choices. You can have a 1-Terabyte or a 2-Terabyte hard drive for a plenty of cheap storage space, or a 128 or 256 GB solid state drive for snappier performance. Or, you can combine the 1TB HDD with 128GB or 256GB SSD for the best of both worlds. The notebook does not have a built-in DVD writer drive.

The included battery has a capacity of 41 WHr. The manufacturer claims the battery life can last “up to 9 hours” on models with HD display option. On Full HD variant, the battery life is shorter.

Overall, this notebook provides a good value for the price, considering its well-rounded feature set with all important perks included. Also, it can be appealing to those who like clean no-frills laptop designs. But if you are looking for premium features like IPS displays, keyboard backlight, and metal casing, or a 2-in-1 PC design, you should take a look at pricier models like the HP Pavilion, Envy, or Spectre series.

Specifications

Here are the specs of the HP 15z 3JE20AV_1 with descriptions of its features. For comparison against other laptops, you can use the "Compare Specs" button.

Brand

HP (Hewlett-Packard) is among the top 3 laptop makers by the world's marketshare, besides Dell and Lenovo. HP makes the popular Pavilion consumer laptop line, the basic laptops branded as simply HP, the higher-end Spectre and Envy laptops and convertibles, EliteBook and ProBook business laptops, and the Omen gaming notebooks.
Laptop Type

This laptop features a clamshell-only design, without the ability to convert into a tablet.
Screen Size

This is by far the most popular laptop screen size. It provides a lot of screen real estate while avoiding the bulkiness of 17.3" laptops.
Screen Resolution

This is an entry-level screen resolution, oftentimes found on budget laptops. It doesn't deliver picture sharpness and space on the screen like the Full HD or higher resolution laptop displays do.



Full HD (FHD) is the most common laptop screen resolution today. It provides a good image sharpness and a decent amount of space on the display for the user interface and programs. However, it isn't as good as the top-tier 4K Ultra HD. On the positive side, FHD tends to consume less power than 4K.
Touchscreen

The device optionally comes with touchscreen capability.
Other Display Specs

Displays based on the old TN technology lack wide viewing angles you can find on IPS screens. The colors may look washed out or inverted at certain viewing angles.
Processor (CPU) AMD A9-9420 (decent for daily computing, but not fully smooth)

AMD Ryzen 3 2200U (enables smooth everyday computing)

AMD Ryzen 5 2500U (enables smooth everyday computing)
Graphics (GPU) AMD Radeon R5 integrated graphics (only for lightest gaming)

AMD Radeon Vega 3 integrated graphics of Ryzen 3 (for the lightest games only)

AMD Radeon Vega 8 integrated graphics of Ryzen 5 (for light gaming)
System Memory (RAM) Size

The 8GB RAM size is the standard one in 2023. It provides comfortable multi-tasking for the most home and office users. Keep in mind that 8GB may be not enough for some demanding programs and many newer games.



12GB is greater than the recommended minimum of 8GB and enables very comfortable multitasking during everyday tasks. However, many games and professional software may require 16GB or more.



16GB and greater RAM sizes are recommended for heavy multitasking, gaming, and specialized programs that require a lot of RAM.
Data Storage

128GB is a relatively small storage space. However, it is usable if you don't store a lot of large files like movies and don't install a lot of programs.



256GB is a decent capacity. If you tend to download and store a lot of large files like movies and install many programs, 512GB or more is a better choice.



1TB is an excellent storage capacity, but HDD is a slow type of storage.



This is an excellent capacity, but the HDD portion is a slow type of storage.



This is an excellent capacity, but the HDD portion is a slow type of storage.



2TB is a huge storage capacity, but HDD is a slow type of storage.
DVD Optical Drive

Keyboard & Input

The keyboard has a separate numeric pad on the right side of the keyboard, but it has no keyboard backlight.



The touchpad features physical left and right click buttons, as opposed to click buttons integrated into the touchpad surface.



Speakers & Audio Stereo speakers

As usual, the device features a pair of built-in stereo speakers.

Combo microphone and headphones audio jack

This laptop has a standard 3.5mm combo audio jack that supports both headphone output and microphone input simultaneously.
Camera Front-facing web camera

Laptops usually feature a frontal webcam located on the display bezel. This laptop is no exception.

VGA 480p resolution

This is a low web camera resolution in comparison to the common 720p laptop webcam resolution, so it can't produce a sharp picture. It's especially low in comparison to resolutions of modern smartphones.

HD 720p resolution

This is the most common web camera resolution in laptops. However, it's low in comparison to camera resolutions of modern smartphones, so it can't produce as sharp picture.
Wi-Fi Wireless 802.11AC

The 802.11AC is the previous-generation wireless networking standard. It's also known as Wi-Fi 5. 802.11AC is succeeded by 802.11AX Wi-Fi 6 with data transfer speed and multi-device connectivity improvements.

802.11N

802.11N is an old Wi-Fi standard, precursor of the 802.11AC and the latest 802.11AX with improved data transfer speeds and connectivity. 802.11N is rarely used in modern laptops.
Ethernet Network Port Yes

This laptop has an Ethernet LAN port for wired internet and networking connectivity.
Mobile broadband (4G LTE)

Bluetooth Yes

This laptop has a built-in Bluetooth module. It enables you to connect the computer to Bluetooth mice and other Bluetooth peripherals, smartphones, and other Bluetooth-equipped devices.
USB Ports 2 x USB 3.1 + 1 x USB 2.0

A total of three full-size Type A USB ports.
Video Output Ports 1 x HDMI

HDMI is a widely used digital video output port. You can find corresponding HDMI input ports on most computer monitors and TVs.
Media Card Reader SD card reader

The laptop has a slot for full-size SD memory cards, used in many digital cameras. You can also use microSD cards with a card adapter.
Battery 41 Whr capacity
Weight 4.6 pounds
Height 0.9"
Width 14.8"
Depth 9.7"
Windows Version

Windows 10 Home is aimed at the regular home and office computer users. Only select business users need the Professional edition. Windows 10 Home users are eligible for a free upgrade to the latest Windows 11 Home.
Warranty 1-year

A typical laptop warranty.

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Published on November 1, 2018

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