HP Pavilion x360 11 (11t-n000) Inexpensive 2-in-1 Mini-Laptop (Review)

The HP Pavilion 11t-n000 x360 is a brand new convertible laptop with a Lenovo Yoga-like hinge which rotates 360 degrees, so the device can act as a standard laptop, tablet, a “stand” with the screen facing backwards or in a tent-like mode. The 11.6-inch x360 is a budget machine with basic components, plastic casing, and affordable pricing starting at about $400. The most important trade-off appears to be a lack of IPS display technology, so viewing angles are not so great as on the IPS-powered screens. The Pentium N3520 inside is a quad-core processor, but it’s nevertheless suitable primarily for the basic daily tasks, since it’s a low-power part. The 11t-n000 x360, selling via HP’s online store, is a configurable model, but there’s no much to customize on it. You can select either 4GB or 8GB of RAM memory and chassis color – gray or red. The device comes with a standardly-sized 500GB hard disk drive, which offers a plenty of storage space but is a slow type of storage. Optionally, a faster 500GB hybrid HDD/SSD drive is available if you want to improve storage performance.

Our Test of HP Pavilion x360 11

We have tested one of the red HP Pavilion x360 11 models and found it is a nicely designed and sturdy laptop. The keyboard area is flex-free thanks to aluminum cover. Bending of the screen backpanel is almost non-existent too. The robust hinge feels like it can withstand thousands of twists. However, it doesn’t hold the display completely firmly. You can experience that when you tap on the screen with your fingers, while using the device in laptop and stand modes. The whole panel bounces a bit then. In tablet and tent modes this problem doesn’t exist. The display lid and bottom are made of quality soft-touch plastics, which isn’t glossy but still attract fingerprints. Aesthetically, the big display bezel doesn’t give you an impression of luxury, but overall the HP Pavilion x360 11 looks a kind of cute and feels tough under your fingers at the same time.

On the negative side, the laptop is bulky for a 11.6-incher. It weighs nearly 3.1 pounds and is 0.9″ thick. Bulkiness and heaviness are especially troublesome when you convert it to tablet mode and hold it in your hands.

As for the display it could have definitely been brighter and had a better contrast ratio. The main drawback however is absence of IPS technology, so the display doesn’t provide good viewing angles. When you combine a low screen brightness with glossy display coating, you get a display which is barely viewable outdoors in daylight. At least, the touchscreen works great. The multitouch panel responded well to gestures such as swipes, scrolling, and pinch to zoom.

Although the keyboard is flex-free, it doesn’t provide a great typing experience, because of shallow and soft tactile feedback. The glossy multitouch trackpad supports cursor navigation and gestures well, but it is somewhat hard to do clicks on it since it is quite stiff. Palm rejection sometimes fails, so your cursor might jump here and there during typing.

For a performance test of the HP Pavilion x360 11, please read this review of the included Intel Pentium N3520 quad-core processor. In short, the laptop is a great companion for completing your daily computing tasks easily, thanks to good performance of the N3520 and a sufficient RAM amount of 4GB. The worst part, performance-wise, is the 500GB hard drive at 5,400rpm which is the slowest type of laptop storage these days. That can be felt during program opening, copying of big files, and system boot-up, which takes on an uncluttered Windows installation.

The battery life isn’t long, although the laptop has a relatively small display and power efficient Pentium CPU. The battery capacity of 29 WHr is quite low and it provides a power autonomy of around 3 hours and 45 minutes if you set display brightness to 80% and surf the web via Wi-Fi.

Regarding the rest of the specs sheet, notebook’s audio is the main highlight. Sound is backed by Beats Audio technology, with a robust graphics equalizer. Speakers are louder than on the average budget laptops. Since they’re located on the bottom, one would expect muted sound. But that problem is present only when you hold the device on your lap. On flat surfaces, as well as in stand and tent modes, the sound is perfectly clear, with quality trebles. Bass range isn’t covered well, but that’s a common drawback of laptops with no built-in subwoofer. Thankfully, the Beats Audio graphics equalizer enables you to tweak sound output to your liking. Not only through speakers, but also through the audio output jack, which additionally has a better than average output power.

The built-in 720p webcam produces a pretty much grainy picture, especially in low-light conditions, while Wi-Fi wireless works nicely, without dropped connections or other problems.