Skip to main content

HP Pavilion X360 13-U026TU Purchased

By
UPDATE: Laptop was returned to the shop today (3 days after purchase) due to faulty hardware - something wrong with the speakers/audio drivers.  I ended up upgrading to a different machine and brand.


It was time for a new laptop.  My Sony Vaio was losing keys and the Wifi was stuffed.  I also wanted something less flimsy although generally it worked well.

The things I wanted to improve on this time was:

  • Not having keys that will fall off so easily
  • A laptop that wasn't that flimsy (ie could use it as a 'lap' top rather than a portable notebook when typing
  • A hinge that would let me increase the angle more...
  • A less noisy fan

That's about it.  Everything else was working pretty well really.

So I looked at a couple at JB Hifi.  My price range was 'up to $2000' and I was planning to salary sacrifice it.  After looking at the Lenovo Yoga 710 14" and the HP Pavilion X360 13.3" I ended up with the HP.





It wasn't just the price.  Actually based on specs they were pretty much on par.  But I wanted things like a standard HDMI port and an extra USB port was important.  But it was just little things that tipped things over.  When testing it in store the Lenovo didn't let me ALT + F4 which normally closes the screen. A simple thing.  I didn't want to have to deal with the quirks.  And then there was the price.  The price was about $200 different.

TLDR?  I like it.

The specs of the HP Pavilion X360 (around August 2016) are as follows

  • Intel® Core™ i5- 6200U Processor (2.3GHz, 3MB L3 Cache)
  • 8GB DDR4L-2133 SDRAM
  • 13.3-inch diagonal HD WLED-backlit Display (1366x768) Touchscreen
  • 128GB SSD M.2 SATA
  • Intel® HD Graphics
  • 1x1 802.11 ac WLAN + Bluetooth 4.2
  • Windows 10 HomeHP Pavilion x360 13-u026tu

I would have liked more storage space as I was getting close to 128GB on the Vaio but I think I just have to be more careful esp given most of my storage needs are met by our cloud backup drive at home or just on cloud storage.

Highlights

  • Installation.  Maybe for once I'm on the adoption curve and this is a currently released machine but I basically was up and running within 10 minutes of unboxing.
  • Nicer speakers - it's branded with Bang and Olufson and doesn't sound tinny although in tablet or entertainment mode it's facing the table so not sure why they didn't think of it!
  • Silver on the outside, black on the inside.  I like standard looking laptops.  Nothing too bling for me please.
  • Windows Sync.  I've never had this before but it's almost like Microsoft knows a bit about me and set it up in advance (I just don't expect Windows to be like my phone!)


Could improve

  • Key travel - it's a bit spongy, but I am hoping I'll get use to it
  • Had to adjust a Chrome setting (Hardware acceleration) so a cursor would appear in Chrome.
  • Storage - but it's my choice to be cheap!
  • Lack of backlit keyboard.  Not a major issue, but surprising as I'm just use to having it!

Overall I'd recommend it.  At this price it's pretty decent.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fitness Passport membership locations on a map

By
My Fitness Passport membership is now live!  Woohoo!  So I get access to a heap of gyms and pools and classes.  For someone who isn't interested in a gym membership I'm not quite sure why I have joined!!  Peer pressure. I'm very fortunate that I have the opportunity to join this type of membership as then I can go just about anywhere in NSW.  The membership site gives you a list of them but I had no idea how close they would be to either work or home so I copied and pasted the details into a Google Sheet and then put them in a Google Map.  I thought it may be useful for others too. You can access the map by this link too:  ​ https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=10hH5PtKlBzeEzV6AoLev4vxqNoDxzR6y&hl=en&usp=sharing
Post a Comment
Read more

A fresh start in a new town in a new year - hello 2022!

By
It's difficult to reflect on 2022 when 2021 ended on such a mixed way. With the plandemic it seems that a government job isn't very secure if you want to care about your health more than a living. The Monday before Xmas break I was "stood down" as I supposedly am unwilling to work.  Nothing seems to make any sense. Here's an excerpt of the letter So I'm on forced leave till 7 February.  I don't have much in the way of leave and as a fixed term contractor I don't have any long service leave. At this stage based on my No Regrets policy I'm still OK with my decision. I do not actually understand how this can be legal but unfortunately I am no lawyer. The other bad news at the end of 2021 was the passing of Auntie Ivy. May she rest in peace. I was very saddened about the event but also somewhat mollified that she died doing something she loved. She loved abseiling and died from "falling" in an accident - the article - https://7news.com.au/new...
Post a Comment
Read more

No Regrets Policy

By
No Regrets  At work, there were a bunch of "no regrets" initiatives and it prompted me to think about life and decisions or life choices.  Big or small I realised you could attach a "no regrets" lens to things or at least decide based on less regret!  But I also wanted to look at lens by taking responsibility for my decisions and have since adopted a No Regrets Policy. At one stage I was thinking about writing a book. Not for anyone but for myself.  It was going to be WWYD or What Would You Do?  (Or in my case, What Would Yvonne Do?)  This policy is part of the imaginary book. What is a Policy?  I work in government and I still don't really know what a policy is!  But to me it's a principle or a framework in which to work within.  So that's what I do with my No Regrets Policy. I either make a decision with that in mind - should I buy x?  Will I regret not getting it?  Will I regret getting it and not using it?  Will I regret mi...
Post a Comment
Read more