HP 14″ Laptop, Intel Core i3-1215U Processor, 8 GB RAM, 256

Excellent Value, good quality basic/everyday laptop
I don’t usually write reviews but wanted to share my thoughts and experience so far with this laptop- especially as I know I rely heavily on customer reviews when making these kind of larger purchases online.

Disclaimer: I’m no tech expert, this is just my personal opinion of the laptop (although I am a little fussy and do enjoy value for money- who doesn’t?)

TL;DR: Overall, after 1 week of usage, I’m very happy with the product and would recommend this laptop (and package) to anyone on the market for a decent beginner/basic laptop in the ~200 region.

I purchased this laptop primarily for the use of writing up reports, watching films and surfing the internet and it seems perfectly adequate for those tasks. For a budget laptop, the design, weight and feel is great, and to have it come with 1 year access to Microsoft programs like Word or Power-point is a massive bonus.

Here’s a bit more of a breakdown if needed..

Design/Appearance:

Got to say, I’m actually really impressed with the design. My partner has an older HP model and you can see the advancements in how laptops are now designed- for a budget laptop it’s sleek, lightweight, has a great quality screen resolution and the sound isn’t too bad either. On sound, if watching programs or live TV, I’d say the volume is adequate in a small room, but connecting to a Bluetooth speaker/headphones is a good shout for better performance. Overall, HP laptops are an established and reliable brand, and despite the cost, it feels like you benefit from this.

Keyboard:

I see a lot of reviews for laptops online talking about keyboard quality, and I personally find the keyboard nicely spaced and you don’t have to press too hard on the keys; they have a nice cushioned quality and sound (if that makes sense) I wouldn’t be worried about annoying the person next to me on a commute if I was typing! The letters/font on the keys also happen to be quite large, which is possibly something to consider if purchasing for/as an older buyer who may benefit from this.

Size/Weight:

Again, very impressed by the weight and size – depends what you’re looking for, but as an every day commuter laptop, the 14″ display feels plenty enough and it makes the laptop easy to transport. Some good 13-14″ cases with in-built stands are available on amazon (would recommend!) and it could easily fit into a backpack or pannier bag.

Battery Life:

Okay, this could probably be better – it wouldn’t last days without charging. However, for the price range I’m not holding any grudges as it seems to charge quickly and I would trust it to last at least a day, or for a meeting/lecture/commute before needing to recharge a bit.

Perks and packages (20GB Data Sim/Microsoft 365):

I purchased this laptop primarily to use for writing up reports, watching films and surfing the internet. For a budget laptop, the hardware alone feels good value- to have it come with 1 year access to Microsoft programs like Word or Power-point is a massive bonus and a cost-saver. Personally, I’m likely to be working in areas with poor Wi-Fi, so having the added option (and access) to use data in order to browse the internet/use chat platforms is great!

It comes installed with Windows 10 with an upgrade to Windows 11 due soon. It’s simple to pin websites or apps to the taskbar for quick access, as well as to alter the layout and design of your desktop (colours and backgrounds).

The laptop comes with a fingerprint sensor which is perhaps temperamental, but does work and is a great added security feature.

Final Points: I haven’t used this laptop for gaming or music software, so can’t speak for it’s performance in these areas. My impression though is that it would struggle to run larger programs or match the performances of more top-of-the-range laptops, and is perhaps not designed with heavy usage in mind. But that is not the point of this laptop! Instead, for a budget laptop, it definitely feels like a great option as an everyday laptop with light-usage in mind and would be ideal as a beginner laptop for younger users, for students, or perhaps elder users who require a simple innovative design for every taskings.

Hope this helped!