HP Pavilion HDX 18 Review

HP recently released two spanking new notebook PCs in the form of HP Pavilion HDX 16 and HP Pavilion HDX 18 series. These notebooks feature large screens, good speakers with integrated subwoofers, touch sensitive media control panel with loads of other features. The price of the laptop is on the higher side which puts it in the high-end category.

HP Pavilion HDX 18 specifications :

• Dimensions: 17.17″ x 11.26″ 1.33-1.72″ (WxDxH)
• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 (2.8GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 6MB Level 2 cache)
• Operating system: Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit
• Memory: 4GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (800MHz)
• Hard drive: 2 x 250GB (5400rpm)
• Screen:18″ HD HP Ultra Brightview Infinity glossy display (1920 x 1080)
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT with 512MB GDDR3
• Optical drive: Blu-Ray multi-drive
• Ethernet, VGA, HDMI, docking station port, microphone in, two audio out jacks,
  three USB ports, eSATA/USB, 5-in-1 card reader, ExpressCard slot, built-in TV tuner
• Wireless: 802.11a/g/n, Bluetooth 2.0
• Battery: 8-cell Lithium-ion battery (73W)
• Weight: 8.94 lbs.
• Approx. price : $2,050

You can customise the laptop to build your own custom configurations but that will jack up the price quite sharply. This laptop as you can already make out is a desktop replacement, aimed towards gaming and multimedia enthusiasts in need of high-end configurations and latest hardware that the industry can offer.

Build and Design

The design of the laptop is in line with other HP Pavilion notebooks but due to its larger screen size it has a bigger footprint on your desk. This gives room for a numeric keypad to be fit beside the regular keyboard. The bigger display has a 16:9 aspect ratio along with high resolution giving you the ultimate cinematic experience along with the liberty to multitask easily and freely on the huge screen.

The big screen and stuff although has its disadvantage, the weight. The laptop weighs a bulky 8.94 lbs making it unfit for travel. So this would either remain fixed on your office desk or lie in your bedroom. The design of the laptop blows your over with its high glossy imprint finish. But the glossy finishing leads to it being a magnet to fingerprints, requiring you to keep a cloth all the time besides it.

Connectivity options

HP notebooks come with a dedicated docking station connector which you can hardly find with other notebook manufacturers. Also this notebook has a combined USB/eSATA port which is basically two port functionality integrated into one. So if you decide to add eSATA devices later on your system you can plug them into the combined port.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The keyboard on the HDX 18 has a numeric keypad as already mentioned. The keyboard is extremely comfortable for use but in bright light gives strong reflections. The numeric keypad is directly above the optical drive leading to vibrations when spinning an optical disc.

The touchpad for a change is usable on this HP notebook and the palmrest has huge space due to the large size. The touchpad has excellent responsiveness and scroll also works smoothly. The buttons on the touchpad are nice and wide with tactile feedback. The smooth surface is still the only thing that makes me buy a mouse rather than continue using the touchpad.

Like other HP Pavilion notebooks, this one also has an array of touch sensitive buttons above the keyboard which let you change tracks, adjust volume/bass or launch the QuickPlay application. The LED backlit buttons give the notebook an uber cool look. Remote is another accessory that comes bundled with the notebook. It is a media remote that lets you control all the multimedia functions from a distance. Also as the HDX 18 comes with a TV-tuner, it is great to have a remote to control it.

Speakers and Audio

The speakers on the HDX 18 are a big improvement compared to what you get with other high-end notebooks. HP continues its association with Altec Lansing which has led to HP notebooks performing better than others in the audio department. The speakers have a subwoofer which is located at the bottom and hence gives you good bass which is virtually non-existent on notebook speakers.The dual headphone jacks at the front are a good source to connect two audio output devices.

Display

The display is a huge 18″ LCD screen which is dubbed as “HP Ultra Brightview Infinity” LCD by HP. The LCD has deep colors and good contrast. The 16:9 display gives great HD movie experience on its Full HD ie. 1920 x 1200 resolution. This also means you can browse your favorite website and continue to work on a spreadsheet side by side without having to minimize and maximize the windows.

The viewing angles on the display are quite good and come in handy when you are not alone watching movie on it. The glossy display leads to bright reflections in direct sunlight which is very annoying. The “Infinity” tag given to the display hardly help reduce reflections.

Performance and Battery Life

You can choose from a variety of processors for this notebook according to your needs. The Intel Core 2 Duo T9600 processor along with Nvidia 9600GT graphics card is ideal for gaming. The combo yields excellent performance with high frame rates at medium to high settings in most of the games. The PCMark05 score is above 6000 and the 3DMark 06 score hovering around 4000.

Heat and noise aren’t an issue with this notebook. The heat generated is tackled well by the fans and maintain the notebook cool. The notebook remains relatively cool even under gaming conditions and the fans even at full load are hardly audible.

The battery is a 8-cell lithium-ion which gives you above 3 hours of battery life when browsing and doing other stuff. This translates to an extremely power efficient laptop considering its size and configuration.

Pros :

• High-end configuration options
• Great keyboard
• Speakers with subwoofer
• Big and great display
• Awesome performer

Cons :

• Glossy screens creates strong reflections
• Smooth touchpad surface uncomfortable
• A better graphics card could have been bundled

Final Thoughts

The HP Pavilion HDX 18 is custom made for gamers and multimedia enthusiasts who like everything close to perfect. The high-end customisable configurations offers right mix of performance and price. The big 18″ screen is a pleasure when watching movies or playing games. The integrated subwoofer takes audio quality on notebooks to another level. Overall it is a great overall offering from HP.

My Rating : 4/5