HP Pavilion Aero 13 Review – All in lightness

HP powers its mid-range with the HP Pavilion Aero 13, a small 13.3-inch laptop that apparently ticks all the boxes for the perfect ultraportable to carry around for working outside the home, including a mini weight under the 1 kg mark . How is it doing in other areas? Place to test.

Lightness and sobriety

Externally, the HP Pavilion Aero will not create a surprise. Its silver design could not be more classic, similar in a few details to the look of the rest of the range for years. It is sober, we can’t take that away from him. But its chrome logo dominating a smooth silver surface with no embellishment may put off those looking for a bit of originality.

In the hands, one has the impression that HP opts again and again for a plastic case but the brand communicates on a aluminum magnesium alloy on the back of the cover and around the keyboard. Difficult to see the thing in the state but that could ensure a better longevity to him, added to a good overall stiffness. A good point then. This material is surely also what allows the Pavilion Aero to display such a small weight on the scale: 950g ! Discretion assured in a bag.

Good point, HP was not tempted to reduce connectivity to its simplest expression as the trend wants, even if we would not have said no to an additional USB-C port. We are therefore entitled to two USB 3.2 Type-A ports (standard size) and one USB 3.2 Type-C Gen2 port with power support (you can recharge the PC) and video stream. Note that the Pavilion Aero 13 hasa proprietary charging port, which makes it possible not to occupy the only USB-C port available when you need to recharge the PC, as is the case on certain Honor ultrabooks in particular. Let us also mention the HDMI 2.0 port who remains.

The keyboard offers a fairly consensual strike. Soft and discreet (1.2 mm stroke), well damped, it should be unanimous. The size of the keys is standard (15.3×15.1 mm – 3.5 mm spacing) but their silver hue does not allow the backlit lettering to stand out enough during the day. Better to turn off the backlight. Note the presence of a LED for locked shift key, rare enough now to be underlined. A fingerprint reader is integrated under the keyboard on the right, a bit strange positioning but it has the merit of being there. For its part, the touchpad is a good size (115×65 mm) and works well.

The HP Pavilion Aero 13 is animated by a screen with aspect ratio 16:10 which offers a bit more headroom than traditional 16:9. The tested model has a 2.5K high definition (2560 x 1600 px), allowing you to enjoy a beautiful display finesse without being as energy-hungry as a 4K panel. Especially since it is difficult if not impossible to tell the difference with the naked eye. This is, in our opinion, one of the great advantages of the model. The screen also reserves a excellent contrast (1648:1), a white point at 6400K and a fully covered sRGB space (deltaE 2.3).

For its part, the 720p webcam offers an average rendering, but this is the case on most laptops on the market. The same goes for the speakers with a sound without heat, a little too metallic. We didn’t necessarily expect better.

A very good ultrabook for productive office work

In terms of performance, the HP Pavilion Aero is not as fragile as it looks. The tested model is equipped with a AMD Ryzen 5 5600U Hexa Core. A versatile processor which the small ultrabook takes advantage of very well. As it stands, the CPU is even doing better than an equivalent laptop PC equipped with an Intel Core i7-1165G7 if we focus on the tasks that use the processor.

On the other hand, as soon as we tackle programs that have a small graphic need (architecture, photo editing, editing, etc.), the Intel Core regains the advantage thanks to its Iris Xe graphics chip. Let’s be clear, the absence of a dedicated video card is of course a hindrance for this type of work, but they are still quite possible to a lesser extent, just a little longer to undertake.

The ventilation only sounds occasionally and without exceeding 42 dBA with a rather muffled breath. It’s discreet. Likewise, internal temperatures do not rise no more than 75°C/80°C at the CPU level, therefore without impact.

Finally, the autonomy is in the average with 8h30 totaled on battery in Web browsing via Wi-Fi. We have already seen more enduring but in its discharge, its screen requires more energy than a simple Full HD. The 65W charger does not add a lot of weight to the whole (130g) for classic dimensions (90x50x30 mm). Remember that you do not have to carry the dedicated charger on all your trips since the PC can be recharged via the USB-C port.

Our opinion on the HP Pavilion Aero 13: convincing but…

The HP Pavilion Aero 13 is a reasonable choice for those who care above all about the portability. Its small kilo on the scale is undoubtedly its strong point, followed closely by the comfort linked to its well-defined screen (on some models).

It had no trouble winning our support, especially since it ticks several boxes of the small efficient ultrabook that we like to test with its comfortable keyboard, honest connectivity and no-frills look. The fact remains that at a price close to 1000 euros (September 2022), it is no longer really competitive with the Lenovo Yoga Slim or Asus VivoBook Pro which are certainly significantly heavier but also cheaper and more versatile. However, it stands out thanks to its low weight and its 13-inch format, to know if these are criteria that justify the price in your eyes.

The HP Pavilion Aero 13 scores 3.5/5

Compare the different available configurations of the HP Pavilion Aero 13

Features of the HP Pavilion Aero 13-be0053nf