HP Laptop 14-dq2020nr: A Limited Budget Laptop

You probably know that HP’s Pavilion brand is for consumer PCs priced and positioned below its upscale Envy and Spectre lines. But Pavilion is only the second-lowest rung on HP’s notebook-PC ladder. Its budget laptops have no brand at all, just a generic family name: “HP Laptop.”

- ERIC GREVSTAD

Take the HP Laptop 14-dq2020nr: It’s every inch an economy model, with just 4GB of RAM and a 128GB solid-state drive—half the memory and storage we consider today’s minimum—but it’s a workable introduction to Windows for those who don’t want to consider a Chromebook.

FOUR CORES AND S MODE

Though some online listings say the 14-dq2020nr has a dual-core Intel Core i3-1115G4, our test unit actually clicks that up to a quad-core, 2.0GHz (3.7GHz turbo) Core i3-1125G4 processor with Intel integrated UHD Graphics. The 14-inch non-touch screen offers full HD resolution (1,920 by 1,080 pixels). The default operating system is Windows 10 Home in S Mode, which restricts software installations to programs from the Windows Store; a few clicks in the Store can perform an irreversible switch to regular Windows 10 Home, which we made in order to install our benchmark-test software.

Clad in silver plastic, the HP Laptop measures 0.71 by 12.8 by 8.9 inches and weighs 3.24 pounds, making it just a little bit heftier than the rival Asus VivoBook S14 (0.63 by 12.8 by 8.4 inches and 3.09 pounds). A chrome HP logo decorates the lid. There’s a fair amount of flex when you grasp the screen corners or press the keyboard deck.

HP Laptop 14-dq2020nr

PROS

Surprisingly peppy processor. Good battery life. Fingerprint reader.

CONS

Skimpy storage and memory. Lackluster screen. Keyboard isn’t backlit, or overly comfortable. Wireless networking supports Wi-Fi 5, not 6.