The HP Pavilion 15 is a budget-friendly laptop that is significantly less expensive than the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2. It has adequate performance for everyday tasks and is lighter and more easily portable. However, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 offers a higher-end experience with much better performance for engineering, 3D, machine learning, gaming, and a more versatile design that allows it to be used as a laptop or drawing tablet. It has a better display, but with these premium features comes a higher price, along with a heavier build which reduces its portability compared to the HP Pavilion 15. If budget is the primary concern and your usage involves primarily general tasks, the HP Pavilion 15 may suit your needs, but for intensive tasks and a need for a high-quality display, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 is the superior option, albeit at a greater cost. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the HP Pavilion 15
The HP Pavilion 15 has no clear advantages over the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2.
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Good battery life
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.0/10
8.3/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
220.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
3.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.7/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for general use, while the HP Pavilion 15 is good.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 outshines the HP Pavilion 15 due to its superior CPU, quadruple the RAM for multitasking, and a higher quality screen with better resolution and touch capability, enhancing the overall user experience for general use. Despite being heavier and thus less portable than the Pavilion, it compensates with a better battery life and significantly higher speaker and keyboard quality, making it more suitable for extended usage and multimedia tasks.
Gaming and AI
6.0/10
7.7/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is good for gaming and AI, while the HP Pavilion 15 is only fair.
The HP Pavilion 15 has a lower-end integrated graphics unit and a standard 60Hz screen refresh rate, which makes it just fair for gaming and 3D tasks, while the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 boasts a powerful Nvidia RTX GPU and a higher 120Hz screen refresh rate, enhancing its aptitude for gaming and 3D applications.
Engineering and Design
6.2/10
8.7/10
4.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for engineering and design, while the HP Pavilion 15 is only fair.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 outperforms the HP Pavilion 15 in engineering and design due to its superior CPU, RAM, GPU, and screen quality, crucial for intensive tasks and precise work. While the HP Pavilion 15 offers fair performance with good portability and operational qualities such as keyboard and speaker quality, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 excels with its powerful specs and a high-quality screen, making it better suited for demanding engineering software and complex design work.
Content Creation
7.1/10
8.4/10
4.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for content creation, while the HP Pavilion 15 is good.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
6.6/10
8.2/10
4.2/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
6.2/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for software development, while the HP Pavilion 15 is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
5.3/10
7.9/10
15.6in
SIZE
14.4in
1366 x 768
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
TN
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
220.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a better screen than the HP Pavilion 15 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
When considering screen quality for general use, the HP Pavilion 15's display may lack the sharpness and clarity you'd see on the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2, which offers higher resolution and brighter images, enhancing the overall viewing experience. For engineering and design purposes, the Surface Laptop Studio 2's display covers a broader range of colors, vital for precision in color work, whereas the HP Pavilion 15's lesser color gamut could result in less accurate color representation. Meanwhile, for gaming and 3D work, although the Surface Laptop Studio 2 provides rich color and detail, its lower refresh rate can't match the smoother visuals that higher refresh rate screens offer, which can be especially noticeable in fast-paced scenes and renders.
Battery
3.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The HP Pavilion 15 has 3 hours of battery life. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has 8 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Build Quality
6.2/10
8.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has very good build quality, while the HP Pavilion 15 has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$600
$3,300
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
The HP Pavilion 15 has a price of $600 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 costs $3,300.
"The HP Pavilion 15 carries a fair amount of power and a sharp display in its handsome slimline shell. It's not perfect, but it's a hard worker. This is wonderfully designed and totes a heck of a lot of desktop power, with the added benefit of a decent webcam and a full-sized keyboard. If you're getting down to business on a budget, it's a great fit."
"The new Surface Laptop Studio with its foldable display is supposed to replace the old Surface Book and the overall impression is good after our review. The build quality and the materials are top-notch, the performance utilization of the two components is solid and the device does not show any major flaws in terms of display or speakers, either. The folding mechanism leaves a sold impression as well, but it remains to be seen how it will hold up over the years. The so-called presentation mode is also not ideal since it covers the whole keyboard."
Get a great deal on the HP Pavilion 15 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
About HP
HP, also known as Hewlett-Packard, is an American technology company that develops personal computers and computer peripherals. In the laptop industry, HP is known for its entry level Essential series laptops, its mid-range Pavilion, Envy, and Victus series, and high-end Omen and Spectre series, in addition to its business-oriented EliteBook, ProBook, and Dragonfly series laptops. HP laptops generally undercut other mainstream competitors in terms of price, placing itself as the value-oriented mainstream brand.
About Microsoft
Microsoft is an American technology corporation. Microsoft is best known for their Windows operating system and Surface laptop series. The Surface Laptop is their standard notebook offering, while their Surface Go, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio are their 2-in-1/tablet offerings in order of increasing capability. Although Microsoft charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a well integrated and packaged device since Microsoft develops the Windows operating system.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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