How does the HP Pavilion x360 14 2-in-1 laptop hold up in 2024?

HP's Pavilion X360 continues to be a popular choice for students and those on a budget, but does it hold up in 2024?


HP Pavilion X360 14 2-in-1
HP Pavilion X360 14 2-in-1

The price is still the best thing about this laptop, but it's not the only thing that it has going for it.

Prices are accurate as of the publish date. We may earn money if you purchase something through one of these links. Click as many as you want.

Fergus Halliday
Jul 26, 2024
Icon Time To Read6 min read

If you live in Australia and are on the hunt for a laptop that costs you less than a grand, chances are you're going to end up looking at the HP Pavilion X360 14 2-in-1 sooner rather than later. It isn't as glitzy as premium fare like the Lenovo Yoga Pro 7i, but those shopping on a leaner allowance will find that the low asking price makes up for a lot of those shortcomings.

However, with the recent relaunch of Windows on ARM and other developments in the space, it's worth taking another look at HP's "little laptop that could" and sizing up whether its thrifty price is still worth the tradeoffs in 2024.

Other really good cheap laptops in Australia

MacBook Air M1
Apple M1 MacBook Air
RRP$1499
  • pro
    Display size: 13-inches
  • pro
    Resolution 2560 × 1600
  • pro
    Weight 1.27kg
ASUS Vivobook Flip 14
VivoBook Flip 14
RRP$989
  • pro
    Display size: 14-inches
  • pro
    Resolution 1920 x 1080
  • pro
    Weight 1.5kg
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
RRP$1099
  • pro
    Display size: 12.4-inches
  • pro
    Resolution 1536x1024
  • pro
    Weight 1.14kg

HP Pavilion X360 14 2-in-1

How does it hold up in 2024?

HP Pavilion X360 14 2-in-1
HP Pavilion X360 14 2-in-1
Design
4 out of 5 stars
4
Features
3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5
Value
3 out of 5 stars
3
From$999
pro Fast-charging
pro Thin bezels
con Dated processor
con Limited specs

Pricing and availability only accurate as of last page update.

Last refreshed back in 2022, the HP Pavilion X360 14 2-in-1 greatest strength is its sub-$1000 price tag.

Past that though, the biggest thing to like here is the 14-inch IPS screen. While the touch sensitivity and FHD resolution here are fairly standard, the bezels are impressively thin for a PC at this price. The device has an 87% screen-to-body ratio, which makes for a nice complement to the versatile 2-in-1 design.

Where older laptops were wedded to the clamshell form factor for life, modern ones like the HP X360 14 2-in-1 can be folded over on itself and be used as a tablet and more. Throw in support for HP's Stylus and you've got a recipe for a pretty versatile computing experience.

All that remains as true today as it was when the HP Pavilion X360 14 2-in-1 first launched. However, time has not been so kind to the internal hardware here. Under the hood, the baseline version of this laptop runs on 4GB of RAM, 256GB of storage and Intel's U300 processor. While newer models run on Intel's Core i5-1235U instead, the reality is that both these chipsets are hardly the cream of the crop. 

On one hand, they've since been supplanted by Intel's own 14th-generation Core chips. On the other, you don't have to spend that much better performance. If you're sizing the HP Pavilion X360 14 2-in-1 up as a gift for a child or a back-to-school investment, that might sound like a luxury you can do without. That said, a little more now can go a long way towards making a student laptop last.

What to look for in a cheap laptop

Info Box

Knowing your limits

There’s a knack for finding a cheap laptop that works for your needs. However, in order to get there, you’re inevitably going to have to accept some level of compromise. The trick to making that sacrifice work in your favour is to calculate it ahead of time rather than at the till. 

Ask yourself what you’re planning to use your budget laptop for, work you what specs matter the most for that purpose, and rank your potential picks accordingly. If you’re only planning to use your budget laptop for streaming or social media, then maybe a bigger or better screen matters more than additional hard drive space or RAM. 

It’s rare to find a cheap laptop that does it all, but if you know what you’re looking for, it’s much easier to find one that does what you need it to do. 

Light Bulb

Don't get too caught up on the latest

Looking for online deals or clearance sales for last year’s laptops can be a great way to expand your options when it comes to shopping for a new laptop on a budget. 

One of the biggest mistakes that many budget shoppers make when it comes to laptops is exclusively looking at the most recent ranges from major brands like Acer, HP and Dell. While you can go awry by rewinding the clock back too many years, there’s a good chance that a depreciated laptop from last year will serve you just as well as its successor. 

Bullhorn

A little bit of extra RAM can go a long way

If you’re buying a budget laptop but want it to last a bit longer, it can be worth spending that bit of extra cash for the model with a better CPU, more RAM or SSD storage. 

Even if doing so doesn’t feel like it makes a massive difference in the short term, it could help you eke out an extra year or so of usage before you eventually have to upgrade. No laptop is going to last forever, but the version of a budget laptop that’s best positioned to go the distance is usually a good investment.

Best alternative

Apple MacBook Air (M1)
"Apple’s new MacBook Air delivers a stunning round of bang for your buck. Everything that’s been optimised to run on the M1 chip runs like a dream, and the material design and form-factor on display remain top-notch. "
-Fergus Halliday
Gadgets Editor

It might be a little more expensive than the HP Pavilion X360 14, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better option when it comes to budget-friendly laptops than the 2020 version of Apple’s MacBook Air. Under the hood, the device is powered by Apple’s headlining-grabbing M1 processor and is designed to get the most out of the company’s macOS operating system.

The MacBook Air won’t be for everyone, but if your needs are more everyday then it’ll probably do a great job at almost all of your computing essentials. There’s no touch screen, but there is a reworked magic keyboard, a Touch ID fingerprint sensor and a matching set of Thunderbolt-grade USB Type-C ports. 

Even if you usually prefer something that runs on Windows, these particular MacBooks are well worth considering. Even if neither is going to be all that good for gaming, there’s a consistency, balance and quality here that is sometimes rare. It's a similar story when it comes to the 2022 model. In both cases, it's not all that common for a laptop this budget-friendly to be so well future-proofed.

How does it compare to the HP Pavillion X360?
pro
Pros
pro Much better performance
pro Better build quality and design
pro Comparable price
con
Cons
con Not a 2-in-1
con Harder to find in 2024
con Doesn't run on Windows
con Fewer ports

Best 2-in-1 alternative

ASUS VivoBook Flip 14
"The latest ASUS VivoBook Flip 14 is light on luxuries but big on value. It harnesses most of the benefits of a 2-in-1 form-factor and cuts down on the drawbacks where it matters. "
-Fergus Halliday
Gadgets Editor

ASUS has been steadily gaining ground in the wider laptop ecosystem for a few years now, and the Vivobook Flip 14 is a great example of why. It’s got a spec sheet that promises compelling performance and a price tag that puts it well below most of the competition, including the HP Pavilion X360 14 2-in-1.

For those reasons, if you’re looking for a great 2-in-1 laptop on a budget then the VivoBook Flip 14 will fit the bill without too much work on your part. It doesn’t feature too many extras or unique spins on the formula, but when you get the fundamentals right it’s hard to complain too much.

If there's any real shortcoming here it's that the Vivobook Flip 14 isn't all that different from its HP counterpart. However, if you can find it for less, then that known quality quickly becomes a point in its favour.

How does it compare to the HP Pavillion X360?
pro
Pros
pro 2-in-1 design
pro Comparable price
con
Cons
con Aging hardware
con Not a huge jump in performance

HP Pavilion X360 14 2-in-1 alternatives compared

Product
Display
Processor
RAM
Storage
RRP
Read more
HP Pavilion X360 14 2-in-1HP Pavilion X360 14 2-in-1
14-inches, FHDStarts at Intel U300Starts at 4GBStarts at 256GB$999
Macbook Air (M1)Apple MacBook Air M1
13.3-inches, WQXGAApple Silicon M1Starts at 8GBStarts at 256GB$1,499
VivoBook Flip 14ASUS Vivobook Flip 14
14-inches, FHDIntel Core i3-1115G4Starts at 4GBStarts at 128GB$989
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
12.4-inch PIxelSense displayIntel Core i5-1135G78GB 256GB$1,099

Also consider

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
4.2 out of 5 stars
4.15
RRP$1099
"Microsoft's second-generation Surface Laptop Go is a solid but simple laptop that's going to be ideal for budget buyers and frugal students. It's modern, but modest."
-Fergus Halliday
Gadgets Editor

While there are plenty of options available for those who want to go even cheaper than the HP Pavilion X360 14 2-in-1, Microsoft’s own Surface Laptop Go 2 isn't that. These days, you're likely to find it around the same price. That said, there's no shortage of reasons for thrifty shoppers to consider it.

You're losing the flexible form factor, but there's still a lot to like about the aesthetics, specs and decent battery life found in this entry-level Surface laptop. On the outside, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 is rocking a 12.4-inch PixelSense display that looks better than you'd expect. That being said, there aren’t that many ports and some might come away irked by the overall size and brightness of the screen.

Then, on the inside, there's an 11th-generation Intel Core processor and up to 256 GB of SSD storage. Like the HP Pavilion X360 14 2-in-1, what's here is probably not going to be the last laptop you'll ever need to buy. Still, if you want something that can reliably handle the basics at an affordable price, it may be exactly what you’re after. 

How does it compare to the HP Pavillion X360?
pro
Pros
pro Bloat-free software
pro Cleaner design and build quality
pro Comparable price
con
Cons
con Not a 2-in-1
con Might be more expensive
con Not a huge jump in performance

Other 2-in-1 laptops compared:

How do the 2-in-1 laptops on this page compare to every other one we've reviewed and recommended?
Product
Price [RRP]
Availability
Display size
Resolution
Weight
Rating
From$4699
13.3-inches (x2)2880 x 18001.3kg
3.3 out of 5 stars
3.25
From$2499
14-inches2880 x 18001.5kg
4 out of 5 stars
4
ASUS Zenbook S 13 Flip (2021) OLEDASUS Zenbook Flip S13 OLED
From$1799
13.3-inches3840 x 21601.3kg
4 out of 5 stars
4
From$989
14-inch1920 x 1080 1.5kg
4 out of 5 stars
4
From$2239.20
13-inch2880 x 1920879g
3.8 out of 5 stars
3.75
From$1379.99
14-inches2560 x 16001.3kg
4 out of 5 stars
4
From$2197.80
13.3-inch2880x1920736g
4 out of 5 stars
4
Fergus Halliday
Written by
Fergus Halliday is a journalist and editor for Reviews.org. He’s written about technology, telecommunications, gaming and more for over a decade. He got his start writing in high school and began his full-time career as the Editor of PC World Australia. Fergus has made the MCV 30 Under 30 list, been a finalist for seven categories at the IT Journalism Awards and won Most Controversial Writer at the 2022 Consensus Awards. He has been published in Gizmodo, Kotaku, GamesHub, Press Start, Screen Rant, Superjump, Nestegg and more.

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