HP vs. Lenovo Laptop: Which Brand Is Worth Your Money?
Lenovo and HP dominate the global laptop market with both combining to take nearly 50% of the total sales.
HP is Lenovo’s fiercest rival, with the two competing for the top spot. The pair are nearly neck-and-neck when it comes to selling laptops. And buyers can find it difficult to choose one over the other.
This article examines the HP vs Lenovo laptop debate and reveals which brand is worth your money.
We look at Lenovo vs HP for students, gaming, and business users. Discover the HP and Lenovo laptop comparison when it comes to speed, price, and quality.
Read on to see which laptop brand is better and what to buy in 2021.
HP vs Lenovo Laptop Brands
Lenovo founded its brand in 1984 and joined forces with premier PC manufacturer IBM in 2004. One year later, they became the world’s third-largest personal computer company.
Lenovo’s known for quality, especially with its ThinkPad series of Windows laptops.
The ThinkPad X300 was named the best laptop ever in 2008 by BusinessWeek magazine. In 2017, the company was given over 100 awards by industry leaders including Laptop Magazine. That publication named Lenovo the ‘Best Laptop Brand’ due to their excellent design, warranty, and support.
Hewlett Packard Brand
HP or Hewlett Packard is the largest PC brand in the US, holding 33% of the market share.
The brand’s known for its personal computers, laptops, and printers. They invested $1,478 million into research and development last year resulting in the growth of their laptop range.
HP’s Pavilion series was introduced in 1995 yet continues to sell well in 2021. Other ranges like the HP Elite Dragonfly won a T3 Best Laptop Award last year.
HP and Lenovo Laptop Comparison
Although laptops look similar, manufacturers add special features to separate them from the crowd.
The famous red button in the center of Lenovo’s ThinkPad series keyboards is one such example.
Named the TrackPoint, the button can scroll through web pages or documents. It can also activate a magnifying glass and click like a mouse button. The TrackPad even recognizes how hard you push and translates that to the scrolling speed.
Lenovo’s Yoga laptop range also breaks the mold by combining a notebook with a tablet PC.
The unique design lets you fold your screen over to hold as a touchscreen tablet. It also includes the world’s first rotational soundbar to deliver immersive sound.
HP Hybrids
HP also offers a 2-in-1 hybrid laptop in the form of the HP Spectre range.
The 4K screen comes with a stylus pen and is aimed at the professional marketplace. Prices start at $1,049.99 for a 13″ screen. Whereas, the Lenovo Yoga 7i comes with an FHD 14″ screen at only $$834.99.
Look at these offers on Lenovo’s site for a better price comparison.
Windows vs Chrome Laptops
Before deciding which laptop to purchase you need to consider the operating system.
Chrome OS is Google’s open-source operating system that runs on Linux and is now ten years old.
The company boasts their OS lets you play and work for up to 12 hours on a single charge. Because it’s not bloated with unwanted software it runs fast and is compatible with Google apps like Sheets and Docs.
Here’s a summary of the main features:
- Long battery life
- Offline access
- Instant tethering
- Multitasking and picture-in-picture viewing
- Automatic back-up to Google Drive
However, Microsoft Windows 10 is the default OS for most users. Especially for those in business and for gamers.
Windows laptops work with all major printers and external hardware. It can run legacy applications and is fully compatible with Microsoft software like Office.
Prices vary for each OS and just because Chrome is open-source doesn’t mean that the laptop will be less expensive.
AMD vs Intel
One other item to consider is the type of processor in your new laptop.
Intel is a well-known brand and offers budget CPUs like Celeron and Pentium up to its Core range. A laptop that has decent specs should aim for Core i3 or higher and high-end gamers should choose an i7 to i9.
AMD has become a worthy rival to Intel thanks to its graphics cards and matching processors.
Its Ryzen series is comparable with Intel’s Core series but often comes at a cheaper price or produces more power. Its Athlon processors sit at the bottom of the range but still offer excellent value.
Lenovo vs HP for Students
To help you choose a laptop, the rest of this guide outlines each brand’s best-selling devices for specific user groups.
The first is for students and those with a limited budget who need portability and long battery life.
Durability is also important as accidental drops and spills are part-and-parcel of being a student. A lightweight design also helps when moving between classes. And reliable Internet access is a must.
We won’t cover basic-level devices with very small screens but aim for a budget of $500-$700.
Student HP Laptops
The HP Pavilion x360 is a Windows 10 laptop with an i3 processor and 128GB SSD storage for $539.99.
It offers a flip-screen like the more expensive Spectre series and its 64-bit architecture lets it run Windows 10 Home 64. The 14″ version offers HD but is upgradable to FHD. And it comes with a standard 8GB of RAM.
The HP Pavilion 15 laptop follows suit with an AMD Ryzen 5 processor and 256GB SSD storage for $549.99.
It boasts 16GB of memory, Windows 10 Home 64, and a 15.6″ display. That may be too bulky for some students but the battery lasts up to 7 hours 45 mins.
However, this range is currently out of stock, and the normal price hikes to $649.99.
Student Lenovo Laptops
Lenovo has some excellent budget laptops currently on offer.
The ThinkPad E495 has a 14″ screen and up to 11 hours of battery life. The AMD Ryzen 5 processor is equivalent to a Core i5 and offers 2.1Ghz of power. The memory sits at 8GB and the hard drive is a 256GB SSD.
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The IdeaPad Flex 5 offers a larger 15.6″ touchscreen and contains an immersive FHD display.
The 1.30Ghz i3 processor is solid for this budget laptop and the 4GB of RAM will satisfy light tasks well. There’s a 1-year depot or carry-in warranty included if something goes wrong.
With instant saving coupon APRILSHOWERS2, you can save $100 on the Flex 5 as the price is now $479.99.
Lenovo vs HP for Gaming
Gaming machines require raw power, unparalleled visuals, and quality sound. Factors like portability and price are on the lower end of the requirements but still play a part.
For example, Lenovo’s Legion 5 AMD laptop is currently available at $939.99 — a saving of $370.
The gaming laptop showcases a 15.6″ FHD display with a TrueStrike Backlit Keyboard to play in style. The NVIDIA GeForce graphics card compliments the AMD Ryzen 7 4800H processor. And the 1TB hard drive spins at 7200 RPM to produce super read/write speeds.
The Lenovo Legion gaming laptops live up to the expectations of their fans. The rigs work out of the box and connect to a rising community of online gamers.
HP and Lenovo Laptops Compared
HP has its Omen series that’s dedicated to hardcore gamers.
Prices start at $999 for the 15″ version which has an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 graphics card with Max-Q design. This technology fuses real-time ray tracing with programmable shading and AI.
The result produces ultra-realistic graphics including reflections and shadows.
Gamers have the choice of a 4K version with up to 240Hz refresh rate. DDR4 RAM sits well with the Intel Core i9 processor. Wi-fi speeds can reach up to 1GB. And the Omen Tempest Cooling Technology provides 3-sided venting and 5-way airflow.
HP and Lenovo Laptops for Business
Business owners usually fall into two categories: high-end users and those requiring an office computer.
HP offers several high-end laptops including the HP ZBook Create Notebook PC at $2,749.
It comes with Windows 10 Pro and aims for video producers with a Core i9 processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX card. Memory ranges up to 32GB and storage sits at 2TB local NVMe.
HP Vaporforce Thermal technology cools the system while providing maximum performance. It comes with x2 USB-C ports along with an SD card reader and mini display port.
The HP EliteBook 830 prices at around $999 and comes with enterprise-level security. It’s fast-charging, has a long battery life, and has an excellent wi-fi range.
Lenovo Business Laptops
Lenovo’s ThinkPad and ThinkBook series is designed for business use.
The ThinkPad X range includes epic battery life so is perfect for travel. The ThinkPad T flagship series is durable and robust, working just as well in the field as in the office.
For multimedia users, the IdeaPad 700 series is light and thin yet powerful. It comes with the next-gen processor and a discrete graphics card as standard.
Prices range from $750 for the standard level IdeaPad to $1,260 for the ThinkPad.
HP vs Lenovo Laptops – Which Is Better?
The debate over HP vs Lenovo laptop brands continues and the one you choose depends on what you need.
Lenovo offers excellent all-around devices and gets voted the best laptop for business users on an annual basis. Their computers are sturdy, offer excellent battery life, and include a range of features.
Lenovo’s website’s discount deals page can also save you a lot of money when you use their eVouchers.
HP’s laptops are structurally sound and are well received by the masses. They don’t usually match Lenovo’s specs but come close. Especially with their Pavilion range.
Remember to comment on this article and let us know the brand you prefer and which is worth your money.
