HP's Pavilion X360 continues to be a popular choice for students and those on a budget, but does it hold up in 2024?
How does the HP Pavilion x360 14 2-in-1 laptop hold up in 2024?
6 min readIf 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.
HP Pavilion X360 14 2-in-1
How does it hold up in 2024?
Fast-charging
Thin bezels 
Dated processor
Limited specs 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
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.
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.
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)
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.
Much better performance
Better build quality and design
Comparable price 
Not a 2-in-1
Harder to find in 2024
Doesn't run on Windows
Fewer ports Best 2-in-1 alternative
ASUS VivoBook Flip 14
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.
2-in-1 design
Comparable price
Aging hardware
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-1 | 14-inches, FHD | Starts at Intel U300 | Starts at 4GB | Starts at 256GB | $999 | See at Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Apple MacBook Air M1 | 13.3-inches, WQXGA | Apple Silicon M1 | Starts at 8GB | Starts at 256GB | $1,360 | See at Amazon |
 ASUS Vivobook Flip 14 | 14-inches, FHD | Intel Core i3-1115G4 | Starts at 4GB | Starts at 128GB | $989 | See at Amazon |
 Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 | 12.4-inch PIxelSense display | Intel Core i5-1135G7 | 8GB | 256GB | $1,078 | See at Amazon |
Also consider
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2
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.
Bloat-free software
Cleaner design and build quality
Comparable price
Not a 2-in-1
Might be more expensive
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$4299
| Lenovo | 13.3-inches (x2) | 2880 x 1800 | 1.3kg | 
| |
|
From$1799
| Amazon | 14-inches | 2880 x 1800 | 1.5kg | 
| |
 ASUS Zenbook Flip S13 OLED |
From$2898
| Amazon | 13.3-inches | 3840 x 2160 | 1.3kg |
|
|
From$989
| Amazon | 14-inch | 1920 x 1080 | 1.5kg |
| |
|
From$1799
| Microsoft | 13-inch | 2880 x 1920 | 879g | 
| |
|
From$1379.99
| Acer | 14-inches | 2560 x 1600 | 1.3kg |
| |
|
From$2197.80
| Dell | 13.3-inch | 2880x1920 | 736g |
|
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