HP Pavilion Sleekbook 15z-b000 Review
Pros
- Vibrant 15.6-inch touch-enabled display
- Solid audio quality
- Affordable
Cons
- Uncomfortable keyboard
- Low quality touchpad
- Weak performance
Quick Take:
The HP Pavilion Sleekbook 15z-b000 offers a
colorful 15.6" touch-enabled display, solid speakers, and high-capacity
hard drive ... just don't expect best-in-class performance.
Measuring at 16" x 10" x 0.83" and weighing roughly 4.56-lbs.
(depending on the configuration) and the HP Pavilion is fairly portable.
It is a bit heavier than most ultrabook and ultraportable devices, but
it's still easy enough to transport.
The plastic chassis actually manages to provide a fair bit of protection to the device as well. The base of the chassis stood firm regardless of how much pressure was applied. The display held up decently to small amounts of pressure, but noticeable rippling did occur when adequate pressure was applied to the back of the display. Obliviously the HP Pavilion Sleekbook is not the sturdiest machine on the market, but it can take more wear and tear than you'd expect form an entry-level portable device.
Ports and Features
Though the Sleekbook could have used a bit more of its surface area to space out the ports, the notebook does offer a solid collection of ports. The right side of the device offers a 4-in-1 card reader, a pair of USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI port, an Ethernet port, and the power jack. The left side houses a USB 2.0 port, and an audio jack.
The only noticeable thing missing from the selection is a VGA port,
but the Sleekbook does offer a HDMI port, which should prove sufficient
in most cases. The majority of the ports are adequately spaced so that
using multiple simultaneously shouldn?t be an issue, with the exception
of the two USB ports located on the right side. In some instances (such
as with a wide USB storage device) the spacing may be an issue, but
there is always another USB port located on the left side to help
alleviate this issue.
Screen and Speakers
The HP Pavilion Sleekbook's display is a notable highpoint for the machine. The notebook offers a 15.6" HD Bright View LED-Backlit display with a 1366 x 768 resolution. Even though the screen only offers standard resolution, the glossy display manages to provide a bright vibrant picture with exceptional color contrast. The 15.6" screen also offers 10-point touch input. The response and feedback of the display is lighting quick, making the touch controls accurate and easy to use. In fact, the touch controls are likely the best control option available on the notebook.
The display also offers decent viewing angles, especially given the
glossy finish of the screen. The display fares extremely well on the
horizontal axis with image quality holding up well past 100 degrees,
making the display perfect for multiple viewers. Unfortunately the
display does not fare as well on the vertical axis; as the image quality
quickly diminishes when the display is moved forward, though images
still hold up quite nicely when the display is tilt backwards.
While the bright glossy display provides beautiful visuals under ideal conditions, it can also cause the display to become incredibly reflective. Heavy lighting cause's noticeable image distortion as solid images can be seen reflected on the screen. This issue is further augmented when the screen has a dark backdrop (such as a black screen during a scene change in a movie). However, under normal lighting conditions the display holds up admirably. Just be aware of this issue if you plan on taking the device outside in direct sunlight.
Similar
to the display the speakers are another strong suite for the HP
Sleekbook. The speakers are situated across the front panel of the
chassis above the keyboard. While the speakers won't blow users away,
they sound better than most would expect of a budget notebook.
Equipped with Dolby Advanced Audio the speakers provide clear crisp audio that is boisterous enough to easily provide audio for a small room. More importantly the speakers hold up extremely well, even when pushed to 100 percent capacity the audio remains clean with little to no noticeable distortion.
Keyboard and Touchpad
Besides the glossy plastic finish, the low quality keyboard is the biggest giveaway that the HP Pavilion Sleekbook 15z-b000 is a budget device. Honestly the keyboard isn't terrible, it works with solid accuracy, but it feels shoddy and unreliable.
The notebook offers a full-sized Chiclet style keyboard complete with number pad. The squared keys are slightly braised on top providing a bit of friction, but fingers still managed to easily slide on the surface of the keys. The shallow key compression leaves something to be desired, and the feedback from each keystroke feels unreliable. In the middle of the keyboard the keys provide feedback that feels far more responsive than the keys located around the outer edges.
Despite its noticeable faults, the keyboard did manage to read input accurately. Users may feel like they are mistyping, but the keyboard is serviceable, in that it will function. However, if users want comfort they will have to look to an external keyboard.
Unfortunately the touchpad fares even worse than the keyboard. Located directly below the spacebar, the touchpad offers generous surface area with a right and left mouse button located at the bottom of the pad. The pad itself is heavily textured with a heavily tiled textured pattern.
There
are no serious issues with the design of the touchpad; however, it
simply fails to perform. The touchpad (which uses Synaptics drivers)
suffers from a great deal of lag and unresponsiveness. A few times while
testing the device, the touchpad froze all together failing to read any
input. Additionally, the touchpad also struggles to read multi-finger
gestures often missing the input completely, and when the pad does read
the gesture it is often seconds after the input has been entered.
Luckily the HP Pavilion Sleekbook offers a high-quality touchscreen to make up for the shortcomings of the touchpad. However, users who are looking for productivity will need to invest in an external mouse with this device.
Performance and Benchmarks
Our HP Pavilion Sleekbook 15z-b000 review unit had following configuration:
The machine will hold up to basic web browsing and word processing functions, however much more than that proves a challenge for the notebook. The machine's multi-tasking capabilities are also severely limited, as the machine can handle a few programs before becoming overwhelmed. However, more intensive functions, such as video streams will quickly cause the machine to become bogged down resulting in a noticeable decline in performance.
Our version of the HP Pavilion Sleekbook also came equipped with a 750GB (5400 RPM) hard disk drive (HDD). While the HDD didn't offer the fastest load times and contributed to lower overall performance, 750GB of internal storage is a decent amount of space for a portable entry-level notebook. Storage isn't exactly an expensive commodity these days, but not having to carry around an additional storage device or deal with cloud storage is always a plus.
wPrime processor comparison results (lower scores mean better performance):
PCMark 7 is a newer benchmark which measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance):
3DMark 11 measures overall graphics card performance for gaming (higher scores mean better performance):
Crystal Disk Mark storage drive performance test:
Heat and Noise
While the HP Pavilion is often being pushed to its limits, users wouldn't know it from how quiet and cool the device remains. The notebook has two vents one located on the bottom of the chassis and another located on the left side of the device. While testing the device there were a few occasions, where the faint sound of the fan could be heard, but under normal circumstances its silent.
The fan also manages keep the device comfortable cool. It should be noted though that a bit of heat will emanate from the vents at times, and with one of the vents being located on the bottom of the chassis it could potentially make the device uncomfortable to use as a laptop.
Battery Life
To test battery life we used our new PowerMark benchmark in balanced mode. The test consists of a combination of automated web browsing, word processing, gaming and video playback workloads. The test is far more strenuous than our previous test, measuring the machine under a litany of scenarios to better simulate real life use. With the test being far more demanding the scores are understandably lower than our previous benchmark.
PowerMark batter life test results (higher scores mean better battery life):
In our tests the HP Pavilion Sleekbook 15z-b000 ran for 2hours and 45 minutes before shutting down after reaching the 5 percent battery reserve. Shy of three hours the HP Pavilion does not offer strong battery life. Users who are surfing the web exclusively off of a Wi-Fi connection will likely see the device die even faster. While the three hour battery limit may be enough to make it through a lecture or a quick-business meeting, users will want to have the power adapter on-hand at all times.
Buying a budget notebook is all about concessions. Every entry-level notebook will have its faults, the question is; do those faults and strongpoints align with your needs?
The HP Pavilion Sleekbook 15z-b000 does offer a few strong points including its colorful 15.6" touch-enabled display, solid speakers, and large 750GB HDD. While the chassis doesn't look like much, the glossy plastic cover is actually far more durable than expected. Of course the Sleekbook has its downsides as well with an uncomfortable touch pad and keyboard, short battery life, and lackluster performance.
Still at this price point, the HP Pavilion Sleekbook 15z-b000 is solid choice for consumers looking for an entry-level notebook and don't mind conceding on performance.
Pros:
Upgrade Capabilities
Usability
Design
Performance
Features
Price/Value Rating
* Ratings averaged to produce final score
The HP Pavilion
Sleekbook 15 z-b000 is a configure-to-order notebook with cost conscious
consumers in mind. With the base price sitting below $500, consumers
won't find many notebooks for less. However, with so many upgradeable
options available, it's likely that most consumers will find themselves
paying considerably more than the starting price.
Granted the device does offer a few nice features for its low price
point including a vibrant 15.6" display, strong audio quality, and a
sizeable hard drive; but is that enough to carry this machine? With its
weak performance and a mediocre build quality; is the HP Pavilion
Sleekbook 15z-b000 worth the investment? Read the full review to find
out.Build and Design
The HP Pavilion Sleekbook 15z-b000 offers a black plastic chassis. The plastic has a glossy finish that is reflective and easily picks up sunlight. Unfortunately the design is basically the classic budget look. The aesthetic is fine enough at first glance, but the glossy finish quickly picks up fingerprints and is difficult to keep clean. |
 |
The plastic chassis actually manages to provide a fair bit of protection to the device as well. The base of the chassis stood firm regardless of how much pressure was applied. The display held up decently to small amounts of pressure, but noticeable rippling did occur when adequate pressure was applied to the back of the display. Obliviously the HP Pavilion Sleekbook is not the sturdiest machine on the market, but it can take more wear and tear than you'd expect form an entry-level portable device.
Ports and Features
Though the Sleekbook could have used a bit more of its surface area to space out the ports, the notebook does offer a solid collection of ports. The right side of the device offers a 4-in-1 card reader, a pair of USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI port, an Ethernet port, and the power jack. The left side houses a USB 2.0 port, and an audio jack.
 |
 |
| Left: USB 2.0 port and audio jack. | Right: 4-in-1 card reader, two USB 3.0 ports, HDMI port, Ethernet port, and power jack. |
Screen and Speakers
The HP Pavilion Sleekbook's display is a notable highpoint for the machine. The notebook offers a 15.6" HD Bright View LED-Backlit display with a 1366 x 768 resolution. Even though the screen only offers standard resolution, the glossy display manages to provide a bright vibrant picture with exceptional color contrast. The 15.6" screen also offers 10-point touch input. The response and feedback of the display is lighting quick, making the touch controls accurate and easy to use. In fact, the touch controls are likely the best control option available on the notebook.
 |
 |
 |
 |
While the bright glossy display provides beautiful visuals under ideal conditions, it can also cause the display to become incredibly reflective. Heavy lighting cause's noticeable image distortion as solid images can be seen reflected on the screen. This issue is further augmented when the screen has a dark backdrop (such as a black screen during a scene change in a movie). However, under normal lighting conditions the display holds up admirably. Just be aware of this issue if you plan on taking the device outside in direct sunlight.
Similar
to the display the speakers are another strong suite for the HP
Sleekbook. The speakers are situated across the front panel of the
chassis above the keyboard. While the speakers won't blow users away,
they sound better than most would expect of a budget notebook.Equipped with Dolby Advanced Audio the speakers provide clear crisp audio that is boisterous enough to easily provide audio for a small room. More importantly the speakers hold up extremely well, even when pushed to 100 percent capacity the audio remains clean with little to no noticeable distortion.
Keyboard and Touchpad Besides the glossy plastic finish, the low quality keyboard is the biggest giveaway that the HP Pavilion Sleekbook 15z-b000 is a budget device. Honestly the keyboard isn't terrible, it works with solid accuracy, but it feels shoddy and unreliable.
The notebook offers a full-sized Chiclet style keyboard complete with number pad. The squared keys are slightly braised on top providing a bit of friction, but fingers still managed to easily slide on the surface of the keys. The shallow key compression leaves something to be desired, and the feedback from each keystroke feels unreliable. In the middle of the keyboard the keys provide feedback that feels far more responsive than the keys located around the outer edges.
Despite its noticeable faults, the keyboard did manage to read input accurately. Users may feel like they are mistyping, but the keyboard is serviceable, in that it will function. However, if users want comfort they will have to look to an external keyboard.
Unfortunately the touchpad fares even worse than the keyboard. Located directly below the spacebar, the touchpad offers generous surface area with a right and left mouse button located at the bottom of the pad. The pad itself is heavily textured with a heavily tiled textured pattern.
There
are no serious issues with the design of the touchpad; however, it
simply fails to perform. The touchpad (which uses Synaptics drivers)
suffers from a great deal of lag and unresponsiveness. A few times while
testing the device, the touchpad froze all together failing to read any
input. Additionally, the touchpad also struggles to read multi-finger
gestures often missing the input completely, and when the pad does read
the gesture it is often seconds after the input has been entered.Luckily the HP Pavilion Sleekbook offers a high-quality touchscreen to make up for the shortcomings of the touchpad. However, users who are looking for productivity will need to invest in an external mouse with this device.
Performance and Benchmarks
Our HP Pavilion Sleekbook 15z-b000 review unit had following configuration:- Windows 8 (64-bit)
- 15.6" HD Bright View LED-Backlit 1366 x 768
- 1.7 GHz AMD Quad- Core A8-4555M Accelerated Processor
- AMD Radeon HD 7600G graphics
- 6GB of DDR3 RAM
- 750GB (5400 RPM)
- 802.11b/g/n WLAN
- 4-Cell Lithium Ion Battery
- Dimensions: 16" x 10" x 0.83"
- Weight: 4.56 lbs.
- Price: $665 (at time review was written)
The machine will hold up to basic web browsing and word processing functions, however much more than that proves a challenge for the notebook. The machine's multi-tasking capabilities are also severely limited, as the machine can handle a few programs before becoming overwhelmed. However, more intensive functions, such as video streams will quickly cause the machine to become bogged down resulting in a noticeable decline in performance.
Our version of the HP Pavilion Sleekbook also came equipped with a 750GB (5400 RPM) hard disk drive (HDD). While the HDD didn't offer the fastest load times and contributed to lower overall performance, 750GB of internal storage is a decent amount of space for a portable entry-level notebook. Storage isn't exactly an expensive commodity these days, but not having to carry around an additional storage device or deal with cloud storage is always a plus.
wPrime processor comparison results (lower scores mean better performance):
PCMark 7 is a newer benchmark which measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance):
3DMark 11 measures overall graphics card performance for gaming (higher scores mean better performance):
Crystal Disk Mark storage drive performance test:
Heat and Noise While the HP Pavilion is often being pushed to its limits, users wouldn't know it from how quiet and cool the device remains. The notebook has two vents one located on the bottom of the chassis and another located on the left side of the device. While testing the device there were a few occasions, where the faint sound of the fan could be heard, but under normal circumstances its silent.
The fan also manages keep the device comfortable cool. It should be noted though that a bit of heat will emanate from the vents at times, and with one of the vents being located on the bottom of the chassis it could potentially make the device uncomfortable to use as a laptop.
Battery Life
To test battery life we used our new PowerMark benchmark in balanced mode. The test consists of a combination of automated web browsing, word processing, gaming and video playback workloads. The test is far more strenuous than our previous test, measuring the machine under a litany of scenarios to better simulate real life use. With the test being far more demanding the scores are understandably lower than our previous benchmark.
PowerMark batter life test results (higher scores mean better battery life):
In our tests the HP Pavilion Sleekbook 15z-b000 ran for 2hours and 45 minutes before shutting down after reaching the 5 percent battery reserve. Shy of three hours the HP Pavilion does not offer strong battery life. Users who are surfing the web exclusively off of a Wi-Fi connection will likely see the device die even faster. While the three hour battery limit may be enough to make it through a lecture or a quick-business meeting, users will want to have the power adapter on-hand at all times.
Buying a budget notebook is all about concessions. Every entry-level notebook will have its faults, the question is; do those faults and strongpoints align with your needs?
The HP Pavilion Sleekbook 15z-b000 does offer a few strong points including its colorful 15.6" touch-enabled display, solid speakers, and large 750GB HDD. While the chassis doesn't look like much, the glossy plastic cover is actually far more durable than expected. Of course the Sleekbook has its downsides as well with an uncomfortable touch pad and keyboard, short battery life, and lackluster performance.
Still at this price point, the HP Pavilion Sleekbook 15z-b000 is solid choice for consumers looking for an entry-level notebook and don't mind conceding on performance.
Pros:
- Vibrant 15.6-inch touch-enabled display
- Solid audio quality
- Affordable
- Uncomfortable keyboard
- Low quality touchpad
- Weak performance
Individual Ratings: *
Software & SupportUpgrade Capabilities
Usability
Design
Performance
Features
Price/Value Rating
* Ratings averaged to produce final score
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