The HP Pavilion 12 x2 is the most versatile detachable PC that HP has ever made, and the best budget laptop on the market currently. It's a true 2-in-1 laptop, and allows you to separate the display from the keyboard, giving real tablet and laptop functionality. With it you get a full size keyboard, and the ability to pick from 4 different modes for viewing the display - laptop, tent, tablet, and stand.

The HP Pavilion 12 x2 review also shows how the PC includes all the ports you need, from USB-C, USB 2.0, microSD, and even micro HDMI. The dual front-facing Bang & Olufsen speakers are a rare find on a laptop as well.

Be sure to check out the full HP Pavilion x2 review to find out why this is likely the best budget laptop on the market today!

You can pick up the HP Pavilion X2 now.

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Video Transcript:

If you’re looking for a budget Windows laptop that can also serve as a tablet when you need it to, then you may not have to look much further than the 12-inch HP Pavilion x2. When used with the keyboard, it’s less than an inch thick, and weighs just under 3 and a quarter pounds. The metal keyboard base is easily detachable, allowing you to sit back and relax with it in tablet mode. Of course, if you need to bang out some emails, or just want the more traditional form factor, you also have the standard laptop mode. Other views include stand mode, which puts the display front and center, with the keyboard behind it, tucked out of the way, and tent mode, which HP says is great for watching TV, movies, or even my YouTube channel.

Looking at the ports on the device, you have USB 2.0 and a 3.5mm jack on the left, and over on the right, there’s a microSD card slot, mini HDMI, and a USB-C port that’s capped at USB 3.0 speeds. This port is also used for charging the device.

As for the processor, you can choose between the Intel Atom version with 2 or 4GB RAM which starts at $499, or opt for the version I have here, which rocks a sixth-generation Intel Core M3 chip and costs $549, just $50 more. That’s matched up with 4GB RAM, a 128GB SSD, and the touch display that you see right up front, with a 1920x1280 resolution and pen support - HP’s active pen is sold separately. It’s an IPS display, so viewing angles are good and don’t get washed out - you’ll wanna keep the brightness jacked up though, as I found the display to be on the dim side. On the sides of the display you’ve got a pair of speakers - don’t let the Bang & Olufson logo fool you though, as the sound that comes out of these is just average. The nice part is that they are front-facing speakers, which is a rarity on laptops and tablets.

As for cameras, there’s nothing on the rear, but up front you get a camera that does 720p high definition video for those Skype calls. The keyboard itself is fine, you get enough space to not feel cramped, and also good travel distance on the keys so that you can feel that you are actually pressing something. The trackpad is also good - not the best I’ve ever used mind you, but for a budget machine, it gets the job done.

One other cool thing here is when you open the Pavilion X2, you notice that the keyboard raises up, giving you a nice incline. It’s something you see other manufacturers do, like Microsoft does with the Surface, but it’s never this solid of a connection. It feels really nice here.

All in all, the HP Pavilion X2 12-inch is a great machine for the money, and should get you through the majority of the day - I was managing roughly 6.5 hours of battery life. If you’re thinking of picking one up, I suggest going with the Intel M3 version, as you get a faster processor, as well as faster internal SSD storage. It looks and feels like a premium laptop, but won’t break the bank.

Let me know if the HP Pavilion X2 is something you might consider, whether it be for school or work. If you need something with a similar form factor for business-class work, be sure to check out my video on the HP Elite X2 for comparison. Thanks a lot for watching as always guys, if you liked this one, please do hit the like button, and be sure to hit the subscribe button to stay up to date on all future videos. Thanks for your support, and I’ll catch you in the next video!

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