Welcome to the Family “Worker Bee”: My HP 15T Review
Due to traveling a lot before the quarantine, I had to invest in something I could use to travel around but still work. So, I had to invest in a laptop. I have always gone with HPs as they have been reliable for my whole family and me. I had a hard time finding one until my Grandmother found the HP 15T on sale for Memorial Day weekend. It was $750, so; I got this laptop for $630 with tax and shipping included. Here are the specifications for those spec nerds out there:
- 15 inch Full HD Screen (1080p)
- Number Pad on the keyboard (most underrated feature ever)
- Intel Core i7 8th Generation
- Intel Graphics
- upgraded from 1TB HDD to 2TB HDD
- upgraded from 8GB RAM to 12GB RAM
- Windows 10 Operating System
- Ports:
- Ethernet
- HDMI
- 3 USB 2.0 Ports
- SDHC Port
- Headphone Jack (I’m sure there is a joke here somewhere)
As you can see, it is a fully-loaded laptop. On the HP Website, it has a $1,300 minimum price for this laptop, which I find ridiculous. I bought this laptop for work, so these gripes, while they annoy me, are not going to make me return this device. If it were for pleasure, sure, I would return it but for work, Nah.
- Screen color recreation is horrible. I have a purple flower as my desktop, and it comes out looking like a pink flower.
- Screen resolution is horrible. Yes, it is 1080p, but it isn’t even a good 1080p. Definitely not a 1080p I would pay $1,300+ for.
- All of the letters/numbers/symbols on the keys have indents that can be easily felt.
- Speakers are just a joke. My $1k phone has better speakers than this $1,300 laptop, what is up with that?
- Internet card on it is subpar. I can be right next to my phone and right on top of the router, and my laptop always gets 100mbps MAX on my internet speeds while my phone can get 400mbps or more.
- The HP 15t doesn’t feel like a $1,300 laptop. It feels like the $630 laptop I paid for.
So, what are my gripes? Well, I love lists, so let’s make another!
Those are just the most critical horrible flaws of the HP 15T that came up in my head while writing this. I can say that if I had paid more for it, I probably would have returned the laptop as it wouldn’t be worth the money I paid. Now, I feel overly critical, but my sister is using a $1k+ HP 15inch laptop (HP Spectre) that feels like the money and runs like the money I spent on it. I got it open boxed (also know as used) from Best Buy over 2 years ago, and it still runs like new. It has an older i7 processor and a 1TB HDD vs. my 2TB HDD, and it has the same 12GB RAM that mine has. Yet, my newer computer runs slower than her older computer. Let’s get more into the speed later, however.
For now, I want to focus on the specifics I labeled above. Starting with the screen as it is the first thing you notice. As soon as I unboxed this and turned it on, I knew something was off as it didn’t look as bright as my sister’s laptop, which used to be my own. I didn’t think anything until my wallpaper (shown to the left) came up on the screen. If you are looking at that picture with a relatively high resolution and color accurate screen, you should see that the petals start as an intense purple and end up in a lighter shade of purple.
On my screen, however, it starts as a deep purple and turns to pink shortly after with the lightest petals being light pink. When I first saw this distortion, I was immediately put off by the screen, and that alone determined that this computer is NOT worth the $1,300+ asking price they have on regular occasions. It is worth the $630 I paid, though, just barely. I don’t understand how HP got this so wrong. The screen is what you look at all day every day. Why would they sacrifice money on something so important in day-to-day use? It isn’t even enjoyable to watch YouTube on here as the display is so bad on the colors.
The next flaw I found was a bizarre one. When you first use the keyboard, you notice it immediately. All of the letters/symbols/numbers on the keyboard are slightly raised. I have no idea why they chose to do this, but this goes hand-in-hand with the last thing I listed on my list above, which is the cheap feeling of this laptop. The keys, screen, trackpad, and the whole device is made of plastic and cheap plastic at that. The screen is not a touch screen, and it is a matte screen instead of a “glass-like” screen. That put on top of the fact that all of the keys feel like cheap plastic, and the trackpad helps solidify that the $1,300 asking price is not worth it. If you pay $1,300+ for this laptop or even $750 for this laptop, you are getting ripped off by HP. Honestly, if this laptop were any more than $600 with the customizations I got, I would not have gotten it, even with the $750 off.
There is a reason why they can offer this laptop for $750 off and shows how much of a markup they have on this device. It feels like HP spent $300 max to produce this laptop and listed it for $1k+ more. I had never felt so ripped off by a company even when I got such a good discount.
I’m not even going to continue with my list as the internet card has been explained above. With that all, out in the open, is there anything I do like about this laptop? Well, sure.
First, the keys are clicky. Unlike the Macbook keys or other higher-end laptop keys, these keys are clicky, making it very comfortable to type on, which is essential for my hobbies. I can sit and type for hours, and my hands don’t get tired whatsoever. The fact that I can sit and type for hours is refreshing, as even my desktop (using an HP keyboard) has those barely clicky keys that tire out your fingers faster than you would think. It is nice that the laptop I am going to use for work.
Second, the size of this laptop is small enough that I don’t have issues carrying it in my oversized purse. While it is a cheaper laptop, it is still relatively thin and light, so it is easy for me to carry in my oversized purse. That isn’t an ideal way to carry it, but it is useful.
Lastly, the battery life on this thing is phenomenal because of all of the negatives I listed above. The screen does not take up much battery since it is not a high-quality screen; I don’t think I have ever had a laptop last more than a day until this one. This laptop can last incredibly long on a single charge, whether I am using it or not, and the battery also charges super quick on the included charger.
All-in-All, while I am super disappointed and upset with HP regarding the price, I believe this laptop is worth it for the $630 that I paid with taxes and expedited shipping included. It feels like a laptop made in that price range versus one made in the $1,300 price range. You know you have a horrible laptop when a $1k phone has better speakers than a more expensive laptop. It is just upsetting, and I need to get the word out about this laptop.
What do you guys think? Do you agree? Am I too harsh?
I look forward to hearing from you! Until the next one, cheers!
