The HP Pavilion Aero 13 (2024) is a mid-range ultraportable laptop. This 13-bg000 series from 2024 is available with AMD 8040-series Ryzen 5 or 7 CPUs, integrated AMD Radeon Graphics, 16GB of LP-DDR5x RAM, and up to a 1TB NVMe SSD. The storage is user-replaceable. It also features FHD+ or QHD+ IPS displays with full sRGB coverage and a 1440p IR webcam for facial recognition. Ports include two USB-As, two USB-Cs, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
See our unit's specifications and the available configuration options in the Differences Between Variants section.
Our Verdict
The HP Pavilion Aero 13 is very good for students. It's small and easy to carry around to classes, and its battery lasts all day on a single charge if you are doing tasks like note-taking or web browsing. The keyboard is great to use and takes no time to get used to, and its microphone does a great job picking up your voice. Unfortunately, the finish scratches easily from regular use. The webcam also isn't great as its image is overexposed; you may look unnatural in online classes. Finally, while the Ryzen 7 8840HS can perform some intensive tasks like programming, other configurations of this laptop aren't the best choice for students with demanding workflows.
- Bright display with excellent reflection handling.
- All day battery life.
- Small, portable form factor.
- Poor, overexposed webcam image despite 1440p resolution.
- Finish prone to scratching from everyday use.
The HP Pavilion Aero 13 isn't ideal for gaming. Though the integrated AMD Radeon Graphics can handle older titles or puzzle games, it lacks the graphical horsepower for a smooth experience in modern AAA games. The screen only has a 60Hz refresh rate and doesn't have VRR to help with screen tearing. On the bright side, it stays cool and quiet under load; you can comfortably use the keyboard if you decide to play games.
- No VRR support to minimize screen tearing.
- 60Hz display has slow response time with ghosting behind fast moving objects.
- No options for dedicated GPU.
The HP Pavilion Aero 13 is decent for multimedia use. Its screen gets bright enough for use in all indoor and most outdoor environments, but it may still struggle outside in direct sunlight. Reflections from lamps or the sun also aren't a big deal inside. Its speakers sound clear and get quite loud, although, like most laptops, they lack the necessary bass to provide a full sound. Given its compact 13-inch chassis, this laptop is a great choice for watching content on the go, like traveling on the bus or a plane. Moreover, with over eight hours of battery life for video playback, you can easily watch a few movies or binge your favorite shows.
- Loud, full sounding speakers.
- Bright display with excellent reflection handling.
- All day battery life.
- Speakers lack bass.
- Low contrast makes blacks appear gray in dark environments.
Despite scoring well, the HP Pavilion Aero 13 isn't a workstation laptop. The Ryzen 5 and 7 CPUs are low to moderate-power CPUs designed for thin and light chassis rather than workstations. There aren't options for dedicated GPUs, either. Also, you can only get this laptop with 16GB of soldered RAM. You can do some light color correction work as the display offers full sRGB coverage.
- Bright display with full sRGB coverage.
- 16GB of soldered memory.
- No Thunderbolt 4/USB4 support.
- No options for dedicated GPU.
The HP Pavilion Aero 13 is a good laptop for business use. Its small, 13-inch chassis makes it easy to carry around to meetings and while you travel. It offers great performance for general productivity tasks like spreadsheets and word processing, and some CPU options can handle more intensive ones like programming. Its keyboard and touchpad are also easy to adapt to and comfortable to use; know that the touchpad isn't perfect, as it struggles to maintain continuous inputs like dragging items across your desktop. Battery life is great at over 10 hours of light use on a single charge. The main issues revolve around the build quality and webcam. The finish is prone to scratching from everyday use; this may not present well when meeting clients. Finally, the webcam image is drastically overexposed, making you look unnatural. It's disappointing since HP has included a 1440p webcam.
- Bright display with excellent reflection handling.
- All day battery life.
- Small, portable form factor.
- Poor, overexposed webcam image despite 1440p resolution.
- Finish prone to scratching from everyday use.
Changelog
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Updated Nov 11, 2025:
Added mention of the Dell 16 Plus (2025) as an alternative with a larger screen in the Screen Specs section.
- Updated May 07, 2025: We've updated this review to Test Bench 0.8.3, which removes the viewing angle tests and adds a GPU Total Graphics Power comparison in the GPU section. The Pen Input test in the Extra Features section has also changed, as it now shows whether the laptop supports pen input rather than the inclusion of a stylus in the box. See the changelog for more details.
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Updated Nov 01, 2024:
Added mention of the Acer Swift Go 14 (2024) as an alternative with a sturdier build in the Build Quality section.
- Updated Jul 25, 2024: Review published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the HP Pavilion Aero 13 (model 13-bg0010nr) with an FHD+ IPS display, AMD Ryzen 5 8640U CPU, integrated AMD Radeon Graphics, 16 GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and Windows 11 Home. The display, CPU, storage, and OS are configurable; the available options are in the table below.
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See our unit's label here.
Popular Laptop Comparisons
The HP Pavilion Aero 13 is a midrange ultraportable laptop with great performance in a compact form factor. While it outperforms some much more premium devices like the Dell XPS 13 (2024), its build quality is only okay. The materials generally feel poor, the chassis is light in a way that feels hollow, and the finish is very prone to scratches from regular use. On the bright side, the touchpad, keyboard, and speakers are all remarkably good for this class of laptop; the webcam is less so. Finally, there's a QHD+ display option, and the IPS displays are bright, making this a competitive choice for a midrange laptop.
For more options, check out our recommendations for the best 13-14 inch laptops, the best business laptops, and the best laptops for college.
The HP Pavilion Aero 13 (2024) and Lenovo Yoga 6 13 (2023) are both 13-inch laptops. While the HP is an ultraportable with a traditional clamshell form factor, the Lenovo is a 2-in-1 convertible; they each have their pros and cons. The HP has faster hardware and comes with 16GB of faster LP-DDR5x RAM by default (you have to pay extra for 16GB with the Lenovo), making it the superior choice for more intensive tasks like programming. By contrast, the Lenovo has better build quality and can be used in tent mode for media consumption.
The HP Pavilion Aero 13 (2024) is a much better laptop overall than the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i 15 (2023). The HP has better performance, longer battery life, and a more portable form factor. This makes it ideal for people who need a device for general productivity tasks on the go. However, the 13-inch screen may be too restrictive for some people, particularly if you need to multitask or have multiple documents open simultaneously. In this case, the Lenovo is a fine alternative.
The HP Pavilion Aero 13 (2024) and Dell XPS 13 (2024) are two different classes of ultraportable laptops. The Dell is a premium model, featuring much nicer materials, a brighter and higher-resolution display, and higher-end hardware. However, it underperforms, as its CPU thermal throttles significantly under load. As a result, the HP Pavilion performs better overall despite its much lower MSRP. The HP's keyboard and trackpad are also much easier to use, providing a much nicer user experience.
The Apple MacBook Air 13 (M3, 2024) is a much more premium and better-performing ultraportable laptop than the HP Pavilion Aero 13 (2024). With its all-aluminum chassis, the MacBook's build quality is far superior, as is its user experience. While the keyboard and trackpad on the HP are great, the MacBook Air takes it to the next level with an all-glass touchpad with haptic feedback. Moreover, its screen is brighter, and its speakers have significantly better bass response. However, the HP comes with more RAM by default, and it allows users to replace the SSDs.
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