Over a year ago, we called the 13-inch screen size the new sweet spot for notebook buyers: although highly portable, it’s still large enough to work comfortably and even watch movies. Sure enough, we’ve been seeing more 13-inch budget systems recently, including the HP Pavilion dv3z, HP’s first configurable notebook of this size, which starts at $679 (our review unit was priced at $1,043). It boasts a stylish design, above-average graphics performance, and excellent Wi-Fi performance. We also like the Altec Lansing speakers. However, mediocre battery life and a few other drawbacks keep this machine from earning a higher rating.
Design
The dv3z is slimmer, lighter, and a bit more compact than the Pavilion dv3510nr, HP’s first 13-inch notebook, which was introduced as a Best Buy exclusive. The dv3z measures 12.2 x 9.1 x 1.0–1.3 inches, versus 12.6 x 9 x 1.4 inches for the dv3510nr, and the dv3z has a lighter starting weight of 4.3 pounds with a six-cell battery (versus 4.8 pounds). Our configuration of the dv3z weighed 4.8 pounds, but that’s with a larger capacity nine-cell battery. Although this battery juts out of the back, creating an awkward shape, the dv3z still feels light compared to the Gateway UC Series, a budget 13-incher that weighs 5.3 pounds.
The glossy brown lid has HP’s logo in the lower right corner, which glows a cool white when the notebook is in use. We noticed that it picks up fingerprints easily. Inside, the palm rest and keyboard deck are covered in HP’s Intersect Imprint finish, a bronze pattern with intersecting diamonds.
Above the keyboard is a power button and panel of touch-sensitive multimedia controls. Some of them, such as the mute button, responded to even the slightest tap. But the volume strip became frustrating because the dv3z was slow to show our changes on-screen, and the strip itself doesn’t give any visual feedback to confirm that you’ve adjusted the volume. The Gateway UC Series, by contrast, has responsive volume controls that pulse red as you run your finger over them.
The dv3z’ controls sit on a silver—not bronze—strip; the color contrast makes the keyboard deck look busier than it should. On the lower right corner of the palm rest is a fingerprint reader. Configuring our fingerprints was a short process, but first we had to master the finger swipe, which took about half a dozen tries. Once we did, though, enrolling our fingerprint was easy.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The keyboard is brown, complimenting the rest of the bronze chassis. Its large, pillowy keys are shallower than they look, but are still comfortable to type on. Although they have a glossy finish, they didn’t feel slippery as we typed. While most of the keys are full-sized and where they should be, HP shrunk some of the lesser-used ones, including the F keys at the top, and the arrows in the lower-right corner.
The trackpad, too, has a glossy feel. Although our first review unit had way too much friction for our tastes, our second unit (whose benchmark scores are reflected below) felt much smoother. It has a strip along the right side, which allows users to scroll through pages with one finger. Unlike other touchpads, which over-scroll in response to even the slightest tap, the dv3z’s touchpad translated to subtle changes onscreen. We’re also fans of the contoured metal touch buttons, which are easy to press.
Good Display and Sound
The 13.3-inch (1280 x 800) LED-backlit display looked bright when we watched an episode of Heroes on DVD, and despite having a glossy finish we enjoyed comfortable viewing angles from the sides.
The notebook’s Altec Lansing speakers are built on SRS Premium Sound technology, which promise richer, louder sound than your average notebook speakers. When we played Coldplay’s “Clocks,” for example, the sound filled the room, even at a moderate volume level.
Ports and Webcam
The dv3z has two USB 2.0 ports, and an eSATA port that doubles as an additional USB port. It also has both HDMI and VGA outputs, as well as an Ethernet jack, headphone and mic ports, an ExpressCard/34 slot, and a 5-in-1 memory card reader. With the exception of the ExpressCard slot on the left side, and the headphone and mic ports and memory card reader, which are in the front, most of the ports line the right side of the notebook. The rest of the left side is taken up by the slot-loading 8X DVD±RW drive.
The VGA webcam showed delayed movement even when we recorded video captures offline (that is, without any Internet connection that might slow down the video). It wasn’t very well-lit or colorful, either. On the bright side, HP’s MediaSmart Webcam software includes lots of fun filters and special effects.
