HP , Ryzen 7 7730U, 32GB, 1TB SSD, Silver

32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD at the 80th percentile are the highlights, but the 1366x768 TN display is the worst in our entire database at the 0th percentile. A 1.2 out of 5 customer rating and a 33rd percentile reliability score seal the deal. Only consider this if you find it dirt cheap and plan to use an external monitor.

The Ryzen 7 7730U is an 8-core chip running at 2.0GHz, and it's fine. Not a barn burner, but it'll chew through browser tabs, spreadsheets, and light photo work without much drama. The 32GB of RAM is the real flex here, putting this thing at the 73rd percentile for memory. You can run Chrome with 40 tabs open, a video call, and a few background apps without hitting swap.

But the GPU is where things get murky. AMD Radeon Graphics, no dedicated chip, and it lands at the 45th percentile. That's below average for anything beyond casual gaming or basic video editing. The 1TB NVMe SSD is a genuine highlight, 80th percentile, and it'll make boot times and app launches feel snappy. Just don't expect the display to keep up with any of it.

Against the Apple MacBook Air M4, this HP gets embarrassed on display quality, build, and reliability. The MacBook's screen is in a different universe, and Apple's M4 chip runs circles around the 7730U. The Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 7 is a closer fight, with better build quality and a real keyboard, though you'll likely get less RAM and storage for the same price. The ASUS Vivobook Pro 15 brings a dedicated GPU and a much better panel, but it's bigger and heavier. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition and Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro both offer premium displays and build quality that make this HP's TN panel look like a practical joke. The HP wins on raw RAM and storage per dollar at the low end, and basically nothing else.

Pricing is all over the place. US listings range from $408 to $900, a $492 spread across three listings. At the low end, you're getting a lot of RAM and storage for the money, assuming the machine actually works. At the high end, you're paying MacBook Air M4 money for a laptop with a screen from 2010. The Canadian listing sits at CAD 1,000, which is a different conversation entirely. If you're going to roll the dice on this one, hunt for the $408 listing and don't pay a cent more.

The HP 14-em0085cl is a weird mix. You get a Ryzen 7 7730U, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB NVMe SSD, which sounds like a productivity workhorse. But then HP slapped a 1366x768 TN panel on it, and our database puts that screen dead last, 0th percentile. That's not a typo. It's the worst display in our entire laptop category.

The storage is the real bright spot here, sitting at the 80th percentile, and the RAM upgrade to 32GB lands at the 73rd. The CPU is solidly middle of the pack at the 58th percentile. But the screen, the reliability score at the 33rd percentile, and a 1.2 out of 5 customer rating from 26 reviews tell a story of a machine that looks great on a spec sheet and falls apart in real-world use.

Anyone who values their eyes should skip this. The 0th percentile display is a dealbreaker for photo editing, video work, or even just watching Netflix. Gamers should look elsewhere too, the GPU at the 45th percentile won't push modern titles. And if you're buying this for a non-technical family member, the reliability score at the 33rd percentile and reports of bricked out-of-box setups suggest you'll be playing tech support within the first hour. Students who need a dependable machine for classes should also steer clear, the 46.2 out of 100 student score reflects the screen and reliability issues.

The HP 14-em0085cl is a parts-bin special. Someone took a decent CPU, stuffed it with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, then bolted on the worst display we've ever tested. The 0th percentile screen score isn't just bad, it's disqualifying for a laptop in 2025. If you can find it at the $408 price and you're plugging it into an external monitor 90% of the time, maybe. Otherwise, spend your money on something with a screen that doesn't make your eyes sad.