HP HP15HD 2024, Core i7-1355U, 32GB, 1TB SSD, Silver

A budget dev machine with big RAM and storage, but a weak screen and sad battery. Great for coders, bad for everyone else.

The i7-1355U surprised us. It's not a top-tier chip, sitting around the middle of the pack in our database, but paired with 32GB of RAM it chews through Docker containers, VS Code, and a dozen Chrome tabs without breaking a sweat. The Iris Xe graphics are exactly what you'd expect from integrated silicon, fine for spreadsheets and YouTube, but the gaming score of 15.8 out of 100 tells you everything. Don't even think about Cyberpunk on this thing.

Stack this against the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition and the gap is obvious. The Surface has a better screen, better battery, and a more premium build, but you'll pay a lot more for similar RAM and storage. The Apple MacBook Pro M5 is in another universe entirely, faster, quieter, and far more reliable, but it costs triple. The HP wins on raw specs per dollar, and that's about it. For a student or office worker, the Surface is the better daily driver. For a coder who needs headroom, the HP makes a strong case.

At $740, this is a solid deal if you need RAM and storage above all else. But you're paying for specs, not polish. The display, battery, and build quality all feel like corners were cut to hit that price. If you're a developer on a budget, it's worth it. If you want a laptop that feels premium, keep scrolling.

The HP 15HD is a workhorse in disguise. You get a 10-core Core i7-1355U, 32GB of DDR4, and a 1TB SSD for $740, which sounds like a steal until you realize the rest of the machine is playing catch-up. The one thing to know: this is a developer's budget rig, not a laptop for everyone. It's built to compile code and juggle browser tabs, not to game or impress at the coffee shop.

If you want a laptop for gaming, video editing, or anything GPU-heavy, this isn't it. Go grab a Lenovo Legion 5i or ASUS ROG Zephyrus instead. And if you care about screen quality or battery life, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition is the better pick, just be ready to pay more.

Buy this if you're a developer or power user who needs 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD without spending over $800. It's not pretty, the battery won't last a full workday, and the screen is mediocre. But it will compile your code, run your VMs, and keep up with your workflow. For everyone else, there are better-rounded laptops out there.