HP or Lenovo – when you’re going to purchase a new laptop, this is undoubtedly one of the questions you’ll be faced with. With so many different laptops and brands, it’s difficult to determine which will work better for you. Both Lenovo laptops and HP laptops have their positives and negatives, but what’s the answer to the ultimate question: HP or Lenovo, which is better for you?
We’ll be tackling this imperative question in this content article by comparing and contrasting laptops from HP & Lenovo in various criteria – price, storage capacity, processing, etc. There’s a lot of variety in laptops from these brands, so if you wanted to check out if a particular 2-in-1 laptop is for you then check those out too.
Hewlett Packard or Lenovo, which one stands on top? Stick around and read on to find out!
HP vs Lenovo
A lot is going on for both HP and Lenovo and their rivalry is a wonderful topic to dive into. HP is an old brand, American-made, and stands as one of the most popular laptops in today’s market. They generally come at a higher price point compared to Lenovo laptops and serve as excellent gaming laptops or business laptops if you have cash to spare.
Lenovo laptops on the other hand fill the niche of being extremely valuable for the price, although their components and build are overall cheaper when compared to HP. Lenovo is a Chinese brand that has surfaced relatively recently in the laptop industry but they’re already considered to be great value for money and come with a stellar battery life. Lenovo is much more popular than HP on a global scale thanks to its cheaper price point and accessibility.
That’s a bit of background on these two giants of the industry, but let’s take a deeper dive into how they compare with one another when it comes to the factors that matter to you! If you’re looking for a new data science laptop or something to play games on, this was made for you.
Pricing
As we’ve mentioned before, when it comes to pricing, Lenovo ranks supreme. You can get Lenovo laptops as cheap as $150, namely the Lenovo Ideapad. They’re outstanding value for the price but do have worse quality components compared to HP laptops.
The cheapest HP laptops fall around the $200 – $300 range, which isn’t a far cry from the cheapest Lenovo laptops but still can’t quite break the sheer affordability of Lenovo. HP advertises their HP Envy as their go-to low-cost high-performance version, but that’ll still set you back about $500.
If we’re looking at the mid-range and high-end laptops then you’ll notice the trend continues with the Lenovo Thinkpad and HP X360. HP laptops are more expensive than Lenovo laptops when you compare the specs of each laptop, although Lenovo does tend to fall short with quality of life and tertiary features.
Lenovo laptops often beat HP laptops at all price levels but still fall short in overall quality. At the end of the day, if you want to go with the laptop that will give you the most value for money then the Lenovo laptop brand is your go-to for tasks like video editing or college. That’s a point to Lenovo!
Storage Capacity
We don’t need to harp on the value that storage capacity plays when you’re buying a laptop. You want a laptop that not only offers you ample storage to keep all your critical files, whether it’s your designs for Cricut Explore Air 2 or holiday photos.
Comparing the two brands against each other, you’ll find that HP comes out on top. While some Lenovo laptops have respectable storage capacity, for example, the Thinkpad X1 has a storage capacity of 256GB. HP laptops still offer more for a slightly higher price, such as the HP Omen coming in with 1TB storage.
If you’re happy to spend a little more and want storage above all, HP is your go-to choice. Although we can understand going with a Lenovo if you want to spend more on an external monitor and keyboard too and not break the bank in the process.
Performance
Another important factor when choosing between HP and Lenovo laptops is performance. Not only is the comparison of Intel core processors, CPU & GPU important but also the longevity and reliability of these laptops.
Both brands offer products that are great business laptops, with at least an i5 processor and 8 gigabytes of RAM. Anything less and you’ll suffer with poor performance and limited functionality. Most HP laptops and Lenovo laptops have at least an i5 processor but HP still finds ways to overtake Lenovo laptops.
Our points of comparison are for the Lenovo Yoga Thinkpad and the HP Spectre Folio. The Lenovo has an i5 processor with 8 gigabytes of RAM – ideal for everyday work, studying, and tasks. However, the HP Spectre presents an i7 processor and 8 gigabytes of RAM.
HP is our top choice for performance, especially if you snag one that has Nvidia GeForce graphics cards. And if you have money to invest in a higher-grade laptop, we recommend you go for a laptop with an i7 processor and 16 gigabytes of RAM.
Gaming
If you’re planning to use your laptop primarily for gaming, then HP and Lenovo provide excellent, high-quality laptops that will let your game easily. We’re considering the following factors when discussing the ultimate gaming laptop – graphics card, RAM, screen resolution, and processor.
The top contender for the top HP gaming laptops is the HP Omen line or HP Victus. They come with outstanding performance in the categories we’ve mentioned. These gaming laptops come with the latest 12th generation Intel core i7 processor and 16 gigabytes of RAM and sport an impressive 15 – 17 inch screen.
Lenovo laptops are also impressive gaming laptops, and the Lenovo Legion is considered to be an outstanding and popular choice for gamers. It comes with an 11th generation i5 processor and 16 gigabytes of RAM, and a more friendly price tag to boot.
Now we consider the HP laptops to be superior gaming laptops thanks to their specs and longevity, but if you’re not able to spend much on your gaming then you can’t go wrong with a Lenovo Legion 5 either.
Reliability & Support
When you invest in a laptop, you want to be able to reliably use it for years to come. We estimate that most laptops have a 2 – 5 year life span but you can easily extend this by leaning on the warranties and customer support of the brand you’ve chosen.
For HP basic laptops, the premium laptops they sell are backed by reliable yet standard customer service. Most laptops come with a 12-year warranty and you have access to forums on the HP website, various chat boxes, and an entire community to respond to queries. However, there are frequent complaints that certain processes are extremely tiresome and difficult through HP customer service.
Lenovo laptops come with similar services to HP ones. The Lenovo warranty is about a year and you also have access to a customer service line. Lenovo gains numerous complaints about their customer service in the reviews online.
Because of these reasons, we’ll be giving reliability and support to HP in this case. They’re an older company that has more experience with attending to customer needs and granting them satisfaction.
Build Quality
A major factor of longevity is a laptop’s build quality and hardware. We’re talking about the casing, the keys, and the screen that your HP laptop or Lenovo laptop comes with. As well as convenient and tertiary features like anti-glare, ergonomics, and sturdiness.
Starting with HP, you’ll be quite pleased with HP’s build quality. Their mainframe computers come with a beautiful and expansive screen, as well as a sturdy hardware case that should be able to withstand a little damage. The downside of this is that these consumer laptops are difficult to carry around.
Like the HP, Lenovo convertible laptops have a great set of features available to them like an anti-glare laptop screen and an ergonomic touchpad. One of the best reasons to get a Lenovo laptop is its outstanding battery life. Lenovo offers some of the longest battery life available in the modern laptop market – if you’re looking for a gaming laptop with a long battery life, then this is the one for you.
Overall, however, we recommend you go with HP in this case since they provide a tougher and more well-produced exterior, at the cost of a higher price.
HP – Pros & Cons
Now that we’ve covered how HP & Lenovo laptops compare with one another, we’ll be dissecting the pros and cons of HP laptops individually. We recommend taking a read over them and seeing if any of the pros or cons stand out as immediate green or red flags. Without further ado:
Pros
- HP laptops are undeniably more aesthetically pleasing than their Lenovo counterparts. Laptops from HP have elegant finishes and pleasing designs.
- It’s a big brand name with a lot of popularity behind it. Looking online, you’ll find that most people are quite happy with an HP laptop after they’ve purchased them.
- HP offers a diverse range of products. While not cheaper than Lenovo, they do fall into a mid-range category with products on the lower and upper tiers of prices.
Cons
- As we’ve mentioned, the customer service your get from HP isn’t the best. Where you’re from has an effect on the service you get but the fact that this is even the case is a con in our books.
- Mid-range doesn’t mean premium laptops, and HP still stands smaller than some of the other more premium Chromebook and laptop brands like Dell, MSI, and Samsung.
- HP has a strange laptop naming convention, which can sometimes make it difficult to know if the laptop you’ve been recommended is the same as the one you’re planning to buy.
Lenovo – Pros & Cons
Lenovo’s popularity speaks for itself and you’ll find that many buyers, especially gamers, are extremely happy to own one of Lenovo’s gaming laptops. We’ll quickly run over the pros and cons of owning a Lenovo laptop so you can determine if you’re one of those people!
Pros
- As we mentioned, Lenovo laptops are extremely affordable compared to HP laptops. They’re only beaten out by brands like Acer, but still give you a lot to work with in terms of battery life, processing power, and hardware.
- Speaking of, their battery life is a big plus and you’ll find that most Lenovo laptops have a stellar battery life that will last you an entire workday of activity.
- Lenovo has been smart about its product line. The IdeaPad, the Yoga, and the ThinkPad all target different laptop niches and price points. They’re great for everything from working and studying from home to a business laptop, and even a gaming laptop.
Cons
- Their minimal and basic design is not great to look at, and they’re passed up by other models in their price range when it comes to aesthetics.
- The Thinkpad is the only higher-end laptop that they offer, so if you have some more money to invest in a laptop then you’re best off with another brand that can accommodate.
- Their prices are extremely affordable and value-centric but still aren’t the most affordable laptops on the market.
Frequently Asked Questions
At this point your decision on which brand is right for you should be a bit clearer – at least we hope! But if you’re still on the fence and have some questions on your mind then read through our most frequently asked questions and it may seal the deal for you.
If not, feel free to take a look at some other articles we’ve written like the best laptops for Google Classroom & how to remove stickers from your laptop!
Which Brand of Laptop is the best?
It’s a difficult question to answer! The best brand of the laptop means a lot of different things to different people. If you’re looking at value for money then a Lenovo is great. If you want longevity and a reputable brand that won’t give you trouble then think HP. Otherwise, if you want the best brand overall, to play games and also attend Zoom meetings, then you’re looking at Dell, Apple, and Samsung.
Is Lenovo a Good Computer Brand?
Yes! We can say that Lenovo is a reliable computer brand that has begun to dominate the laptop market.
They’ve been long associated with laptop reliability, and most users will love the Lenovo laptop that they buy. Lenovo computers have an incredible battery life that you can utilize for a whole day’s work or gaming. But if extended battery life isn’t a selling point then you’ll be glad to know that Lenovo makes for great best business laptops.
The top Lenovo laptops are great choices for a laptop brand, so make sure to consider them for your next one.
Which Laptop Is Best for Students?
There are a lot of excellent choices to choose from if you’re a student looking for a laptop. Laptops like the HP Pavilion, Lenovo IdeaPad, Acer Aspire 7, and ASUS VivoBook are the most popular choices for students because of their cheaper price points and great processing power.
Before purchasing a brand new laptop, always see if there are options near you for second-hand or preloved laptops.
Parting Shot/Conclusion
Hopefully, after reading through our article, you’ve got a better idea about whether Lenovo vs HP laptops are better for you. As we’ve said, Lenovo Chromebooks and laptops are inexpensive options that are great value for money but their structural hardware and internal components leave something to be desired.
HP laptops on the other hand are generally more expensive but have a more premium feel to them overall. So if you have a little bit more to spend, then HP laptops are a great choice.
Want to know how to use your laptop as a monitor for a PS4 or know the best 17-inch laptops with backlit keyboards? We’ve written articles about those too!

Writer Graham Grieve brings two decades of technical communications experience to The Holy Tech coverage. Isaac contributes articles on laptops, tablets and PCs, alongside various software and hardware guides. Isaac is a former newspaper journalist who also worked in tech communications for some of the country’s biggest corporations. He also counsels and creates material for other technology publications and hosts a podcast.
Isaac’s in-depth reporting and knowledge of hardware and software issues helps The Holy Tech’s readers learn how to choose the right products, or solve tricky problems.