We matched the HP Pavilion Aero 13 against the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15

Best overall

HP Pavilion Aero 13

From $550 at HP

Pros

• Better specs and display
• Stronger battery life
• More RAM and storage

Cons

• More expensive
• No touch support

Featuring better specs across the board, a better display, stronger battery life, and more RAM and storage, the HP Pavilion Aero 13 is simply a better device. That being said, the laptop is also more expensive than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15, which will likely disappoint people who have a tight budget. It also doesn't have support for touch.

Best budget

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15

$425 at Lenovo

Pros

• Less expensive
• Has touch support

Cons

• Worse specs and display
• Worse battery life
• Less RAM and storage

The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 is the more affordable device in this matchup, making it a good pick if you're looking to get a competent device for a rock-bottom price. It also features support for touch. However, people who can spend a little more should opt for the HP Pavilion Aero 13, as it outclasses the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 in every way.

Both the HP Pavilion Aero 13 and the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 are great devices to pick up if you're looking for a competent sub-$1,000 laptop, but the HP Pavilion Aero 13 is simply better in every way because of its superior specs, display, and battery. Aside from the fact that it has touch support, the only thing that's more appealing about the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 is its lower price tag, which may appeal to people on an extremely tight budget.

Pavilion Aero 13 vs. IdeaPad 3 15: Performance or price?

Ultimately, when it comes to performance and features, there's really no contest here. The HP Pavilion Aero 13 simply wipes the floor with the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 across the board. Its 5000-series Ryzen processors outperform the 10th Gen Intel CPUs available with the IdeaPad 3 15 by a fairly large margin, and the device also comes with double the amount of RAM and several more options for SSD storage. It also has a more modern selection of ports, better connectivity overall thanks to the advantages of Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2, and significantly better battery life. Both the 1900x1200 and 2560x1600 400-nit displays available on the Aero 13 are sharper and brighter than the 220-nit 1366x768 panel found on the IdeaPad 3 15 as well, though the IdeaPad's screen does support touch.

	HP Pavilion Aero 13	Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 5600U AMD Ryzen 7 5800U	Intel Core i3-10110U Intel Core i5-1035G1
GPU	AMD Radeon Graphics	Intel UHD Graphics
Memory	16GB	8GB
Storage	256GB SSD 512GB SSD 1TB SSD	256GB SSD
Display	13-inch 1900x1200 anti-glare display (400 nits) 13-inch 2560x1600 anti-glare display (400 nits)	15-inch 1366x768 touch display (220 nits)
Audio	Dual speakers by B&O with HP Audio Boost	Dual 1.5W speakers with Dolby Audio
Biometrics	Fingerprint reader	None
Ports	1x USB-C 2x USB-A 1x HDMI 2.0 1x AC smart pin 1x 3.5mm headphone/mic combo	3x USB-A 1x HDMI 1.4b 1x SD card reader 1x 3.5mm headphone/mic combo
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2	Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0
Battery	Up to 10 hours	Up to 7 hours
Dimensions	11.72 x 8.23 x 0.67 inches	14.25 x 9.98 x 0.79 inches
Weight	2.20 pounds	3.74 pounds

The only real advantage that the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 has is that it's more affordable, with a price that's $125 less expensive than the cheapest configuration of the HP Pavilion Aero 13. This will be incredibly helpful for people on a very tight budget, especially since the IdeaPad 3 15 is by no means a weak or incapable machine. If you're looking for something that's both capable and dirt cheap, the IdeaPad may appeal more to you.

Pavilion Aero 13 vs. IdeaPad 3 15: Which should you buy?

While both of these laptops are great for people buying on a budget, we feel that the HP Pavilion Aero 13 will generally be the better option for most people since it comes with better specs and features for a price that's still very affordable. If you're able to spend a little more money, it's worth it to get considerably better performance, a much better display, and a full 10 hours of battery life per charge. It is, without a doubt, one of the best Windows laptops available in the sub-$1,000 space.

With that said, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 is a solid ultra-budget alternative that will still provide good performance for a rock-bottom price. If you're only able to spend a small amount of money on a new laptop, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 is a great choice since it can handle most work and school tasks without issues. It also comes with touch support, which some people may find valuable.

For more affordable options, check out our roundup of the best budget laptops.

Best overall

HP Pavilion Aero 13

From $550 at HP

Excellence on a budget

Featuring better specs across the board, a better display, stronger battery life, and more RAM and storage, the HP Pavilion Aero 13 is simply a better device. That being said, the laptop is also more expensive than the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15, which will likely disappoint people who have a tight budget. It also doesn't have support for touch.

Best budget

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15

$425 at Lenovo $650 at Amazon

Spend small

The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 is the more affordable device in this matchup, making it a good pick if you're looking to get a competent device for a rock-bottom price. It also features support for touch. However, people who can spend a little more should opt for the HP Pavilion Aero 13, as it outclasses the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 in every way.