HP Laptop 17t-cn300

Big screen, decent specs, but the keyboard might die on you in a month. Buy it only if you're feeling lucky.

The i5-1334U is a low-power chip, but it's no slouch for everyday work. Ten cores and a 4.6GHz boost keep spreadsheets, browser tabs, and video calls moving without much fuss. The 16GB of DDR4 and 1TB SSD mean you won't be waiting on boot times or file transfers. But here's the surprise: this thing weighs nearly 6kg according to the spec sheet, which is absurd for a laptop. Even if that's a typo and it's closer to 5.25 pounds like the description says, it's still not what anyone would call portable. The integrated Iris Xe graphics are fine for streaming and light photo work, but don't expect to game on this. Our gaming score of 12.2 out of 100 says it all.

Stack this against the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition and the gap is obvious. The Surface costs more but gives you a far better screen, actual portability, and build quality that doesn't feel like a lottery ticket. The Lenovo Legion 5i is a different beast entirely, aimed at gaming with a dedicated GPU, but it shows what you can get if you're willing to spend a bit more. Even the ASUS ROG Flow Z13, despite being a niche 2-in-1, feels more thoughtfully engineered. The HP's only real advantage is the big screen at a lower price, and that's not enough to overcome the reliability concerns.

At $900, the specs look reasonable on paper. But when you factor in the keyboard defects and battery issues showing up in verified reviews, the value proposition gets shaky. You're essentially paying for a big screen and decent internals while rolling the dice on whether the keyboard will survive past the first month. For a business or student machine that needs to be reliable, that's a tough sell. If you get a good unit, it's a fair deal. If you don't, you're stuck dealing with HP support and a laptop that's out of commission.

The HP Laptop 17t-cn300 is a big-screen workhorse that gets the basics right and then trips over its own feet on quality control. You're getting a 17.3-inch display, a 10-core i5-1334U, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD for around $900, which sounds like a solid deal on paper. But the reviews tell a messier story. Some owners love the speed and screen, while others are dealing with dead keyboards and batteries that only work when plugged in. It's a gamble, and that's the one thing to know before you buy.

If you need a laptop that just works without drama, this isn't it. The keyboard failures and battery issues are too risky for anyone who depends on their machine daily. Go get a Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition or even a refurbished MacBook Air instead. You'll pay more, but you won't be shipping your laptop back for repairs a month in.

The HP Laptop 17t-cn300 is a classic case of good specs undermined by questionable quality control. If you need a big screen for spreadsheets and don't mind gambling on the keyboard, it might work out. But for most people, especially students and professionals who can't afford downtime, this is a pass. The recurring keyboard failures and battery defects are too big a red flag to ignore. Spend a bit more on something you can actually trust.