The good: Attractive, polished design; big 16:9 screen is perfect for HD video content; includes Blu-ray drive and media remote.

The bad: Overly glossy and fingerprint-prone; merely average battery life.

The bottom line: HP already makes some of the best multimedia laptops, and trading up to a true 16:9 18-inch display makes for an impressive semiportable home theater in the form of the HP HDX18.

Read full review of the HP HDX18 »

By Dan Ackerman, CNET.com
Oct 28, 2008

For several months after they became a buzzed-about topic, the only 18-inch laptop we had actually seen in person was Acer's inventive Aspire 8920. Now we're seeing a mini flood of them, with new models arriving from HP, Sony, and Toshiba. These new 18-inch displays--and a handful of new 16-inch ones--differ from the 17-inch systems they aim to replace in more ways than the addition or subtraction of an inch of screen space. The displays on these new 16- and 18-inch laptops offer a 16:9 aspect ratio, which matches that of HDTV screens and works perfectly with HD content. (Most current laptop screens are 16:10, which leave you with black bars on the top and bottom of your display when viewing HDTV programs or Blu-ray movies).

Editors' note : This review is based on tests done by our sister site CNET.com. As such, please note that there may be slight differences in the testing procedure and ratings system. For more information on the actual tests conducted on the product, please inquire directly at the site where the article was originally published. References made to some of other products in this review may not be available or applicable in Asia. Please check directly with your local distributor for details.

Design

The new 18-inch HDX18 (along with the 16-inch HDX16) clearly shares basic DNA with HP's recent 17-inch Pavilion dv7, with a similar rounded keyboard, touch-sensitive media controls, and off-center touchpad.

The new HDX laptops actually have very little in common, design-wise, with the massive 20-inch original HDX laptop which hasn't seen anything other than some internal component upgrades since its introduction. That model is tremendously fun but highly impractical. The new HDX18 is a more traditional multimedia system, well-suited for the den or dorm room--and even decently tricked out, it's less expensive than similar options from Sony and Acer.



The HDX18 will look familiar to anyone who has seen HP's recent mainstream multimedia laptops from the past year, such as the Pavilion dv7 or the Pavilion dv9700. The 18-inch model is heavier than those 17-inch systems, and wider as well, so you'll need a little more space for one.

The edge-to-edge glass look, where the display has a single flat piece of glass over the entire screen and bezel, is definitely the way to go for media-friendly laptops, but HP seems perhaps a little too in love with its patterned lids and wrist rests. The subtle wavy-lined designs extend even to the touchpad itself, but don't really stand out and won't be a deal-maker (or deal-breaker) for consumers.

Tags: Intel Core 2 Duo, Laptop Computer, Hewlett-Packard Co., multimedia, Acer Inc.

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