This huge Cyber Monday deal on our favorite budget laptop from HP isn't one you can ignore

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By Cole Martin
published

Scoop up a sleek, 2 pound powerhouse for less than $550.

If you're shopping for a student this upcoming holiday season, you may be considering gifting a laptop. Laptops can be a pricey gift to give even your most favorite student, however. If you're looking to give a powerful, lightweight laptop, but you don't want to break the bank, then HP's Cyber Monday deal on the Pavilion Aero 13 for just $529 is for you.

HP Pavilion Aero 13 | was $879 now $529 at Best Buy

HP Pavilion Aero 13 | was $879 now $529 at Best Buy

Weighing in at just 2 pounds, the HP Pavilion Aero 13 is packed with features such as a current-gen AMD Ryzen 5 7535U, integrated AMD Radeon graphics, and 16 GB of RAM.

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✅Perfect for: People looking for an affordable, lightweight laptop that offers current-gen processing and Windows 11 functionality.

❌Avoid if: You want a gaming laptop with a dedicated GPU. 

💰Price check: $690 from Amazon (Ryzen 5 5625U version)

👀Alternative deal: Choose the Pavilion Aero in 4 colors starting at $480

🔍Our experience: HP Pavilion Aero 13 review

More great Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals

Lightweight laptops can still be portable powerhouses

(Image credit: Daniel Rubino)

When I think of a lightweight laptop, I can't help but think of how they would hold up in a school environment. Weighing in at just 2 pounds, the Pavilion Aero 13 from HP is light enough to put in a messenger bag or backpack and not add extra weight on a student who may already be carrying around heavy school books in their bag. With lightweight laptops, I can't help but wonder what amenities they've cut to make it fit the weight limits. Add in that the laptop is budget-friendly, and I really start to get concerned.

The Pavilion Aero 13 laptop from HP, however, proves that you don't have to give up the bells and whistles to meet weight and budget constraints. Powered by an AMD Ryzen 5 7535U, the Pavilion Aero 13 benefits from current-gen processing and integrated AMD Radeon Graphics. While it's not ideal for hardcore PC gaming, it will certainly handle some of the less taxing indie games on PC Game Pass. 

But overall, the Pavilion Aero 13 is a fabulous laptop. It's so light as to feel almost fake, but its metal chassis gives it a quality feel, balancing it nicely. The AMD CPU is powerful, and the spec sheet is above average — no 4GB of RAM or 64GB storage here! HP has done a bang-up job with this new Aero line giving it our highest award for an outstanding value. Go get one now.

Daniel Rubino, Windows Central

Windows Central editor-in-chief Daniel Rubino previously wrote a review of the HP Pavilion Aero 13, covering the 2021 version with a Ryzen 5 5600U CPU. Even with a 5000-series CPU and a price tag that was much higher than what it is currently available for, Rubino found the Pavilion Aero 13 to be a powerhouse at a budget-friendly price. HP currently has the Pavilion Aero 13 marked down to just $530, making it a steal as the ideal laptop to gift a student or child who needs portable power for productivity while still qualifying as 'budget-friendly'. 

Cole Martin
Cole Martin
Writer

Cole is the resident Call of Duty know-it-all and indie game enthusiast for Windows Central. She's a lifelong artist with two decades of experience in digital painting, and she will happily talk your ear off about budget pen displays.