HP Pavilion dv6-6b57sa review

A bright, even backlight provides ample illumination for the dv6-6b57sa’s display, but there’s a yellow cast and quite a bit of light bleeds through, which makes colours seem faded, reducing contrast overall.

Although it doesn’t have the fashionable black-and-red Beats styling, the dv6-6b57sa does include the Beats audio processing technology. With Beats Audio enabled, the speakers are capable of reproducing bass and depth effects that other laptops aren’t capable of doing. The sound is very processed, however, so it won’t suit classical music or those who prefer a more natural sound.

Overall, we felt the dv6-6b57sa to be a case of style over substance. While build quality is great and the design is smart, performance in both Windows and games is average, the screen looks washed-out and the sound system is brash and fake. It’s also more expensive than the rest of the group. The Dell Inspiron 17R has a more natural-sounding set of speakers, a colourful 17in screen and much better gaming performance.