The back-to-school season is just around the corner, and with millions of college students both arriving at school for the first time and returning for another year, it's time for computer manufacturers to start rolling out their latest updates. As one of the biggest manufacturers out there, it's no surprise that HP is behind of the bigger redesigns of the season: the HP Pavilion x2 is the company's premiere laptop, and the latest iteration of HP's hybrid laptops comes with some surprising new features.

First off, HP has changed how the Pavilion x2 works as a hybrid laptop. Most hybrids work by snapping the screen and keyboard into each other - unfortunately, most of these computers use a latch-based system. It's not the easiest to use, nor is it fun to snap your computer's halves back together and hope that nothing's been broken. However, the Pavilion x2 has taken a cue from some of Acer's own hybrids and now features magnetic clips: instead of forcing one half back into the other, both sides of the hybrid now simply snap back together once they're close enough.

What's more surprising is just how many different ports HP has managed to squeeze into the Pavilion x2's chassis. Not only is there a standard USB 2.0 port, but the Pavilion features a mini-HDMI port, a Micro SD card slot and a USB-C port - considering that the only other place to find a USB-C port is Apple's much more expensive MacBook, the Pavilion x2 sports quite a bit of connectivity for a fraction of the price.

Speaking of the Pavilion's chassis, it'll be availble in a number of colors: red, white and silver. More importantly, it'll come with Windows 8 pre-installed - don't worry, anyone who picks up the computer this summer will be eligible for the free upgrade to Windows 10 on July 29. It's a shame that the computer isn't coming with the new OS pre-installed, as not everyone will be familiar with how to upgrade Windows, but it should be more of a temporary inconvenience than anything.

So, when can you get your hands on HP's latest? Thankfully, the Pavilion x2 isn't all that far away - in fact, you'll be able to pick one up on July 21. Better yet, it's not going to break the bank: the HP Pavilion x2 starts at just $299!

If you're looking to pre-order or want more details on the Pavilion's tech specs, head on over to HP's official store.