Throughout the past year, we’ve been digging HP’s string of new laptops and our recent reviews reflect this. But the EliteBook 2540p might prove too small and expensive (with a price tag north of $1K) for some; while the ProBook 6360b may appear too targeted for the staid business professional.
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HP ProBook 5330m Laptop
Which is where the new ProBook 5330m laptop comes in. It’s svelte, powerful, durable and, most importantly, affordable. HP was kind enough to provide us with a review unit. Here’s what we found …
The Skinny
As always, we present HP’s elevator pitch for what the 5330m is and who it’s intended for:
Thin, sleek, solid. Work on the go, without the extra bulk. Thin and lightweight, this secure, manageable HP ProBook with a 13.3-inch diagonal display delivers business performance in and out of the office.
Ideal For:
Style-conscious professionals in small, medium & large businessses, who value a sophisticated, thin and sleek notebook that combines performance and affordability
Notable features include:
- 13.3″ Inch Display
- Weighs less than 4 pounds
- Less than 1-inch thin
- 4GB SDRAM
- 500 GB Hard Drive Capacity
- Full-power Intel processor
- Includes Windows 7 Professional 64
- Beats Audio
- Backlit keyboard
- Smudge- and wear-resistant design
- Up to 5 hours and 30 minutes of battery life
- Enhanced, hardware-based protection which allows you to use fingerprint authentication to log onto Windows.
In Detail
Design
The chassis features aluminum accents and a dual-tone color scheme which give it a bit of flair. This design also ensures that the unit is smudge- and wear-resistant. The look might best be described as “industrial chic” and we dig it.
Construction
These anodized aluminum touches, coupled with a magnesium alloy bottom case, provide for lightweight but very durable construction. The entire unit feels extremely solid, as though it’s fully prepared for the daily beating that comes with long-term travel.
Portability
I’ve always found that the sweet spot for perfectly sized travel laptops is right around 12-13”³. Any larger and there’s a noticeable gain in carrying weight; any smaller and productivity suffers because, frankly, who wants to spend two hours in their inbox staring at a 9”³ screen? As with the 6360b, the 5330m is a good balance, featuring a 13.3”³ (diagonal) display and a starting weight of less than 4 pounds.
Features
The 5330m comes standard with a long list of features, in addition to those noted above. But we really like:
- The long battery life – 5 hours and 30 minutes with the (optional) solid state hard drive.
- The backlit keyboard is another great feature for travelers. Whether you’re stuck on a red eye flight or tapping away on the keyboard late at night in your ho(s)tel, it makes computing a whole lot easier.
- The tough-as-nails chassis.
- Included fingerprint scanner. Knowing that your data is safe even if your laptop is snatched provides serious peace of mind.
- HD Webcam. Now your Skype video calls don’t have to look like a snuff film!
- … and Beats Audio guarantees that the dreaded, tinny laptop audio is a thing of the past.
HP QuickWeb
One feature we’ve long been a fan of in HP’s notebooks is QuickWeb. If you’re unfamiliar with this little gem, it’s a way to access your most important and frequently needed info without fully booting up your computer.
The applications for this are many. But imagine all of those times when you needed a hotel booking number, e-ticket for your flight, tour confirmation code, etc. and realized they were in a saved e-mail on your computer. QuickWeb provides access to your e-mail (and calendar and various other applications) in thirty seconds or less.
Bottom Line
It’s thin, lightweight, powerful, durable and very affordable. At $799, we think it’s right in the traveler’s sweet spot between underpowered, too-small netbooks and not-so-portable, overpriced desktop-replacements. Highly recommended.
Pricing & Availability
Available now from $799 directly from HP.com.