Product Review: HP ProBook 250 G5 (W4N07EA)
Recommended Retail (on 2017/02/01): R6,800 (incl. VAT)
Specifications
Processor: Intel® Core™ i3-5005U with Intel HD Graphics 5500 (2 GHz, 3 MB cache, 2 cores)
Chipset: Intel® SoC (chipset is integrated with processor)
Dimensions (W x D x H): 38.43 x 25.46 x 2.43 cm
Weight: Starting at 1.96 kg
Memory: 4 GB DDR3L-1600 SDRAM (1 x 4 GB)
Hard Disk Drive: 500 GB 5400 rpm SATA
Optical drive: DVD+/-RW SuperMulti DL
Display: 39.6 cm (15.6″) diagonal HD SVA anti-glare slim LED-backlit (1366 x 768)
Graphics: Intel® HD Graphics 5500
Audio: HD audio with DTS Studio Sound™ (2x Speakers)
Ports: 1x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0, 1x VGA (15-pin), 1x HDMI, 1x headphone/microphone combo jack, 1xRJ-45
Keyboard: Full-sized textured black island-style keyboard with numeric keypad
Network Interface: Integrated 10/100/1000 GbE
Wireless: Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (1×1) WiFi and Bluetooth® 4.2 Combo with Wi-Di
Operating System: Windows 10 Home 64-bit
The HP ProBook 250 G5 range is definitely an affordable, reliable and durable business tool for consumers and businesses who need solid performance and reliability at a fair price. Having sold a lot of this specific units to customers already, this notebook proved to be more than sufficient to complete daily tasks without having to compromise on performance. Just to mention, if you are really tight on a budget and need to purchase a notebook for yourself or your business, the Celeron and Pentium range of HP ProBook 250’s might do the job, but performance might become an issue later on. The i3 and i5 range of HP ProBook 250 notebooks are definitely worth buying as performance as very impressive.
Design & Build Quality (4/5)
HP didn’t compromise on quality with these ProBooks. With a very solid construction, it doesn’t feel like a value-priced notebook. The finish is also very good and is aesthetically pleasing with its professional business look. Durability has also been taken into consideration for protection from the rigors of everyday use. The full-size keyboards are a standard in most 15.6-inch size notebooks, and that is always a major plus. Personally, the small activity lights on the right side of the notebook is a bit hidden and small, but that is probably the only minor design issue for me. Overall, the design is very professional and well-constructed compared to some of the other brands of notebooks in its class.
Performance (4/5)
The i3 processor packs some punch for everyday business computing and perfect for the Microsoft Office 2016 suites. The gigabit LAN interface is also a big plus as some of the previous models only came with a 10/100Mbps interface. Wireless AC is also new in the HP 250 ProBook range for better wireless LAN speeds and security. The graphics performance is good for day to day tasks, but will suffer under applications which demands a lot of hardware graphics processing. But this is after all a value notebook, so the graphics performance is good for what you pay for it (just don’t attempt to play any modern game which demands a lot of 3D processing). With Windows 10 Home 64-bit pre-installed, you get very responsive start-up times and fast application launches. If you upgrade the RAM to 8GB then you will have a notebook which will last you for quite some time as you will have great performance.
Battery Life (3/5)
The HP ProBook 250 G5 battery life is fair. The 3-cell Li-ion battery will keep you running without external power for a good odd 2-hours on a balanced power plan. Some of the other brands in its class have 6-cell batteries which lasts quite a bit longer when running on battery, so this might be something HP can look into for future generation ProBook 250’s.
Overall (4/5)
The HP ProBook 250 G5 is surely the best buy for small businesses who do not want to spend a fortune on expensive IT equipment. USB docking stations are also available for users who has got a desktop setup in their office, but who is also constantly on the move. The notebook is very durable and can withstand everyday rigorous use. Appealing design of this notebook still projects a professional look and feel and it doesn’t feel like a cheap notebook at all. Fair battery life can be expected from this notebook, but never be without the AC adapter when you will do lengthy presentations on a high-performance power scheme on battery power.
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