July 05, 2011 | Paul Merak | Comments 1

Review: HP ProBook 5330m notebook

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Most computer manufacturers aim to create business laptops to be more appealing to their potential market. They tend to transform supposedly bulky and nasty laptops for businesses into sexier options as you would expect from consumer laptops. One good example is Lenovo ThinkPad X1 which is a slimmer version of the original. Toshiba also ventured to thinner and slimmer business notebooks like the Protege R705 which was also popular in the market. Now we head the HP road once again to see the new ProBook 5330m. This s a 13.3 inch notebook with a hard metal cover and boasts of the BEATS audio, which is the first one for business laptops. This model also utilizes a matte display Intel vPro and the TPM circuitry. Priced at $799, it’s certainly worth considering.

You can say that it is a well made machine. However, when talking about aesthetics, it does not really feel as modern as you would expect it to be. HP ProBook 5330m is a business laptop, aiming for sophistication, rather than to impress teenagers. The chassis and hinges were made out of Aluminum except for the bottom bit. The bottom is made of magnesium. There is a pop out door to access the battery. If you wish to upgrade your RAM and HDD, you need to unscrew them.

The laptop is absolutely light albeit a bit boxy and somehow heavy veneer. When it comes to the ports, HP ProBook 5330m has 2 USB2.0 ports and there is also one that can double as an eSATA connector. There is also a fingerprint reader, VGA and HDMI, Kensington Lock slot, Ethernet port and MMC or SD card slot. Sadly, it does not have the USB 3.0. The webcam can capture 720 p video. It has balanced color and good picture quality.

HP ProBook 5330m uses an Island Style Keyboard they have a soft and flat surface compared to scooped caps Lenovo is using. Although they are quiet, they do not offer as much precision as you would expect. They felt sticky and sometimes, they fail to register the letters. Nonetheless, it is back lit which is great when working in rather dark spaces. Performance wise, it has a great screen, intuitive software perfect for business, quite an underwhelming battery life and standard laptop performance. It is a sensible laptop in both hardware and performance. Is it highly recommended? It is quite a nice laptop to have for business and it is functional enough to handle all tasks in an intuitive manner. Price point of $799 really makes is an attractive choice.

Enjoy these HP Probook 5330m pictures:

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