Review: HP PROBOOK 450 G5. Perfect for small and medium businesses

Over the past few years, HP has not really surprised me with spectacular innovations in individual generations of equipment. That’s why I was happy to hear that the new generation of ProBook for business is going to have new equipment. ProBooks are now “mature” is my first impression after seeing the latest version of the 15-inch HP laptop for small and medium businesses.

The latest ProBooks have IPS (in-plane switching) matrices for better viewing from wider angles. Finally! Both the 13- and 14-inch versions, as well as the 15- and 17-inch configurations, are equipped with a screen with wide viewing angles, and Full HD resolution as well. Competitive products have IPS already for a long time, so it was about time that HP did as well.

Quality and ergonomics

As already pointed out, the latest generation of ProBooks seems more mature and at the same time more professional. I recommend this 
the fifth generation ProBook as an inexpensive, and still aesthetic, business notebook which sits well in an office environment. The more angular shape, the sharp corners and the black desktop gives the device a professional look. The design of the ProBook 450 G5 is elegant as a standard tool for offices. Popular, but not common.

HP did not decide to change the materials from which the laptop is built. Next, there is a fairly rigid composite used to create the flap and notebook body. On the other hand, the aluminum work table remained, with the difference that this time it is black and the whole is crowned with a very delicate brushing texture. Nice looking is also the power button, resembling a fingerprint reader by shape. In fact, the only, purely cosmetic thing not quite matching, is the presence of the “classic” HP logo on the flap: not the one we see on HP Specter 13 or the latest ZBooks. It looks more “pugnacious” and is not suitable. In previous generations of ProBooks, I could find buttons on the right side that allow you to instantly mute the sound and launch WiFi. In the latest ProBook, unfortunately, these buttons are missing, and I need to look for it in the row of function keys.

In terms of strength, nothing has changed. The workbench tends to deform slightly, especially under the matrix and over the touchpad. The laptop cover is stiffer than in the previous generation, but when I apply more force on points, artifacts may appear on the screen. The matrix is ​​slightly less susceptible to bending than in the previous generation, which was caused by a large sized hinge. In the 450 G4 ProBook, I had to deal with two small mechanisms located at the side edges of the notebook, making the center of the lower edge seem to be not fully stiffened. And if you talk about a hinge, it is worth adding that the screen is supported well enough, and the computer will open without the need to hold it with the other hand.

The fifth edition of ProBook 450 said goodbye to optical drives. So there’s more space for the ports. The vast majority of connectors are on the right side of the notebook. These are: power supply, LAN, VGA, HDMI, two USB 3.0 ports and a USB type C with image transfer function. On the left side there is only one USB 2.0 port and a universal jack socket. USB 2.0 allows us to connect a mouse or an external DVD drive. USB type C can be used as a socket for a port replicator.

Finally, it is also worth mentioning that on the bottom of the ProBook 450 G5 you will find a service flap. Only one screw is required to open it. Having removed the cover, one gains access to the RAM slots, the M.2 and 2.5-inch disk space, and the cooling system. A practical solution that some notebooks miss.

Performance

The motherboard of the Intel Core i5 8250U processor – a low-voltage unit with four cores and eight threads – was included in the motherboard of the 450 G5 ProBook I tested. The processor works steadily and maintains a high level of performance.

Core i5 8250U gives a bit more performance than his cousin equipped with Intel v Pro technology.

ProBook, which I use at work, is equipped with 8 GB RAM. A second SODIMM slot is free for additional RAM.

Battery Life

The additional power supply of the notebook is described as a 3-cell, 48-liter Li-Ion battery. This allows for several hours of fieldwork. Surprisingly, I was able to work in energy saving mode for almost 9 hours without interruption. In high-performance mode the laptop lasted for 3 hours, which is a very good result. 

Noise free

The cooling system is not only adequately efficient, but also relatively quiet. During the test simulating work with office apps, the small fan emitted a barely audible noise.

When forcing the processor to increase its speed, and as a result of warming up, the cooling noise became more audible. However, not enough to distract me or my colleagues. 43 dB in high performance mode is an acceptable result.

Summary

The HP ProBook 450 G5 turned out to be a business notebook that in its segment can already meet most of my office work expectations. It has both a backlit keyboard and an IPS matrix.

I like especially the new design of the HP ProBook 400 notebooks. All devices from this family look really neat, and the 450 presented itself as a tool pampered in every detail.

So, in the end, the ProBook 450 G5 promises to be a successful continuation of one of the most popular notebooks from HP. I hope that HP will continue on this path of stylish design.