HP ProBook 5330m Review Discussion

[Jerry Jackson]

The HP ProBook line of business notebooks has always attempted the meet the needs of businesses and consumers alike. The new HP ProBook 5330m looks like the perfect solution if you want a powerful, aluminum-wrapped laptop for work and play but can't afford a MacBook Pro. Is it possible to find a lust-worthy business laptop for $899 or less? Keep reading to find out.

Read the full content of this Article: HP ProBook 5330m Review

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[TSE]

Probook 5330m


Titanium Powerbook G4

Anyone notice the similarities?

If the 5330m had bigger battery life, an extended battery, or a way to charge two batteries at once, I woulda had one instead of this MacBook Pro. Looks like a solid computer for the price.

[Charles P. Jefferies]

Looks like a solid but not remarkable update to the 5310m/5320m - nice review Jerry.

The 5330m weighs a tad more than the 5310m probably because it includes a 6-cell battery. But otherwise, it has a backlit KB, eSATA - all things the original lacked. An upgrade all around.

And lol @ the Beats audio. I tested an HP ENVY notebook with them not long ago, they're hardly better than normal laptop speakers (given the amount of marketing that goes into them). HP used to use harman/kardon speakers a long time ago, those were implemented far better.

[Datamonger]

Probook 5330m

Titanium Powerbook G4

Anyone notice the similarities?

That's the same thing I was thinking. It's the tiBook reborn!

[livid]

Just wait to for Apple to sue HP for patent infringement.

[Jerry Jackson]

Just wait to for Apple to sue HP for patent infringement.

What? Don't you see the black screen bezel on the HP? It's a HUGE difference.

[HI DesertNM]

Wait a minute, this does not have a 6 cell. From HP's site, "Battery type: 4-cell (41 WHr) Li-Ion Polymer"

This is a bad typo on this review being that this is the Achilles heal of this machine. You probably won't get more then 4 hours battery life from this max. Otherwise, I probably would have bought this already, I really like this machine allot but the battery life is a deal killer. The one other question I have is if the headphone jack doubles as a microphone jack or does it lack one completely? Is there one by the web cam?

HP really needs to refresh this so it has a extended battery option and maybe redesign the speakers. Because of the lack of decent battery life, this pretty much kills it off for business use. And I doubt many will buy it for personal use. HP missed the mark on both accounts. I highly doubt they will sell many of these. But I still like the look of the 5330m allot.

I think the far cheaper refresh of the dm1 offers more, with bigger battery, longer battery life, nicer audio, dedicated mic/headphone jacks for half the price of this machine. Being HP killed this off completely for business use (4 cell battery) it can only remain viable for personal use at which the dm1 makes more sense.

[TSE]

Yeah if this thing had 7-8 hours of battery life it would be a HUGE winner. I was a huge fan of the TiBooks as my mom used it as her primary machine for 8 years for her law practice, just this summer she upgraded to a new MacBook Pro... but I might ask for it just because I adore the design so much.

I kind of like when companies bring back old designs and make them seem a little bit more modern.

[coldmack]

And lol @ the Beats audio. I tested an HP ENVY notebook with them not long ago, they're hardly better than normal laptop speakers (given the amount of marketing that goes into them). HP used to use harman/kardon speakers a long time ago, those were implemented far better.

I thought beats audio had to do with some improvements to the sound when listening through headphones, not to mention some software that suppose to enhance the overall sound. Or did I get it wrong?

[Charles P. Jefferies]

I thought beats audio had to do with some improvements to the sound when listening through headphones, not to mention some software that suppose to enhance the overall sound. Or did I get it wrong?

Based on what I see, there's a beats logo on the speakers. If it only improves the headphones, that's kind of a joke - other brands offer good speakers (for a notebook, anyway) such as Toshiba with harman/kardon.

Wait a minute, this does not have a 6 cell. From HP's site, "Battery type: 4-cell (41 WHr) Li-Ion Polymer"

This is a bad typo on this review being that this is the Achilles heal of this machine. You probably won't get more then 4 hours battery life from this max. Otherwise, I probably would have bought this already, I really like this machine allot but the battery life is a deal killer. The one other question I have is if the headphone jack doubles as a microphone jack or does it lack one completely? Is there one by the web cam?

HP really needs to refresh this so it has a extended battery option and maybe redesign the speakers. Because of the lack of decent battery life, this pretty much kills it off for business use. And I doubt many will buy it for personal use. HP missed the mark on both accounts. I highly doubt they will sell many of these. But I still like the look of the 5330m allot.

I think the far cheaper refresh of the dm1 offers more, with bigger battery, longer battery life, nicer audio, dedicated mic/headphone jacks for half the price of this machine. Being HP killed this off completely for business use (4 cell battery) it can only remain viable for personal use at which the dm1 makes more sense.

With the 5310m/5320m, you could get a 6-cell battery though; it's simply none of the configurations came with one standard. Additionally it did not sit flush with the notebook; rather it extended out the bottom and made the notebook bulkier.
I'm not sure if a 6-cell is available for the 5330m. It took a few months for it to become available on the previous models.