HP ProBook 650 G2 Notebook Review

Plastic is mostly used for the ProBook 650 G2. The display lid and base unit's underside are charcoal black while the base's upper side and its bezel are silver. An HP logo adorns the center of the lid's upper side. The base unit's build is stable; it could only be warped with some effort. In the pressure test, the base's upper side yielded slightly in the optical drive's area.

On the other hand, the display lid warps easily. However, a clear resistance is noticed. With more pressure, it is possible that the panel could be damaged. The display lid behaved well in its lateral areas in the pressure test. Only the lower area, where another HP logo becomes visible in an opened state, could be more robust. With a bit of pressure on the back,  minor wave formation is produced on the screen.

Both hinges, which allow opening the display up to 180 degrees, keep the panel in the desired position, but they are a bit too smooth-running. Opening the lid with one hand is easily possible. The silver bezel that encloses the base made an unfavorable impression - although it is nice to look at when the laptop is closed, irregular gaps are visible at the edges when it is opened.

The ProBook 650 G2 does not have a maintenance hatch on the underside, but the entire underside can be removed easily. The battery that is fixed with a few screws, the working memory, and the hard drive are found beneath it.

As far as security is concerned, the ProBook 650 G2 has a whole range of features. Our review sample is equipped with a Trusted Platform Module 1.2 (TPM), a SmartCard reader, and a fingerprint scanner. The fingerprint scanner is optional and might not be present in other configurations of the device. HP's laptop also offers a Kensington Lock slot. In terms of software, HP's device has the Client Security solution that manages hard drive encryption and logging fingerprints, among other things.

Not many accessories are included: A driver CD, quick start guide, and 45-watt power supply are included in the box. HP offers an optional docking station for its ProBook 650 G2. The HP 2013 UltraSlim Docking Port costs around 200 Euros (~$230), and is well worth considering when the laptop is often used stationary at the workplace.

Despite the lack of a maintenance hatch, service work or replacing individual components is quite easy. The entire underside has to be removed for accessing innards such as the hard drive, fan or RAM. The plastic tray is easy to remove after releasing all screws. All components are comfortable to reach. However, it should be noted that the battery has to be removed before taking out the hard drive. The battery covers a screw of the cage when installed. Our review sample has an empty RAM bank. The installed hard drive obstructs the empty M.2 slot, and thus only one storage device at a time can be installed.

Keyboard

HP has installed a splash-water protected HP Premium Keyboard in our test ProBook 650 G2. This keyboard is optionally available with a backlight and dual-point. Unfortunately, our review sample did not have these useful features.

The full-sized chiclet keyboard has a keypad. The printed symbols are quite legible and do not look cramped. The individual keys are adequately sized and, thanks to their slightly roughened surface, have enough grip. The "up" and "down" arrow keys both need some getting used to since they are smaller than the other keys and also tightly spaced. This may lead to typos. The feedback when typing is good; the pressure point is noticeable, and the drop is average. The noise is not particularly distracting when typing fast. The keys do not clatter so that neighboring colleagues will not be disturbed.

The touchpad in the ProBook 650 G2 is centered below the space bar in the base. The input device has a surface area of 10.4 x 5.9 centimeters (~4.1 x 2.3 in) and is lowered by approx. one millimeter. Its surface is sleek and allows the finger to glide over it smoothly. The gliding surface is somewhat smaller than that of other multitouch ClickPads due to the two dedicated keys situated in the lower area. The touchpad features a small, white point in its upper left corner. Double-tapping disables the touchpad and both keys. Double-tapping it again reactivates the touchpad. The small dot turns orange when the touchpad is disabled, making it easy to recognize the input device's status.

Both input keys are sufficiently sized and feature a much longer drop than a ClickPad. Inputs are quiet and almost inaudible.

HP has installed a matte TN panel in our review sample. The 15.6-inch screen comes from ChiMei and has a native resolution of 1366x768 pixels. This equates to a pixel density of approximately 100 PPI. HP also offers the device with a Full HD panel, among other models. Customers can also buy the ProBook 650 G2 with a touchscreen. The HD panel in our review sample only offers a low brightness (223 cd/m²) and low contrast (405:1). We expect considerably more from a device from this price range. A direct comparison with the competition shows that the ProBook 650 G2 is on par with Dell's Latitude 15 E5570. It has improved, even if only marginally, compared with the predecessor ProBook 650 G1 model. The fact that the screen flickers at a brightness of 90% and lower is also unfavorable. This can lead to complaints such as headaches when used for prolonged periods.

On the other hand, it is favorable that barely any visible backlight bleeding is seen in a completely black image.

The image quality is rather unsatisfactory compared to other devices in this price range. The low contrast (405:1) leads to a poor black level (0.35 cd/m²). This results in a light grayish haze in darker images. Black does not look black, but rather more like gray. The screen also struggles with a minor bluish tint pre-calibration. The DeltaE rates are clearly too high in the state of delivery. A rate less than 3 would be desirable. Calibrating the screen improved the rates considerably. The typical bluish tint in TN screens could also be reduced. The ICC profile is linked and can, as always, be downloaded. The HD screen reproduces the sRGB color space by 62%. However, it is only enough to cover 40% of the extended AdobeRGB color space, which is simply too low for professional use.

The ProBook 650 G2 computes on the performance level that is expected from this hardware configuration. The frugal Intel Core i5-6200U processor provides enough power for coping with office routine. The 4 GB DDR4 RAM is a minor drawback, as it could quickly prove to be a bottleneck in demanding applications. Overall, our device operates quite fast, but users who place more importance on performance should swap the hard drive for a fast SSD. It would also make sense to expand the RAM to 8 GB.

Once again, the Cinebench benchmarks underline the CPU's performance. Almost all comparison devices based on an Intel Core i5-6200U processor are on par. Only Acer's TravelMate P658 clearly lags behind.

The ProBook 650 G2's specification sheet reveals that the entry-level model is shipped with an Intel Core i3-6100U. The premium model is equipped with an Intel Core i7-6820HQ.

System Noise

The ProBook 650 G2 has one heat pipe and a small fan for cooling the components. The fan is virtually inaudible in idle mode. We measured an average of 30.9 dB(A), which is the same noise level that the installed hard drive produces. The noise level increased to a maximum of 36.7 dB(A) in the full load scenario that we simulate using the programs Prime95 and FurMark. No improvements are seen here compared with the ProBook 650 G1.

The cooling components in the ProBook 650 G2 function well and ensure good rates. The casing temperature settles to below 30 °C (~86 °F; 28.3 °C/~83 °F) in idle mode. This increases to a maximum of 38.3 °C (~101 °F) during load. Therefore, the casing temperatures do not give any cause for concern.

The programs Prime95 and FurMark run simultaneously for at least one hour in our stress test that represents an extreme scenario. This load is an exception and will hardly occur in routine use. We measure a maximum temperature of 61 °C (~142 °F) on the CPU, which is also true for the integrated graphics unit. Thus, the rates are clearly within a safe range below the maximum load limit.

The CPU clocked stably at its maximum possible speed of 2.8 GHz (one core) and 2.7 GHz (two cores) when each program is performed individually. Intel's Core i5-6200U clocked at 2.3 GHz from the beginning when Prime95 and FurMark ran simultaneously; Intel's HD Graphics 520 clocked consistently at 950 MHz. The reason for the slight CPU throttling is the TDP of 15 watts that both CPU and GPU have to share. However, this is a phenomenon that is not inherent to only the ProBook 650 G2. We re-ran the 3DMark 11 benchmark after the stress test and its result was approximately 100 points less than after a cold start.

The ProBook 650 G2 offers stereo sound that is sufficient for videoconferencing. Trebles and mids are clearly prominent. Both small speakers are situated above the keyboard so that playback is not impaired. The volume is satisfactory for a laptop solution. However, users who place more importance on quality will not get around using an external sound solution. The audio software allows customizing the sound output. Two microphones ensure decent-quality voice recordings.

After the good power consumption outcomes, it was also possible to achieve a decent battery life across the board. HP has equipped the ProBook 650 G2 with a lithium ion battery that has a capacity of 48 Wh. A total of 11:30 hours could be achieved on one battery charge in idle. The laptop had to be recharged after 2:43 hours of full load. The Wi-Fi test is relatively realistic. Different websites are opened every 30 seconds in this test using the "Balanced" profile and a screen brightness of approximately 150 cd/m². This corresponds to reducing the ProBook 650 G2's brightness by two levels. Our review sample achieved a runtime of 6:48 hours in the Wi-Fi test. Overall, the battery life has been increased significantly compared with that of the predecessor. However, our review sample does not achieve the even longer battery life of Dell's Latitude 15 E5570. It must be borne in mind that Dell's Latitude 15 E5570 is equipped with a much larger battery.

After about two years, Hewlett Packard presents the successor of HP's ProBook 650 G1 - HP's ProBook 650 G2. The enduring, 15-inch business laptop that we tested sells for 1150 Euros (~$1303). For this price, the buyer gets a device that can cope with the average routine office requirements. HP has implemented common security features and has equipped our review sample with an LTE modem. The leap from a Haswell CPU to a modern Skylake architecture clearly illustrates the technical advancements of the recent years. This is obvious in the power consumption that consequently leads to a good battery life.

HP's ProBook 650 G2 convinces with solid system performance. The impression is literally marred by the below-average screen quality that simply has no place in this price range.

The ProBook 650 G2 is a good approach to being a daily companion in the office. We would recommend taking a device with a Full HD panel to buyers seriously considering purchasing this laptop. It would also make sense to expand the working memory and installing an SSD storage device for better utilization of the existing performance.