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Review HP ProBook 5330m-LG724EA Notebook

Silver Worker. With the ProBook 5330m, HP is updating the smallest of its ProBooks. Aside from a completely new aluminum design, there's also a solid hardware update. There's a new high end dual core processor from Intel and an SSD drive, to speed up your work on this subnotebook even further.

HP just delivered an update to the smallest notebook of the ProBook series. The new HP ProBook 5330m sub-notebook's design matches its larger brothers from the 47xx series. Aside from the new aluminum skin, there's also new components, of course. The current generation Intel Core processors has been introduced to these little notebooks. In regards to the rest of the fittings, this 13 inch unit has no need to hide from its larger siblings.

Our test unit is equipped with Intel's Core i5 processor and 4 GB RAM. While the 128GB hard drive may seem a little small, its of the fast SSD drive variety. There is an integrated finger print reader as well as a UMTS (3G) radio aboard. As before, HP delivers this model without optical drive.

Case

Even though there are certain similarities between the HP ProBook 5330m and the HP ProBook 4730s, the end result differs too much to claim HP had simply copied the design.  The new model doesn't have much in common with its predecessor, the HP ProBook 5320m.  The previously used glossy surfaces have been completely replaced by aluminum.  The display lid consists of a brushed aluminum back with a surrounding aluminum frame.  The wrist rests are also made from brushed aluminum, and a second aluminum frame surrounds the entire base of the sub-notebook.  In spite of the simple rectangular design, it has style.

Workmanship matches the looks, the display is resistant against torsion, you have to use a lot of force to twist it noticably.  The same goes for the base unit.  The notebook also scored in our pressure tests;  wrist rest and edges are resistant against selective pressure.  The keyboard only gives a little bit in the center, you have to press significantly harder than you would while typing.  The hinges are very tight, if you try to open the sub-notebook with one hand, the base of the unit follows up.  The positive effect of this is, that the display hardly bobs.

The entire bottom consists of two large hatches.  One of them can be removed by opening a latch, exposing the battery and the SIM card slot.  The other hatch requires removal of a few screws to offer access to the rest of the components.

Connectivity

Like the current model, HP has forgone optical drives in small ProBooks for a long time.  This allowed engineers more freedom in placing connectors on the right side.  There is much space between connectors here,  when you look at the lack of interface diversity, it seems too much space.  A few more interfaces could not have been wrong.  The lack of USB 3.0 is incomprehensible.  The HP ProBook 5330m only sports three USB 2.0 connectors, with one of them doing double duty as an eSATA/USB connector allowing a high speed connection to an external drive.  This is necessary, given the small internal 128GB SSD, which can fill up rather quickly.  Visible security features are a finger print reader and a Kensington Lock.

left side: Kensington Lock, VGA, USB 2.0/eSATA, HDMI, 2 in 1 card reader
Left: Kensington Lock, VGA, USB 2.0/eSATA, HDMI, 2 in 1 card reader
right side: combined headphone/microphone connector, 2x USB 2.0, LAN, Power connector
Right: combined headphone/microphone connector, 2x USB 2.0, LAN, Power connector
Front
Front
Rear
Rear
HP Protect Tools
HP Protect Tools

Communication

Here, the HP ProBook 5330m offers everything you could wish for.  Wired connections are taken care of by Intel's 82579LM Gigabit Ethernet adapter.  Wireless connections are possible through Intel's Centrino Advanced-N radio or with HP's hs2340 HSPA+ mobile broadband module network adapter.  While the Intel card connects through 802.11 b/g/n WIFI standards, the HP card provides mobile internet on the go.  HSPA+ (High Speed Packet Access) is a faster upgrade to 3G (UMTS).  Thanks to HSDPA+ downstream speeds of 28-84 MBit/s should be possible, provided your telco supports it. 

Accessories

HP's ProBook 5330m ships with a great variety of documentation, including the obligatory quick start, a list of world-wide support phone numbers, instructions for the 3G radio as well as a brochure with optional accessories for the sub-notebook.  In addition, there are three DVDs.  The first two DVDs each contain a copy of Microsoft Windows 7 Professional, one 32-Bit, the other 64-Bit.  The third DVD contains drives and other software for the notebook.

Security

HP includes the HP ProtectTools with the ProBook 5330m.  This is a collection of security software that is supposed to secure the notebook in all possible ways.  All passwords and authentication information can be managed with ProtectTools.  Additional software like Intel's AntiTheft and CompuTrace Pro give you a shot at retrieving a lost or stolen notebook.  For this, however, you have to sign up for a subscription with the respective companies.  The fingerprint reader is the easiest and simplest security feature.

Warranty

1 year pickup and delivery service comes standard with HP's ProBook 5330m and can be expanded through HP Care Pack services.  Service duration can be increased up to 3 years and the various Care Packs offer many options from on-site service to next day repairs.  Pricing for these packages range from 135 euros to 272 euros.

Input Devices

Keyboard

Due to the small size of a 13 inch subnotebook, HP couldn't install a large keyboard with number pad, but at least without number pad the keyboard is properly centered and keys are sufficiently large at 15x15mm.  Spacing between keys with 4mm are also large enough to allow comfortable and error free typing.  Additionally, the keyboard is splash protected and sports an excellent back light, not only lighting up the key's edges but the labels.  

The keyboard action was also convincing.  Pressure point, stroke and attack of the keys were well chosen and provide a pleasant, accurate feel, while remaining appreciably quiet during typing.  Even a lengthy search for faults turned up nothing. We can say nothing negative about the keyboard.

HP largely does without special keys outside of the keyboard.  Just three buttons found their way onto the notebook, besides the power button.  One of them allows you to activate or deactivate WIFI or Bluetooth,  the second simply opens the browser.  The third one mutes the sound of the notebook.

Touchpad

The touchpad measures 3.6" diagonally (3.3" x 1.6") and is fairly small, even though there was still a bit of room below the mouse buttons.   Even though the touchpad reacts precisely to the user's input,  its limited height has a negative effect on multi-touch gestures, cause you run out of space too soon.  The touchpad is slightly recessed, producing a clear separation to the wrist rest.

The two mouse buttons failed to convince us.  In comparison to the keyboard and the touchpad, they make a cheap impression.  They are made of plastic, share the recessed area of the touchpad and neither looks nor haptics could convince us.  Worse, both mouse buttons rattle.  Especially the right button didn't seem to be attached properly.  The pressure point was ok though.

Keyboard
Keyboard
Touchpad
Touchpad

Display

For its ProBook 5330m, HP is betting on a 13 inch display from Samsung, sporting a matt surface and a resolution of 1366x768 pixels.  With that, the small display shows insufficient content for serious work but you can connect an external display or projector through either VGA or HDMI ports.

141
cd/m²
146
cd/m²
131
cd/m²
142
cd/m²
150
cd/m²
127
cd/m²
128
cd/m²
132
cd/m²
116
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
Samsung SEC3155 tested with Gossen Mavo-Monitor
Maximum: 150 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 134.8 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 77 %
Center on Battery: 132 cd/m²
Contrast: 140:1 (Black: 1.07 cd/m²)41.28% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
58.5% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
39.72% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)

So far, we liked the qualities of HP's ProBook 5330m rather well and we had hoped this would continue with the display. But the first glance at our measurements provides a different picture. The brightness of the display leaves a lot to be desired. A maximum of 150 cd/m² is not acceptable in a 2011 model. An average brightness of just 134.8 cd/m² is bested even by much cheaper netbooks. 

Backlight evenness of the ProBook 5330m display fails to score as well at a below average 77 percent. Aggravating this condition is a further lowering of brightness during battery operation by 22%, giving a center measurement of only 132 cd/m².

In some areas, the display comes out a little better; in spite of the low brightness, or maybe because of it, the black value is decent at 1.07 cd/m². Contrast can't be saved by this however, too much is lost to low brightness, fixing contrast at just 140:1. Color accuracy of the display is similarly dismal: Neither Adobe's color space nor the smaller sRGB color space came even close to being filled.

Interesting: In the ProBook 5330m version tested by our colleagues in the United States, a different display panel was used, sporting better brightness and contrast. Apparently, HP uses different panels in different countries.

HP ProBook 5330m vs. sRGB (t)
HP ProBook 5330m vs. sRGB (t)
HP ProBook 5330m vs. Adobe RGB (t)
HP ProBook 5330m vs. Adobe RGB (t)
Outdoors
Outdoors

During outdoor use, the display causes no problems. Readability does suffer from the display's low brightness, but its still more readable than displays with glossy surface.

Viewing angles of the notebook are average. There were no surprises. Observing angles along the horizontal axis, the display remains readable from the sides. If you tilt the display up or down though, the image worsens drastically. If you veer to the side at the same time, it becomes difficult to discern anything.

Viewing Angles HP ProBook 5330m-LG724EA
Viewing Angles HP ProBook 5330m-LG724EA

Performance

The installed Intel Core i5-2520M is a current generation high end dual core processor.  With a base clock speed of 2.5 GHz, it provides pretty good performance, further amplified by Turbo Boost technology, which boosts clock speed up to 3.0 GHz or 3.2 GHz as needed.  The automatic performance increase depends on sufficient cooling and your application's usage of just one core or both cores.  With a TDP of 35 Watt, the processor's power draw is reasonable, but in spite of that, Intel only recommends it for notebooks with 14 inch displays and up, because the cooling system needs to have sufficient size to handle the heat this CPU emits.  Performance of this processor suffices for the usual office applications, but also for video editing and current games, so long as the GPU can handle it.

The HP ProBook 5330m has no dedicated GPU, just the integrated Intel HD 3000 GPU.  Using an integrated GPU helps reduce power consumption and also eliminates the need for additional components in the cooling system, since you only need to cool one processor, not two.  Performance is about equal to the Nvidia GeForce 310M entry level GPU from the year 2009.  With this, you can only play newer games fluidly at low detail settings.  For more demanding applications or games, the GPU falters pretty soon as the HD 3000 was not designed for games but for basic office applications or browsing the internet.  For these tasks the GPU is amply sufficient.

Systeminfo CPUZ CPU
Systeminfo CPUZ Cache
Systeminfo CPUZ Mainboard
Systeminfo CPUZ RAM
Systeminfo GPUZ
DPC Latenzen
System information HP ProBook 5330m-LG724EA

 

 

To better judge the notebook's processor performance, we use the CineBench software.  The CineBench R10 Rend. Single (64 Bit) benchmark only uses one of the processor's cores.  The HP ProBook 5330 reached a score of 5073.0 points, placing it rather high in our benchmark list. HP's ProBook 5330 came very close to the Apple MacBook Pro 15 inch 2011-02 MC723LL/A (2720QMHD 6750) with 5150.0 Points.  In the CineBench R10 Rend. Multi (64 Bit) benchmark using all processor cores, the HP ProBook 5330m scored 10584.0 Points.  This result isn't quite as high in the list, but still a good ranking.  Compared to other notebooks using the i5-2520M processor, the ProBook 5330m is in the upper middle field.  The fastest 2520m notebook is the Dell Vostro 3550 (Vostro0112) (2520MHD 6630M) with 10797.0 points.  Slowest is the ultralight Sony Vaio VPC-SB1Z9EB (2520M, HD6470M) with 10128.0 points.  A satisfying overall performance for the HP ProBook 5330m.  TurboBoost could be used without problems and raised clock speed to 3.2 GHz and 3.0 GHz.

Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
4040
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
8813
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
4873
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit
5073 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit
10584 Points
Cinebench R10 Shading 64Bit
5098 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
8.23 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
2.87 Points
Help

We use PCMark Vantage and PCMark 7 to judge system performance.  In the overall scoring, the ProBook 5330m subnotebook achieved 10775.0 points, placing this unit pretty far up in our listing.  Other notebooks in this region are the Schenker XMG A501 (W150HRM) (2410MGT 555M) with its 10786.0 points or the Alienware M11x R3 (2657MGT540M) with 10436.0 Points.  In our PCMark 7 benchmarks the notebook performs similarly well, scoring in the upper third of  performance ratings.  The integrated SSD is a requirement to play at this performance level, laptops with conventional hard drives are far behind.

4.7
Windows 7 Experience Index
Processor
Calculations per second
7.1
Memory (RAM)
Memory operations per second
5.9
Graphics
Desktop performance for Windows Aero
4.7
Gaming graphics
3D business and gaming graphics
6.1
Primary hard disk
Disk data transfer rate
7.5
PCMark Vantage Result
10775 points
PCMark 7 Score
3603 points
Help

While the HP ProBook was very convincing in the previous benchmarks, we don't expect much in the graphics benchmark. The Intel HD 3000 GPU is not exactly a performance miracle.  With the 3705.0 points the HP ProBook scored, it is far down in the lower half of the chart.  Compared to other notebooks using the integrated Intel GPU, it does alright though.  Even though the Packard Bell EasyNote TS11-HR-040UK (2410MHD Graphics 3000) is significantly ahead with its 4607.0 points, it happens to be the fastest notebook we measured, employing Intel's GPU.  Bringing up the rear is the Samsung 900X1B-A02 (2357M, HD 3000 GPU) with 1392.0 points. 

Other notebooks close in range of the HP ProBook are the HP EliteBook 8460p (2620MHD6470M) with 3674.0 points and the Toshiba Satellite R850-127 (2410MHD 6450M) with 3838.0 points.

3DMark 03 Standard
7796 points
3DMark 05 Standard
5713 points
3DMark 06 Standard Score
3705 points
3DMark Vantage P Result
1691 points
Help
Crystal Disk
Crystal Disk

A Samsung MZ7PA128HMCD-010H1 SSD drive sporting 128 GB is used in the HP ProBook 5330m.  Compared to other recently tested notebooks with SSD drives, like the Asus U36SD notebook, the SSD drive in the ProBook 5330m is on par.  This SSD model from Samsung may not be among the fastest current SSD drives, but it doesn't have to hide either.  Its faster than a drive with a spinning platter no matter what, with the added benefit of being completely silent.

Samsung SSD 470 Series MZ7PA128HMCD-010H1
Transfer Rate Minimum: 178.8 MB/s
Transfer Rate Maximum: 189.6 MB/s
Transfer Rate Average: 185.7 MB/s
Access Time: 0.1 ms
Burst Rate: 53.4 MB/s
CPU Usage: 1 %

Gaming Performance

Given that the HP ProBook 5330m is in no way a gaming notebook, we will only consider games as a side note.  In our big comparison test "Computer Games on Laptop Graphics Cards", we have a sufficient number of entries for the Intel HD-3000 GPU to give a good idea about its performance.

We still tested out Blizzard's StarCraft II real time strategy game "Wings of Liberty", to see how the HP ProBook 5330m does and we got what we expected from the Intel HD-3000.  At lowest details and resolution, everything ran fluidly, but the next higher settings brought it to its knees.

low med. high ultra
StarCraft 2 (2010) 68 14 9

Noise emissions

System Noise

Most of the time, the HP ProBook 5330m remains quiet in exemplary manner.  Since there's no conventional hard drive, a further source of noise has been removed from the subnotebook.  Under light load, noise remains at 30.5–30.6 dB(A).  Only rarely does it get a bit louder, reaching 35.0 dB(A).  Under load, it gets pretty loud though.  This isn't much of a surprise, as it has to cool a fairly potent Core i5-2520M processor.  With 44.6–44.7 dB(A), the notebook is definitely loud, but in every day use, you will not encounter this very often.

Noise Level

Idle
30.5 / 30.6 / 35 dB(A)
Load
44.6 / 44.7 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Voltcraft sl-320 (15 cm distance)
HP ProBook under full load
HP ProBook under full load

Temperature

The small ProBook 5330m has to keep Intel's latest high end dual core Core i5-2520M cool.  In the section about noise, we already noticed that the notebook has to work hard to do that under load.

At idle, that is not noticable yet, maximum temperatures are just barely above average on the upper surface.  28.2° C on the upper surfaces and 29.5° degrees Celsius at the bottom pose no problems.  Wrist rests with 28.2° C (left side) and 25.8° C (right side) are cool enough as well. The touchpad reached 26.2° C, which is no cause for concern. 

Under load, temperatures go up quite a bit.  While the upper surface of the subnotebook rose to a maximum of 44.6° C, the bottom heated up to 45.9° C. 

Wrist rest temperatures now rise to 38.2° F (left side) and 30.1° C (right side). The touchpad now measures 37.4° C.  Your hands are resting on a rather warm place, but overall temperatures still stay within limits.  The 45.9° C at the bottom of the notebook are too hot to rest it on your legs though.  Hopefully, one won't place it under full load during use away from the desk.

To run the sub-notebook under full load, we used Prime 95 and FurMark.  The maximum processor temperatures during this test were 85° C , which we measured with the PC Wizard software.  We also noticed that the ProBook 5330m can't sustain full Turbo Boost clock speed during this test.  For the first few minutes, the clock speed stays at 3.0 GHz, which is the maximum clock speed when both cores are used.  After that, clock speed dropped and started to oscillate between 2.5 GHz (base speed) and 2.8 GHz.  Running the 3D Mark 06 benchmark after this test heated up the hardware, results in a slightly lower score of 3,538 points, in comparison to running it when cold, which is caused by the lower cooling capacity during the test and not due to throttling.

Max. Load
 44.6 °C
112 F
31.7 °C
89 F
27.1 °C
81 F
 
 40.5 °C
105 F
39 °C
102 F
27.9 °C
82 F
 
 38.2 °C
101 F
37.4 °C
99 F
30.1 °C
86 F
 
Maximum: 44.6 °C = 112 F
Average: 35.2 °C = 95 F
28.4 °C
83 F
34.2 °C
94 F
38 °C
100 F
32 °C
90 F
42.8 °C
109 F
39.6 °C
103 F
32.6 °C
91 F
45.9 °C
115 F
41.2 °C
106 F
Maximum: 45.9 °C = 115 F
Average: 37.2 °C = 99 F
Power Supply (max.)  48.2 °C = 119 F | Room Temperature 20.8 °C = 69 F | Voltcraft IR-360
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 35.2 °C / 95 F, compared to the average of 30.7 °C / 87 F for the devices in the class Subnotebook.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 44.6 °C / 112 F, compared to the average of 35.9 °C / 97 F, ranging from 21.4 to 59 °C for the class Subnotebook.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 45.9 °C / 115 F, compared to the average of 39.4 °C / 103 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26.2 °C / 79 F, compared to the device average of 30.7 °C / 87 F.
(±) The palmrests and touchpad can get very hot to the touch with a maximum of 38.2 °C / 100.8 F.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.3 °C / 82.9 F (-9.9 °C / -17.9 F).

Speakers

The HP ProBook 5330m is equipped with a Beats Audio sound system, signified by the small "b" at its front and the "beats audio" line at the top right edge of the display.  Originally, the brand is called "Beats by Dr. Dre" and sells good headphones and speakers.  Since Beats started to cooperate with HP, Beats audio systems have been integrated into some HP products, like the HP Envy 14 Beats Edition.  This was intended to improve the sound quality in comparison to the usual cost focused speaker selections.  Still, the Beats audio engineers fail to do magic, and in this system too, the speakers are still very small notebook speakers.  While the sound is clear in the high frequencies, the mid frequencies are already less so, and bass is missing completely.  Still, its an improvement compared to many other notebook audio systems.

Battery Life

Even though HP chose to rely on Intel's integrated HD-3000 GPU for graphics, power consumption is comparably high: 9.4 Watt – 13 Watt were the results of our measurements.  Under load, consumption rises to 39.6 Watt – 53.4 Watt.   When loading only the CPU (with Prime95 test software, for example) the notebook consumes 54.6 Watt.  Putting the GPU under load (with FurMark) resulted in consumption of 41.9 Watt.  The provided 65W power supply shouldn't have any trouble supplying the notebook with adequate power, even during extreme use.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.1 / 0.4 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 9.4 / 12 / 13 Watt
Load midlight 39.6 / 53.4 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Voltcraft VC 940
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
maximale Akkulaufzeit (Readers Test)
Readers Test
minimale Laufzeit  (Classic Test)
Classic Test
WLAN-Test
WLAN-Test
Laden
Laden

The power draw already pointed to the fact that the HP ProBook 5330m won't be a battery life champion.  We used Battery Eater Pro to test battery runtimes of this subnotebook.  In the Reader's test, the laptop remains at idle, with WIFI turned off and the display at low brightness.  In this mode, the unit's battery lasted 5 hours and 43 minutes. This value is more like a theoretical maximum; a more realistic test consists of surfing the internet over WIFI with medium display brightness, resulting in a battery runtime of 3 hours and 50 minutes. This value should be easily reachable in real world use.  Under full load, run-time drops to 53 minutes.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
5h 43min
WiFi Surfing
3h 50min
Load (maximum brightness)
0h 53min

Verdict

HP ProBook 5330m
HP ProBook 5330m

The HP ProBook 5330m convinced us in many areas and proved itself as an excellent business companion. Regrettably, there are also a number of things that spoiled the positive impression.

Design and workmanship were not one of the problems though - on the contrary: the HP ProBook 5330m really scored here. Workmanship was consistent on a very high level and the design succeeded with quality materials and style. The keyboard continued the winning streak and offered much for the money. Very pleasant typing feel, splash-water resistance and back-light helped it score very positively. Further, the subnotebook offers very good performance and numerous security features.

Touchpad and mouse buttons received the first negative marks; the touchpad is pretty small and the cheaply done mouse buttons look out of place and fail to match the quality of the rest of the notebook. As for interfaces, HP could have offered something more: USB 3.0 is completely missing, even though there is ample room left on the sides. The 3G radio doesn't quite make up for that.

The worst part of this notebook is the poor display. Brightness is meager in comparison to competing notebooks. Making matters worse is the uneven illumination and low contrast. Maybe not that many people use a business notebook to edit images, but a brighter display would certainly not hurt and have a positive effect during outdoor use.

Overall, the HP ProBook 5330m is still a decent and above all good looking subnotebook. Regrettably, HP gives up points thoughtlessly. The HP ProBook 5330m could have done considerably better if HP had just used a better display. The elementary prerequisites for a very good result were in place.

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In Review: HP ProBook 5330m-LG724EA
In Review: HP ProBook 5330m-LG724EA, by courtesy of

Specifications

HP ProBook 5330m-LG724EA (ProBook 5330m Series)
Processor
Intel Core i5-2520M 2 x 2.5 - 3.2 GHz, Sandy Bridge
Graphics adapter
Intel HD Graphics 3000, Core: 1300 MHz, 8.15.10.2342
Memory
4 GB 
, Hynix, DDR3, 1333 MHz, max. 8 GByte, 2 banks, 1 free slots
Display
13.30 inch 16:9, 1366 x 768 pixel, Samsung SEC3155, LED backlight, glossy: no
Mainboard
Intel QM67
Storage
Samsung SSD 470 Series MZ7PA128HMCD-010H1, 128 GB 
Soundcard
Intel Cougar Point PCH - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
3 USB 2.0, 1 VGA, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, 1 eSata, Audio Connections: Headphone/Mic Combi, Card Reader: 2-in1 card reader (SD, MMC), 1 Fingerprint Reader
Networking
Intel 82579LM Gigabit Network Connection (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 2.1 + HDR, HP hs2340 HSPA+ mobile broadband module network adapter
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 25 x 328 x 225 ( = 0.98 x 12.91 x 8.86 in)
Battery
41 Wh Lithium-Polymer, 4 Zellen, Lithium Ion Polymer
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: HD Webcam
Additional features
Roxio My DVD 2010 SE, Microsoft Office 2010 preinstalled (to activate the full version of Office 2010 suite a product key must be purchased), Norton Internet Security 2011 (60 day trial subscription), 12 Months Warranty
Weight
1.8 kg ( = 63.49 oz / 3.97 pounds), Power Supply: 400 g ( = 14.11 oz / 0.88 pounds)
Price
1079 Euro

 

HP ProBook 5330m
HP ProBook 5330m
HD-Webcam in the display bezel
HD-Webcam in the display bezel
to the right: the "Beats Audio" logo
to the right: the "Beats Audio" logo
Not much to see at the rear
Not much to see at the rear
The first hatch is opened without screws, just a latch.
The first hatch is opened without screws, just a latch.
The second hatch needs a screw driver after all.
The second hatch needs a screw driver after all.
Components are easy to reach.
Components are easy to reach.
Slot for the SIM card
Slot for the SIM card
... in the dark too.
... in the dark too.
Excellent keyboard
Excellent keyboard
Matt display
Matt display
Aluminum case
Aluminum case
Side view
Side view
Maximum display opening angle
Maximum display opening angle
Hinges hold the display securely in place
Hinges hold the display securely in place
Just 3 special keys
Just 3 special keys
The finger print reader
The finger print reader
Power supply of the HP ProBook
Power supply of the HP ProBook

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Pros

+Stylish design
+High quality material choices
+Good keyboard (pleasant typing feel, back lit)
+Matte display
+UMTS+ WAN
+Many security features
+Low weight
+Good performance
+SSD drive
 

Cons

-Poor display (dark, poor contrast)
-Paltry interface selection
-Cheap mouse buttons
-No docking station connector

Shortcut

What we like

The sheer processing power HP stylishly packaged in this small notebook.

What we'd like to see

A brighter display.  HP didn't do itself a favor opting for such a cheap display.

What surprises us

The almost always high benchmark results scored in our tests.

The competition

If one's priorities are on looks and workmanship and has no problems running Mac-OS, should also look at the Apple MacBook Air (MC966D/A) 13 inch notebook.  The Apple notebook sits at the top of our sub-notebooks, but regrettably also fails on delivering much in the way of interfaces.  A further alternative is the Asus U36SD-RX114V subnotebook.  The slower processor is made up for with a stronger GPU.  A solid state drive is also included.  Slightly smaller but with excellent display: Lenovo's Thinkpad X220

Rating

HP ProBook 5330m-LG724EA - 10/27/2011 v2(old)
Simon Kohlstock

Chassis
90%
Keyboard
90%
Pointing Device
75%
Connectivity
71%
Weight
89%
Battery
77%
Display
67%
Games Performance
63%
Application Performance
93%
Temperature
78%
Noise
79%
Add Points
88%
Average
80%
82%
Subnotebook - Weighted Average
Simon Kohlstock, 2011-11-26 (Update: 2013-06- 6)