With a new naming convention and a new aesthetic HP for its notebooks, HP is clearly trying to reinvent itself for the business market and judging by this first look at a final production sample ProBook 4510s, it’s not doing a bad job.
As far as looks are concerned the ProBook is a certainly a success. It's finished in glossy black plastic, and the keys are the "Scrabble-tile" arrangement (HP calls it a "chiclet" keyboard) by now familiar on Apple and Sony's notebooks. The keys have a decent amount of travel and the base feels solid: it's easy to get a full head of steam when touch-typing. It's also pleasing to see HP using the whole width of the notebook's base, with the right hand side given to a full number pad, which makes spreadsheets easier to work on. The only downside to the glossy lid is that fingerprints stick all too easily.
HP ProBook 4510s battery has simple design. Actually someone would even say that it has “vintage” design somewhat similar to old IBM notebooks. Chassis is made of black plastic and has flat surfaces and “sharp” edges. Rigidness is average which doesn’t come as surprise since this is, after all, “s” model that cannot be compared to, much pricier, “b” and “p” series. Cover is made out of black piano finish plastics that will collect all traces of fingers that ever touched it. Display frame and area close to keyboard are made out of same plastic. Luckily, palmrest is made out of matte plastic so reaching for maintenance cloth will not be that frequent job. Another color variant called “Merlot Red” (dark red) is announced, and judging by the pictures it will be much more attractive than this, black one.
Keyboard is better segment of this notebook. It follows, these days very popular, MacBook design characterized by large gap between keys. Alpha numeric part of keyboard is good and without significant bending although num pad does suffer from significant bending especially along right edge. HP is noticed about this problem, and we got information that in final retail version it will be corrected. Cursor keys are nicely distinct so finding them will not be a problem. This is nice feature since a lot of newer notebooks that we reviewed had cursor keys that are “blended” with num pad. Touch pad is moved to the left side, centered with “space” key, which is good position. Touch pad keys are separated and operate similar to piano keys: only bottom part reacts at pressure. We also liked the fact that touch pad keys are almost silent, as they should be on an business notebook.
The ProBook 4510s is configured as follows:
Intel Core 2 Duo T6570 Processor (2.1GHz, 2MB L2 cache, 800MHz FSB)
Microsoft Genuine Windows Vista Business (with option for Windows XP downgrade)
15.6-inch LED-backlit anti-glare HD display (1366 x 768)
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
2GB DDR2 800MHz RAM
250GB 5400RPM HDD
LightScribe DVD+/-RW Optical Drive
WiFi (802.11a/b/g/draft-n), Ethernet, Modem, and Bluetooth Connectivity
8-Cell 63WHr Battery
Limited 1-year standard parts and labor warranty
Dimensions: 1.25" x 14.6" x 9.83"
Weight: 5.8lbs
With the enterprise EliteBooks and the small-business Compaqs commanding HP's business laptop line, you'd think two brands would be enough to hold down the fort. HP, however, is out to prove that its new ProBooks will be a worthy third segment to what already seems like a crowded family. The HP ProBook 4510s ($700 direct) is one of three desktop replacements in this new line, which should give IT managers some fashionable yet affordable solutions to choose from. The 15.6-inch (16:9 aspect ratio) widescreen, glossy finish, and new-look keyboard are what you'd find on a consumer laptop or one geared toward style-minded businesses.
One thing that all model variants of the HP ProBook 4510s and 4515s have in common is the 16:9 HD resolution of 1366x768 pixels. However, you have a choice when it comes to display surface. According to HP a glossy variant (BrightView) as well as a matte display (anti-glare) are available. To our dissatisfaction our test sample unfortunately has the reflective display variant, which isn't recommendable for planned use of the laptop as a device for work due to ergonomic reasons.
Indeed the maximum brightness of the display (CMO1571) turned out surprisingly high throughout the course of our measurements. The panel reached a maximum of 282 cd/m² in the central area – very good. Also the average brightness at around 250 cd/m² is completely in order.
Even though the illumination at just 78.4% turns out to be below average, looking at the display subjectively there are no shadowing effects to be seen, because the minimum measured brightness of 221 cd/m² is too high.
Below the metal grille we have an isolation-style keyboard, which like Apple, HP refers to as 'chicklet'. Keys are somewhat smaller than we're used to seeing on HP laptops, but as usual it's still very comfortable and the new design allows for plenty of key separation. A slightly narrower than normal left-Ctrl key is the only compromise in the layout, but it's a small inconvenience given you also benefit from a full number pad. Fundamentally, then, this is a very good keyboard and it delivers excellent tactile feedback, too.
Below the excellent keyboard is a raised wrist rest coated in soft-touch plastic; an effect continued on the touchpad and its buttons. Unfortunately this finish really shows off grease so it's almost as bad as the lid, which is hardly ideal in a business laptop that might be shared among different people. It looks and feels nice, but it's not necessarily practical.
As expected, the integrated graphics are enough to handle the Aero effects of Windows Vista Business, but you won’t be playing any intense shoot ’em ups on this laptop. The ProBook 4510s battery delivered a score of 841 on 3DMark06 (at 1,024x768), which is in line with other low-cost notebooks. To put that in real-world perspective, the machine mustered only 16 frames per second (fps) when playing F.E.A.R. and 6.7fps on Company of Heroes. While the ProBook's graphics scores are a little lower than those of the ThinkPad SL500, neither system can handle modern gaming.
The lower-priced ProBook 4510s models come with a six-cell battery, but our SKU included an eight-cell power pack that delivered exactly 3 hours of runtime on our harsh DVD-rundown test, which should equate to 5 to 6 hours under more judicious use. (Again, compare that with Lenovo’s 2 hours and 12 minutes on the ThinkPad SL500.) Opting for the six-cell battery instead would save you $50, but you'd also forgo the laptop's Bluetooth connectivity; the lesser battery lasted 2 hours and 11 minutes.
The HP ProBook 4510s is a stylish notebook featuring a 15.6-inch screen along with a sleek design that offers function and style. Along with the large display the 4510s features a separate numeric keypad. At 5.7 pounds the 4510s is a bit heavy to be considered an ultra-portable, but it still weighs in far less than your average desktop replacement. The battery life, security software, and clean design make the ProBook 4510s an excellent small-business laptop.
HP backs the ProBook 4510s with a one-year warranty with 24/7 phone support. For small-business buyers on a budget, the model represents a compelling value. In our test configuration, you can get better performance and HP battery life with this system than with the Lenovo ThinkPad SL500. And for just a little more than $500 for the base model, you can still get a big screen and plenty of features.
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