HP ProBook 5310m Laptop Review
We've looked at quite a few CULV laptops of late, including our CULV roundup. HP's ProBook 5310m is CULV with a twist: it doesn't have to be a CULV laptop, as regular CPUs are also available with significantly more performance on tap. Worth particular note is that the ProBook 5310m is a business laptop rather than a consumer model, which means there's a matte LCD option for a change. (And there was much rejoicing….) HP launched the 5310m late last year, so it's lost some of its shiny newness, but the ProBook still gets a lot of areas right.
The ProBook 5310m comes with an aluminum cover and palm rest, though the LCD bezel remains glossy. This is a very thin and light laptop—less than an inch thick and weighing in at 3.8 pounds. We really like the spacing on the keys, and the keyboard has been comfortable for use in limited testing. The default battery is a bit thinner than a AAA battery and the standard configuration ships with a 4-cell 41Wh HP ProBook 5310m battery good for up to ~6.5 hours of mobility (testing still pending). An optional $20 upgrade gets you a 6-cell battery, which should boost battery life quite a bit. Most of the other features are the same as other CULV laptops, but the 5310m does ship with a DisplayPort output instead of the common VGA/HDMI output.
HP ProBook 5310m is definitely proven to be a powerful and extremely portable laptop that comes with a screen as wide as 13 inches. And in terms of battery, you are guaranteed to have the longest life of batteries to use. Although for one thing, you will need to upgrade on some of the HP ProBook 5310m's features to get the optimum efficiency you want.
What is more, the HP ProBook 5310m presents itself as a laptop that is very grand-looking. Although the lid may look so plain with its emblem in silver, it still delivers a regal look for a laptop. It weighs so light making it very portable and ideal to businessmen who frequently travel. And another thing, the keyboard is spill-proof and very comfortable to type in. You cannot feel any texture to it; making the fingers controlled when typing and not sliding easily.
Specifications:
The ProBook 5310m looks much sexier than its $699 starting price would indicate. The black anodized aluminum lid and deck, sleek island keys, and durable magnesium rubberized bottom make the 5310m sexy enough for the club room while staying conservative enough for the boardroom. Though it has a similar shape and keyboard layout to the HP ProBook 4310s, the 5310m’s piano black color, thin lines, and subtle status lights give it a much more sophisticated look than its sibling, which lacks the aluminum and magnesium materials.
You don't have to sacrifice performance either to get to the desired thickness. The 5310m runs on a standard voltage processor. It's not a netbook CPU or an Ultra Low Voltage processor, both of which sacrifice plenty of performance in favor of battery life. The 2.26-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SP9300 processor is a terrific pick because it emphasizes both speed and energy efficiency. Though 2GB of memory seems meager in these modern times, the 5310m still achieved impressive performance scores. Its video encoding and Cinbench R10 scores easily beat out the Lenovo X301, HP ProBook 4310s, and Getac 9213. It runs on Intel's integrated graphics, though, so don't expect to rack up those 3D gaming frame rates on your free time.
A 41WH (4-cell) battery and a standard voltage processor usually spell trouble for battery life, but not so for the 5310m. In MobileMark 2007 tests, its score of 5 hours 18 minutes places it in the same league as the Lenovo X301 (5:24) and Getac 9213 (4:50)—both of which have bigger batteries. Imagine what the 5310m can do with an extended battery. By early next year, an 8-cell ProBook 5310m battery option will available and potentially take battery life well beyond its 5-hour mark.
The screen looks great and crisp at its 1366-by-768-pixel resolution. Sample video footage running off the 320GB, 7200-rpm hard drive came across smooth and stutter-free. A shuttle-launch sequence popped on the screen, with fiery plumes rising against the morning sky. Still pictures looked equally sharp, exhibiting deep blues and rich greens. And the display offers the added bonus of being backlit, so it's viewable indoors and out without the screen's glossy sheen being too jarring. In fact, the shine of the plastic interior frame surrounding the panel was more distracting.
The audio, unsurprisingly, veers toward tinny. Keep a pair of headphones handy. I can't complain a lot, I suppose, since the 5310m is a business-first portable. That much seems obvious when you consider the bundled proprietary software, which includes Skype, Roxio Creator Business, HP Webcam, HP QuickLook, and HP QuickWeb. QuickLook ties Outlook (2003 and 2007) to the quick-launching Linux shell OS; so, unlike with the Dell Latitude Z600, which can also quick-launch an OS, on this machine the modifications you make inside the OS are visible in QuickLook 3. (Very handy, but it's actually a further refinement of what has been surfacing in higher-end HP business models for some time now.) The QuickWeb software makes it equally easy to hop online, view Flash, run Java--basically, what you'd expect from running a regular Web browser inside Windows. The only difference here: It's secure. No unwanted junk installs on the computer, and if you want to download anything, just pop in an external drive.
The mouse buttons have a satisfying amount of give. What we're not crazy about, though, is their size, which feels - to us, at least - a little too thin to hit. More often than not, we found ourselves tapping just below the buttons, expecting them to be placed somewhere they weren't. But that is a highly subjective, very personal experience.
The screen looks great and crisp at its 1366-by-768-pixel resolution. Sample video footage running off the 320GB, 7200-rpm hard drive came across smooth and stutter-free. A shuttle-launch sequence popped on the screen, with fiery plumes rising against the morning sky. Still pictures looked equally sharp, exhibiting deep blues and rich greens. And the display offers the added bonus of being backlit, so it's viewable indoors and out without the screen's glossy sheen being too jarring. In fact, the shine of the plastic interior frame surrounding the panel was more distracting.
The 32-bit version of Windows 7 Professional is preinstalled, along with McAfee security software; WinZip, Skype, and Roxio Creator utilities; and the trial version of Microsoft Office 2007. More interesting are HP QuickLook 3 and QuickWeb, programs launched by dedicated buttons to the right of the keyboard that work when Windows is shut down: These use a mini-Linux environment to start in under 20 seconds, without booting Windows, for speedy access to contact and calendar information and a Web browser.
QuickLook 3 pulls up your Microsoft Outlook 2003 or 2007 information, letting you look up a contact, add an appointment, or type an e-mail that's sent the next time you log into Outlook and the network. QuickWeb works with a hardwired or WiFi Internet connection to summon a full-featured browser, including history, bookmarks, and a write-protected mode for guest access or surfing suspicious sites. It even includes a screen brightness control and a battery power gauge to avert unexpected rundowns.
In addition to the 32-bit Windows 7 Professional operating system and QuickLook and QuickWeb utilities, the HP ProBook 5310m laptop battery comes preloaded with a fairly minimal software mix: Roxio Creator Business 10.3, WinZip, Skype, and the ubiquitous trial version of Microsoft Office 2007. You also get the handy HP System Diagnostics tool and HP ProtectTools suite, which includes utilities for permanently deleting files or wiping the hard drive and protecting your passwords. Also included in the package is standard-length warranty coverage: a one-year plan with 24/7 toll-free tech support.
All told, the HP ProBook 5310m is all you could ask for in an under-$1,000 ultraportable. The QuickWeb and QuickLook features are ideal if you often steal a few minutes here and there to check e-mail and the Web, and the compact body and good battery life make it an ideal travel companion.
- Intel Core 2 Duo P9300 Processor (2.26GHz, 6MB L2 cache, 1066MHz FSB)
- Microsoft Genuine Windows 7 Professional (32-bit)
- 13.3-inch LED-backlit anti-glare HD display (1366 x 768)
- Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
- 2GB DDR3 1333MHz RAM
- 320GB 7200RPM HDD
- WiFi (802.11a/b/g/draft-n), Ethernet, Modem, and Bluetooth Connectivity
- 4-Cell 41WHr Battery (14.8V)
- Limited 1-year standard parts and labor warranty
- Dimensions: 12.9 x 8.7 x 0.93 inches
- Weight: 3.81lbs
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