One of the tech brands that have been in the industry for a long time now, HP has adapted not just to the dynamic world of technology but also to the changing demands of consumers. Taking familiarity as one of their strengths, HP has evolved their operations to have products that bring consumers real solutions to their real needs. One example of this is the HP Elitebook 745 G5, which our team was able to use as our main laptop for a week. Here’s what we found out about it.
Upon unboxing the HP Elitebook 745 G5, the first thing that’s noticeable about this laptop is its silver body, which pretty much enough indication that this is one premium business laptop. Apt for users who are always on-the-go, the HP Elitebook 745 G5 is one of the lightest and slimmest laptops in the market, a feature which adds to the laptop’s overall seamless experience.
Speaking of which, the HP Elitebook 745 G5 holds plenty of external ports, allowing users to work with convenient connections. On the right side of the laptop, the HP Elitebook 745 G5 has ports for power, USB Type-C, LAN, HDMI, USB 3.0, 3.5mm headphone jack, and SIM card, while on the flip side sits another lone USB port. This is another feature of the HP Elitebook G4 745 that we appreciate, since its slim body didn’t compromise its connectivity options.
The specs of the HP Elitebook 745 G5 can be configured on the HP website depending on what you prefer on the technical side. The HP Elitebook 745 G5 also has a touchscreen variant, but what we had was the non-touch model with a 14-inch FHD IPS eDP LED-backlit display in max resolution of 1920 x 1080. Although the HP Elitebook 745 G5 glimmers in all of its glory in terms of the laptop’s appearance, it’s display might not appear appealing to everyone. After using the laptop in different areas of the office, we noticed its matte screen makes images and texts harder to be seen and read when under well-lit areas. However, when used indoors, the laptop produces images in vivid, brilliant colors, making it an apt device to enjoy viewing HD and 4K videos.
What it lacked in terms of display, the HP Elitebook 745 G5 more than made up in its sound department with its B&O speakers. Whether it be for conference calls or for listening to music for leisure, the speakers of the HP Elitebook 745 G5 is one of its strongest selling points, given that not a lot of brands nowadays pay attention to the importance of having decent speakers on a laptop.
Adding to the overall premium feel of the HP Elitebook 745 G5 is its beautifully-placed laptop keys which made typing easy and convenient. It also has a white backlight which you can adjust the light intensity depending on your preference, but it is a nice addition, especially if you’re the type who likes to work in front of a laptop at night. The white backlight automatically turns off after long idle time in order for the laptop to save battery.
In the middle of the laptop keys is a rubber pointing stick which we find rather disturbing that useful. A couple of keys have to be placed in smaller sizes just to make room for the pointing stick. Other than that, we find typing a delightful experience with the HP Elitebook 745 G5, given that it also has a very smooth-performing trackpad.
The HP Elitebook 745 G5 sits as a unique laptop simply because finding an AMD-powered laptop in the market that is not for gaming is as rare as it can get. Mirroring its nice physique, the HP Elitebook 745 G5 also has powerful internals amounting to its decent performance. The laptop that we tested came with an AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 2700U with Radeon Vega Mobile Gfx clocked at 2.2 GHz, in addition to 16GB of RAM, and a 64-bit Windows 10 Pro. With these set of specs, the HP Elitebook 745 G5d delivered well in helping us perform daily tasks without experiencing any gaps and lags.
While the HP Elitebook 745 G5 is deal for mobile, young professionals with its lightweight, slim body, it’s disappointing that its battery life is not enough to survive an entire work day. To further test this segment of the laptop, we ran a video loop test with the laptop’s brightness set at 80 percent and max volume, and the HP Elitebook 745 G5 only lasted for 4 hours and 30 minutes.
With security considered as one of HP’s priorities, the HP Elitebook 745 G5 has special security features including a fingerprint sensor, and the HP SureView integrated on the laptops F2 key of the laptop. The said function is intended to cover the laptop’s display with a screen filter so that people beside the user won’t see what’s flashed on the screen. The feature is a product of a study which found out that 45 percent of the visual hacking attempts were done successfully.
With its fair share of good points and setbacks, the HP Elitebook 745 G5 is a decent choice in the laptop market. If you’re a young professional looking for a laptop which you can use as your daily driver, the HP Elitebook 745 G5 is a good buy.