HP ProBook 4720s Pro Reviews

The HP ProBook 4720s - WT237EA/WS912EA doesn't seem to know exactly where it wants to go. With the ProBook in its name it actually alludes to full fledged business features, together with a high level of day to day suitability. What we have discovered though, is not significantly more than a consumer 17 inch notebook with a matte display.

HP’s ProBook 4720s delivers good performance in a stylish package at a very reasonable price tag. There’s really not much more one could ask for. The only major downside is the somewhat awkward and unconventional touchpad, but it’s heavily outweighed by the rest of the package. Basically, the ProBook 4720s just got under our skin. It managed to exceed our expectations and proved to be a very good product in its price range. We have no qualms about recommending it to anyone in need of a serious desktop replacement, at home, at work or anywhere else.

The ProBook looks and feels great. We were impressed by its battery life, but its weight means this isn't such a great advantage. This, in addition to a miserly amount of RAM and hard disk space, prevents the ProBook from receiving our unconditional recommendation.

Fairly rugged and offering a premium look and feel, HP's ProBook 4720s features a balanced, high-performance component set with comprehensive and easy to use applications. Added to its respectable battery life and above average value, this business laptop's few flaws become easy to forgive.

The HP ProBook 4720s is a worthy replacement for the older 4710s. Performance increased with the newer Intel Core i5 processor over the older Core 2 Duo, and the newer ATI Radeon 4350 gave a small bump in speed over the previous 4330. The two most important changes are the newer metal screen cover and the significantly improved battery life. Compared to the older plastic lid, the new metal cover reduces flex and adds a great deal of protection. Battery life is another huge change, going from a bit over three and a half hours to 4 hours and 48 minutes. Overall we might have enjoyed seeing a slightly better graphics card as the 4350 only slightly outperforms most integrated graphics solutions. If you are in the market for a 17-inch SMB notebook, the HP ProBook 4720s is worth considering.

This affordable 17-inch powerhouse for small businesses combines good performance and discrete graphics, but its touchpad could be better.