Gadget Review: HP 255 G3 laptop

HP's 255 G3 laptop is basic but represents good value. Picture: Contributed

HP 255 G3 laptop

£199.98

IF it was lined up alongside premium laptops, chances are most prospective buyers wouldn’t give the HP 255 G3 a second thought. It would be their loss. This is a machine that will ably meet the needs of a wide demographic. It may be unspectacular to the point of being plain, but for an outlay of less than £200 it is a great little all-rounder fit for use around the home or on the move.

For those who scrutinise laptops by specifications alone, the HP punches above its weight. With a quad core AMD chip running at 1.5 GHz, a Radeon graphics processor, a 500GB hard drive and a 15.6 inch display with a 1366 x 768 resolution, the package is generous. It is trim and light, too, weighing in at just 2.15kg. To make the product commercially viable, HP have installed Microsoft’s complimentary edition of Windows 8.1 with Bing; if you’re not a fan of that search engine, you can easily change the default to another.

With a frills free design, this laptop is all about functionality

The exterior of the HP is a fairly frills free affair, with a black matte finish and basic design elements that will not give Jonny Ives sleepless nights. This is very much a machine built for function rather than aesthetic beauty. And it works very well indeed - the keyboard size is generous and well laid out while the trackpad is more responsive than you would find on similar budget computers.

Where the low price shows is in the battery life. During testing we found a full charge lasted little more than three and a half hours with only occasional use of intensive software. It is not the worst battery performance we have encountered and if you are planning on light web browsing and the like it will last longer. Even so, it is a limitation worth bearing in mind if you are considering using the HP for lengthy sessions without access to a power socket.

Its substantial specs makes it a compelling purchase for under £200

For the price, the HP represents excellent value and while it will not wow those looking for a more substantial laptop, it is a perfect entry level machine that should appeal beyond the core business community it is designed for. It has substantial specs and a well judged design. What more could you want for less than £200?

The HP 255 G3 is available to buy from eBuyer.