HP Compaq EliteBook 6930p review

Back when Dell’s Latitude D630 ruled the business laptop roost, there wasn’t much in the way of competition. Until, that is, HP’s sterling 14.1in Compaq 6910p waded boldly into the fray.

Now the 6910p has gone back to HP Compaq’ R&D labs and emerged resplendent as the new Elitebook 6930p. Design-wise it’s very similar to its predecessor – no bad thing given the 6910p’s all-round excellence – but the dour black and dark grey finish is a distant memory, replaced by a classy brushed-aluminium lid and wristrest.

It’s no lightweight stunner, weighing a plump 2.38kg, but it feels made to last and is a delight to use. There’s a choice of trackpoint and touchpad for mouse pointing, and its keyboard is one of the best around. The layout is spacious and uncluttered, and great feel goes hand in hand with good layout. If you do a lot of typing in your working day, the HP is a fine ally.

Security is high on the 6930p’s agenda, too. Both smartcard and fingerprint readers are built-in as standard and backed by a TPM 1.2 hardware chip. There are plenty of other potentially useful features too, such as a two-megapixel webcam, a 2-in-1 card reader, mini-FireWire and an ExpressCard/54 slot.

The HP’s 3D performance is non-existent – no great issue for a business notebook – but the 6930p comprehensively outperforms the rest of the group elsewhere, with its Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 processor combining power and efficiency with aplomb. A score of 1.27 in our benchmarks is impressive, and when you need to stray from the mains socket, the 6930p rewards with 6hrs 39mins of battery life.

Against the very best, the HP’s 14.1in display fails to excite, but it’s more than ample for its target market. It isn’t the punchiest nor the most vibrant display, but the matte panel keeps reflections from overhead office lights at bay. The 1,280 x 800 pixel resolution isn’t generous either, but we prefer it to the 1,366 x 768 panels on many of the laptops here, especially for work purposes.

HP Compaq’s 6930p is a great laptop for work. There’s stiff competition from Lenovo’s slightly heavier and less portable T500, but if you’re after a business portable that’s a good-looking, capable all-rounder, you can’t go far wrong.

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