HP Compaq 6735s review

Clad in matte black, there’s something undeniably stylish about the appearance of the HP Compaq 6735s.

Build quality does feel a tad plasticky, but given that it weighs in at a fairly portable 2.57kg it’s a transgression that’s easily forgiven.

Take a look through the HP’s specifications and its business credentials soon become clear. Gigabit Ethernet rubs shoulders with draft-n wireless, but the killer sign is the inclusion of Windows Vista Business as the OS.

Given this, it’s perhaps surprising that the HP uses an AMD processor rather than Intel – it’s the only manufacturer to make this choice. And, with a score of 0.77 in our application benchmarks, the HP is no speed demon. There’s room for a little expansion, though, with a spare SODIMM socket despite the 2GB of supplied RAM. And HP’s choice of AMD does lead to faster 3D graphics performance, with the integrated ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3200 chip averaging 17 frames per second in our Crysis benchmark – not enough to sate the needs of true gamers, but it certainly shows plenty of after-hours potential.

The keyboard is well laid-out and the keys provide a nice action, which makes for comfortable touch-typing. The trackpad’s texture feels good under finger, and only the hinged buttons give any cause for complaint.

The 15.4in display is pleasant to gaze at too, with a matte finish and the usual 1,280 x 800 resolution. It’s noticeably less bright than the best displays in the group, but overall the quality is more than acceptable.

You won’t be spending too long away from the mains socket. Light usage left the HP deflated after just short of 3hrs 30mins, and the dropped to less than an hour with heavy usage.

As a budget business model the HP has plenty to recommend it, and it even boasts a capable graphics chipset. But it still can’t trump the all-round appeal of the Lenovo ThinkPad, which is well worth the additional £34.