HP EliteBook 2530p

Full Review

Latest in HP's series of business laptops, the HP EliteBook 2530p gets a lot of things right. It has a trackpad, similar in class to the one found on Lenovo Thinkpad X301, thereby allowing itself better screen navigation than the others.

Its 12.1-inch non-glossy screen is good, the notebook is well built, and HP even manages to squeeze in a DVD writer in the EliteBook 2530p despite its small form factor. The whole unit weighs 1.8-kg, heavier in comparison to the Samsung X360 and the Dell Latitude E4200. The EliteBook 2530p comes with 1.86-GHz Core 2 Duo ULV SL9400 processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 120GB hard drive.

An attractive contender from HP, the EliteBook 2530p makes a strong case for a well-equipped business ultraportable.

The EliteBook 2530p is based on the Intel Centrino 2 platform, and also incorporates Intel's vPro technology, a feature unique to the EliteBook in our Top 5 Ultraportables. Intel vPro comes in handy for system admins to deploy hardware-assisted security and remote system diagnostic tools. The notebook doesn't miss out on standard connectivity ports, and it comes with a nifty battery indicator on its chassis.

As far as performance is concerned, the EliteBook 2530p scored 77 on WorldBench 6 and the six-cell battery lasted a respectable 4 hours 48 minutes. The keyboard on the EliteBook 2530p is tightly packed but comfortable to work with. It doesn't come with a webcam, unfortunately (no videoconferencing), but there's a small flashlight recessed in its place on the top screen bezel: it comes in handy while typing in the dark or in low-light environments. The non-glossy screen is evenly lit and a joy to work on, and the laptop isn't inconvenient while running on your lap. An attractive contender from HP, the EliteBook 2530p makes a strong case for a well-equipped business ultraportable.

Bottom Line

Part of HP's business ultraportables, the EliteBook 2530p comes with a trackpad, and deploys Intel's vPro technology. Despite being an ultraportable, it comes with a built-in DVD writer, which is commendable.