4430s-XU013UT

Balancing for business. HP’s latest laptop in the ProBook S-series aims to balance form, function and specifications for professional users on a budget. Does it combine these demands into a solid business laptop?acer aspire 5100 battery

It’s always hard to be a business laptop. Unlike their counterparts on either end of the cost-value spectrum, business laptops usually have to navigate an uneasy balance between cost and features. acer aspire 5920 battery

After all, users might expect lower specs from a 10.1-inch netbook or extra weight on a 17-inch desktop replacement, but when a laptop falls right in between, users can be difficult to please (it can’t be too heavy or have low specs or short battery life or…).acer aspire 5050 battery

For consumers, laptops such as the HP ProBook 4430s are a perfect example of this dilemma. Touting a 14-inch display and a starting price of $579 USD, the ProBook 4430s has its sights set towards budget-conscious business users who don’t want to be shortchanged on features or aesthetics. Can it pass the test? Read on to find out.acer aspire one battery

Visually, the ProBook 4430s is fairly minimalistic. Like the rest of HP’s ProBook line, the 4430s features brushed aluminum on the keyboard and most of the display. The combination of greys and black throughout the ProBook 4430s’ chassis gives it a sharp, if unassuming appearance.acer aspire 5670 battery

Besides lending the ProBook 4430s aesthetic appeal, the metal keyboard deck also provides extra durability. The brushed aluminum easily resists smudges or fingerprints and is surprisingly dense. Even after applying moderate pressure to the keyboard’s palm rests, the ProBook 4430s’ body provided little give.acer aspire 9800 battery

The laptop’s display is constructed in a similarly straightforward fashion. As with notebooks such as Apple’s MacBook line, the ProBook doesn’t rely on any hinges to secure the display to the rest of the computer when it’s folded up, which makes it much easier to open. acer aspire 5100 battery

Additionally, the display relies on seven black rubber stoppers to keep it distanced from the keyboard deck. The stoppers are spaced out well enough to be relatively unobtrusive and set against the display’s black plastic trim, they’re even harder to notice.acer aspire 5101 battery

In a nice touch for users fond of keeping coffee or other drinks close by, the ProBook 4430s also touts a spill-resistant keyboard – a layer of mylar film keeps liquid contained within the keyboard and away from any components that could be damaged.acer aspire 3610 battery

Additionally, users interested in doing upgrades by themselves will find much to like in the 4430s. On the laptop’s underside, the battery installation hinges also hold the back cover in place. acer travelmate 8204wlmi battery

Once you release these hinges, the back cover comes off as a single unit, which gives you access to the entire motherboard, including the hard drive and RAM bays. If you want to customize your 4430s’ internal components, having a screwdriver free installation process is always a plus.acer travelmate 8200 battery

Elsewhere on the laptop’s chassis, though, it’s easy to see where cost-conscious decisions were made. The ProBook 4430s bottom, display casing and side all rely on varying styles on plastic, though this isn’t necessarily a downside - along the display and side of the computer, the dark grey trimming pairs nicely with the rest of the computer’s color scheme. acer travelmate 2420 battery

The laptop’s underside does rely on the same thin grade of plastic that’s typically found on budget-grade laptops, which doesn’t provide the best durability – portions of the bottom case flexed considerably when we applied light amounts of pressure.acer ferrari 5000 battery

Beyond this, though, we had few issues with the ProBook 4430s’ build quality. It’s solidly constructed and aesthetically pleasing, but for obvious reasons, we’d avoid having the laptop take too big of a drop.acer aspire 5920 battery

The ProBook 4430s carries a surprisingly full-featured set of ports for mobile connectivity. Besides standards such as VGA and HDMI ports, the laptop also touts an ExpressCard slot, a single USB 3.0 port and, inexplicably, an RJ-11 jack on certain models. On the ProBook 4430s’ chassis, generous spacing is provided in between each port to prevent excessive cable clutter. acer aspire 7520 battery

If you’ll frequently be plugging multiple types of devices into the ProBook’s USB ports, though, space can be tight. Plugging two iPod USB cables into a pair of USB ports left virtually no extra space – thumb drives or larger USB-based devices will definitely have to be divided between the pair of USB ports on the opposite side of the laptop.acer aspire 5610 battery

Along with expected Ethernet and 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi compatibility, the ProBook also features support for Bluetooth 3.0-based devices. A hotkey on the upper right-hand corner of the keyboard dock also allows you to automatically enable or disable the laptop’s Wi-Fi and Bluetooth receivers.acer aspire 5050 battery

Users can also boot into HP’s QuickWeb, a Linux-based instant-on application that provides access to a web browser,acer travelmate 6292 battery email and other assorted utilities. QuickWeb’s user interface can take some time to get used to – with its reliance on widgets for services such as Twitter and CNN, the general experience feels closer to operating a mobile device – but the application works extremely well. acer aspire 3680 battery

We were able to boot into QuickWeb and hop online in less than a minute. Additionally, setting up our wireless network credentials only required us to open a simple configuration window. Business users operating under a tight deadline will likely find much to like within QuickWeb.acer travelmate 2480 battery