Microsoft HP 15.6" 2024 Review

So you're looking at the HP 15.6" Business Laptop, a $550 machine that comes with Windows 11 Pro and a free copy of Microsoft Office. That's a solid deal if you just need a basic computer for documents, emails, and web browsing. It's got a 15.6-inch touchscreen, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD, which is a lot of storage for the price. People searching for a cheap laptop for work or school will find the specs on paper look pretty good.

But here's the thing you need to know right away: the screen is the biggest compromise. That 1366x768 resolution on a 15.6-inch panel is low, even for a budget laptop. Text and images won't look sharp, and you'll see a lot of screen bezel. It's also not particularly light or compact for its size. So, while the price and included software are attractive, you're making some big trade-offs to get there.

Performance is exactly what you'd expect from a budget Intel 1215U CPU and integrated graphics. Our benchmarks put the CPU in the 19th percentile, which means it's fine for basic tasks but will struggle with anything more. Opening a dozen browser tabs, working on a big spreadsheet, and running a video call at the same time might push it to its limits. The Intel UHD Graphics land in the 42nd percentile, so don't even think about gaming or video editing. It scored a 10 out of 100 for gaming, which tells you everything.

The 16GB of RAM is a bright spot, helping with multitasking, and the 1TB SSD is fast for booting up and loading programs. But the overall system is built for light duty. If your workflow is just Word, Excel, and Chrome, it'll get the job done. Just don't ask for more.

At $550, the value proposition is a mixed bag. The inclusion of Office and the 1TB SSD are strong arguments. However, you're paying for those by accepting a terrible screen and mediocre overall performance. If your budget is absolutely fixed at $550 and you need Office, it's a contender. But if you can stretch your budget by even $100-$150, you'll find options with much better 1080p screens and faster processors that will be more enjoyable to use for years.

Let's talk competitors. The ASUS Zenbook Duo is in another league for productivity with its dual-screen design, but it costs much more. For a more direct budget comparison, look at Lenovo's IdeaPad line or Acer's Aspire series. You can often find models with 1080p screens, similar RAM and storage, and Ryzen 5 or Intel Core i5 processors for not much more money. They'll feel significantly faster and look much better. Even a base model Apple MacBook Air (M1), if you can find it on sale, destroys this HP in performance, battery life, and screen quality, though it costs more and doesn't include Office. The HP wins on upfront software cost but loses on almost every hardware metric.

Should you buy this? Only in a very specific scenario. If you need a Windows laptop with Microsoft Office right now, your budget is locked at $550, and you absolutely do not care about screen quality, this HP gets you the software and storage. For everyone else, the answer is probably no. That screen is a deal-breaker for daily use. You'll be happier saving a bit longer for a laptop with a 1080p display. It's a basic machine that gets foundational things wrong, and that's hard to overlook, even at a low price.