HP 15.6-inch Budget Laptop Review UK 2024

The HP 15.6-inch Budget Laptop represents HP’s attempt to deliver a usable Windows machine at supermarket pricing. After a fortnight of daily use, I’ve tested whether this £250 laptop can genuinely serve as a primary device or if it’s destined to gather dust in a cupboard. With 128GB storage and Intel UHD graphics, this machine makes significant compromises to hit that price point.

What HP has delivered here is essentially a Chromebook competitor running Windows. The Full HD display and HP Fast Charge technology are the headline features, whilst the eco-friendly materials tick corporate responsibility boxes without impacting daily use. The inclusion of Intel UHD graphics enables basic media consumption but nothing beyond lightweight casual gaming.

Brightness measured at approximately 220 nits using a calibrated meter. That’s acceptable for indoor use but noticeably dim compared to premium laptops that hit 300-500 nits. Colour accuracy sits around 62% sRGB coverage, which translates to slightly washed-out colours. You’ll notice this watching films or viewing photographs, but for everyday tasks it’s perfectly adequate.

Viewing angles are typical TN-adjacent quality. Tilt the screen back too far and contrast shifts noticeably. The 60Hz refresh rate is standard and perfectly fine for productivity work. I wouldn’t recommend this display for photo editing or colour-critical work, but for the target audience, it punches well above its weight. Compared to the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook, this HP offers better resolution at a similar price point.

Windows 11 in S Mode helps manage the limited resources by restricting installations to Microsoft Store apps. This frustrates power users but genuinely improves performance and security for the target audience. You can switch out of S Mode permanently for free, but doing so noticeably impacts system responsiveness. I’d recommend staying in S Mode unless you absolutely need specific desktop applications.

The UFS storage delivers read speeds around 480MB/s, which feels noticeably snappier than the eMMC storage in similarly priced machines. Boot times hover around 18 seconds, and application launches are acceptably quick for lightweight software. The 128GB capacity is the real problem. After installing Microsoft Office and a few essential applications, you’re left with minimal space for documents and media.

Gaming performance is limited to very casual titles. Minecraft runs at 30-40fps on low settings. Browser-based games work fine. Anything requiring dedicated graphics is off the table. The Intel UHD graphics can handle 4K video playback as advertised, though the laptop gets warm and the fan spins up noticeably. For comparison, the HP Ryzen 3 Laptop offers substantially better performance at a modest price increase. If you need genuine gaming capability, machines like the ASUS ROG Strix 16 Gaming Laptop deliver dedicated graphics and high-refresh displays, though at significantly higher price points. For a more focused gaming experience, consider the HP Victus 15 Gaming Laptop, which offers enhanced graphics and performance tailored for gaming enthusiasts.

Thermal management is adequate. The laptop gets warm around the keyboard area during sustained loads but never uncomfortably hot. The fan is audible but not intrusive. HP’s cooling solution keeps temperatures within acceptable ranges, though you’ll experience thermal throttling during extended intensive tasks. According to Notebookcheck benchmarks, similar Intel N-series processors typically throttle after 10-15 minutes of sustained load.

Video playback stretches to approximately 7 hours when streaming 1080p content at 40% brightness. Local playback adds another 30 minutes or so. Web browsing on lighter websites achieves similar results, though media-heavy sites with autoplay videos drain the battery noticeably faster. The modest 220-nit display helps efficiency here.

HP Fast Charge technology genuinely delivers as advertised. A 45-minute charge session takes the battery from dead to approximately 48-52%, which provides enough juice for a few hours of work. Full charges take just under 2 hours. The 45W charger is reasonably compact, though not as small as modern USB-C GaN chargers. It uses HP’s proprietary barrel connector rather than USB-C charging.

Battery life won’t get you through a full workday without topping up, but it’s adequate for students moving between lectures or casual users working from cafés for a few hours. The efficient processor helps, though the modest battery capacity prevents this from being an all-day machine like the MacBook Air M4 with its exceptional 15+ hour runtime.

The hinge mechanism is surprisingly decent. It holds the screen position reliably and doesn’t wobble when typing. You need two hands to open the laptop as the hinge tension exceeds the base weight. The silver-grey finish shows fingerprints readily but resists scratches reasonably well. After two weeks of daily use, the chassis shows minimal wear.

Port selection covers the basics: two USB-A 3.2 ports, one USB-C (data only, no charging), HDMI 1.4, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and an SD card reader. The lack of USB-C charging disappoints, as it means carrying HP’s proprietary charger. The SD card reader provides welcome expandability given the limited internal storage. The placement is sensible with ports split between left and right sides.

Layout is sensible with a full-size numeric keypad included. Key spacing is standard, and the Enter key is properly sized. The lack of backlighting is expected at this price but limits usability in dim environments. Key legends are clear and should resist wear reasonably well. Noise levels are acceptable with quiet, muted keypresses.

The trackpad uses basic Windows drivers rather than Microsoft Precision Touchpad technology. This means gesture support is limited and tracking accuracy suffers compared to premium laptops. Two-finger scrolling works but occasionally stutters. Three and four-finger gestures are absent. The plastic surface has a textured finish that provides adequate finger glide without feeling premium.

Click mechanism uses a diving board design with stiffer clicks at the top and easier clicks near the bottom. The integrated buttons feel cheap with hollow-sounding clicks. Palm rejection works adequately but isn’t perfect. For basic cursor movement and occasional clicking, it’s acceptable. Anyone doing extensive trackpad work should consider an external mouse.

The dual-microphone array captures acceptable audio for video calls. Background noise rejection is minimal, so you’ll want a quiet environment. Audio quality is tinny but intelligible. The lack of a physical privacy shutter disappoints, though you can use tape or a webcam cover. No Windows Hello support means you’re stuck with passwords or PINs for authentication.

The speakers suffice for system notifications, video call audio, and occasional YouTube videos when you’ve forgotten your headphones. Anything beyond that warrants using the 3.5mm headphone jack or Bluetooth audio. The jack produces clean output without noticeable hiss or interference. Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity works reliably with headphones and speakers.

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook offers substantially better battery life and smoother performance for web-based tasks at £50 more. You sacrifice Windows compatibility but gain a more responsive experience for typical student workloads. The ASUS Chromebook Plus 15 CX1505 steps up to an Intel Core i3 processor with excellent battery life, though at £100 more than this HP.

If you need Windows and better performance, the HP Ryzen 3 Laptop delivers significantly more processing power and typically includes 8GB RAM and 256GB storage for around £130 more. That extra investment provides a noticeably better experience for multitasking and productivity work. The AMD Ryzen 3 processor offers roughly double the performance of the Intel N-series chip in this budget HP.

For users who can stretch to £500-600, the Apple MacBook Air M3 represents a different category entirely with exceptional performance, all-day battery life, and premium build quality. It’s not a fair comparison price-wise, but worth considering if you can save longer or find refurbished deals.

The 128GB storage limitation is the critical factor. If you can work primarily in the cloud using Google Drive, OneDrive, or similar services, the limited local storage becomes manageable. Install Microsoft Office, a web browser, and a few utilities, and you’ll hover around 30-40GB free space. That’s enough for thousands of documents and emails but not much room for photos, videos, or large applications.

Windows 11 in S Mode suits users who stick to mainstream applications available through the Microsoft Store. The performance and security benefits outweigh the flexibility loss for many budget laptop buyers. Power users who need specific desktop applications should factor in the performance hit from switching out of S Mode or consider spending more on a machine with better specifications.

This isn’t suitable for anyone needing genuine multitasking capability, media editing, programming, or gaming beyond the most casual titles. The 4GB RAM and modest processor simply can’t handle demanding workloads. Similarly, the limited storage makes this impractical as a primary machine for users with large media libraries or extensive software needs.