HP ProBook 635 Aero G7 review: Lightweight and secure

The HP ProBook 635 Aero G7 ticks all the boxes for a business laptop and then some. This 13.3-inch notebook offers long battery life, is lightweight, and has a capable eight-core AMD chip. More importantly, it comes with security and management features that will delight IT administrators.

Quick specs

13.3-inch Full-HD display with integrated privacy screen
AMD Ryzen 7 4700U chip with 16GB system memory
Around 1kg
53 watt-hour battery

The ProBook is said to be the lightest AMD-based business laptop. It has a starting weight of 0.99kg, thanks to an all-metal chassis made from magnesium and aluminium. My review set, which has the larger 53 watt-hour battery (there's a lighter 42Wh option), is around 1.1kg. The notebook is not the thinnest I have tested, but it is as sleek as most consumer models. Unlike some notebooks, the front edge of the ProBook does not cut into my palms when resting on the palmrest.

The ProBook has both a fingerprint sensor and an infrared Windows Hello facial recognition camera (with a privacy shutter). Or you can set up other authentication methods, such as a Bluetooth device or security questions via the preloaded HP Client Security app. This app also lets you configure other HP security features such as Sure Start (self-healing BIOS) and Sure Recover (system recovery). But the most noticeable security feature is Sure View Reflect, an integrated privacy screen. Press F2 to enable it, which turns the screen dimmer. In addition, someone next to you is unlikely to see the contents of the screen because the viewing angle is also severely reduced. Bad news: Even with Sure View Reflect disabled, the screen's viewing angles and overall visibility are worse than a standard IPS display. In short, the ProBook's screen can be hard to make out when used outdoors in the day.

Other features that make the ProBook suited for business users: A comfortable backlit keyboard that doesn't feel mushy, good wireless connectivity (Wi-Fi 6 and optional LTE) and a useful selection of ports (two USB Type-A, HDMI and a USB-C). What I did not expect was the ProBook's dual, front-facing speakers, which are surprisingly competent for a laptop.

Powering the HP ProBook 635 Aero G7 is an AMD Ryzen 7 4700U chip that managed a PCMark 10 score of 4,611. This is just slightly behind the Razer Book 13 (4909), which comes with a newer Intel processor. More importantly, the ProBook did not run as warm as the Razer ultrabook in benchmarks. The former was also fairly quiet. Battery life was very good at around 8hr 20min with the screen set to maximum brightness. Overall, the Probook is a solid business laptop. While HP is targeting SMBs for the ProBook, it is also available online for consumers at Shopee and Lazada for around S$2,500 (with Ryzen 7). HP's online store offers a lower-end Ryzen 5 version at just under $2,000, but it is currently out of stock.

Note: Review unit provided by HP.

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