We are talking about yet another budget laptop today and that is the HP 255 G8. To start with the least, this HP laptop promises to deliver more than a mediocre performance. With its AMD processor instead of the usual Intel one, the laptop is all set to hit vast productivity.
While everyone else is mostly on the mania of premium looking, stylish yet affordable laptops, the HP 255 prefers a simplistic look. The build looks robust enough while from the style perspective it’s basic and unsimilar to its old model. One factor about the laptop remains to be its easy configuration options and more upgradable choices.
This laptop primarily defines itself to be one of the HP business laptops that can manage professional tasks on the go. Our HP 255 G8 review will assimilate the best and not the best features, and specs that this device has to offer.
Table of Contents
HP 255 G8 Specs
Processor: AMD Ryzen 5
6 in Screen Size
Screen Resolution: 1920 x 1080
RAM: 8 GB
Storage: 256 GB SSD
GPU: AMD Radeon
OS: Windows 10
Connectivity: HDMI, USB 2.0, USB 3.1
Weight: 1.78 kg
Build Quality & Design
When we had the very first look on the HP 255 G8, the design seemed standard, sleek and durable. If feels like there would not be any major issue even when you drop it accidentally. Right when you hold it, you can feel the weight to be significantly lighter than its previous model. The weight of this HP laptop is kept around 1.7 kgs, which means you are going to have a portable machine. To be on point, the device is 40 grams lighter than its prior version and you can carry it more often with you.
The material surface and build are all plastic, and no instance of aluminium can be found if you try looking it out. But, from the overview, the design still exhibits a somewhat slim and polished look. The keyboard doesn’t have any backlight, but the long key travel makes it one of the good keyboards. As compared to many expensive models, the keyboard delivers a good typing experience with its clicky feedback. The touchpad, however, gives a little harder time with its tracking and you cannot glide your fingers as smoothly as many other laptops.
Battery
The 41 Wh battery power included in this laptop is a good sign that you will get a sufficient battery capacity. With an average brightness, the laptop is able to last longer than 6 hours, which is near 7 hours. In case you keep your laptop at video playback, it sustains until 6 hours and some more minutes. So, the laptop is able to prevail half of the day so even if you are in your working hours, it is acceptable.
Performance
The laptop uses AMD Ryzen 5 processor in its hardware that has the base speed frequency of 2.1 GHz. The maximum turbo speed that it can each in intervals is around 3.7 GHz for advanced operations. If we talk about the real scores and speeds that this AMD processor can perform, the results were not disappointing. It was able to handle multitasking when we opened several windows and also ran an editing software along. The 8GB RAM included in the system does well for multiple tasks with a good hard drive speed. Plus, the storage of 256GB comes with a solid-state drive which means your speed will automatically have a great boost. Saving, uploading and executing files become easier with SSD option.
Software and Graphics
There are no dedicated graphics in the laptop but also no big complains as the laptop does good with the price. However, you will come across a slightly different GPU setting in this laptop with AMD Radeon graphics. They are known for creative visuals and better vivid colours on the screen. We enjoyed watching our favourite Netflix shows and YouTube videos. The software installed is the Windows 10 which you will find to be pretty common and user friendly. So, if you were already fond of this OS it is a good insertion for you in this laptop.
Display
The display of the HP 255 G8 is accommodated with 15.6-inch screen and a full HD Resolution of 1920 x 1080. There is also blue light emission used in the panel for lesser eye strain and better viewpoint. But unfortunately, the panel used in the display is TN, which we would not prefer especially in 2021. But the good thing here is that HP allows you to upgrade it and replace it with IPS panel. The contrast ratio of the screen is 16:9 and the maximum brightness you can get from it is around 294 nits.
Verdict
On the whole, the HP 255 G8 delivers what it mentions on paper, but the performance is not the prominent factor here. You will enjoy a lighter build, a nicer keyboard and good ports collection. The AMD combination with Windows and SSD storage is nice but not great. If we compare it with the price, its good to have this much in this budget. So, it’s a decent value for money overall.
