Key Specifications
- Review Price: £1076
- AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 2700U 2.20GHz
- 8GB DDR4 SDRAM
- 256GB SSD
- 14-inch 1920x1080 IPS display
- 1.48kg
What is the HP EliteBook 745 G5?
HP’s EliteBook range of laptops are aimed at demanding executives and on-the-go workers and as such come with a full suite of business features to keep you connected and wherever you may roam. The EliteBook 745 G5 is suited to anyone working in a more sensitive sector, where privacy and security are major factors – this notebook will keep your private bits well and truly private, for peace of mind.
The EliteBook 745 G5 can be picked up in several different SKUs, depending on your personal needs. Our review sample was the 3UP37EA model, which is placed around the middle of the range in terms of price and features.
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As the EliteBook 745 G5 weighs under 2kg, you can easily hold the thing in one hand.
HP EliteBook 745 G5 – Design and Build
HP says that the EliteBook 745 G5 laptop has an ‘ultra-slim design,’ and it certainly is pretty skinny. The 18mm-thin build may not be quite as slender as the LG Gram 15 and, but that means it’s thinner than something like the Asus ZenBook 15.
The 14-inch display is also surrounded by quite chunky bezels, especially above and below, which threatens to push the device into 15.6-inch laptop dimensions. That said, at 1.5kg, the EliteBook 745 G5 is slim and light enough to slip into a backpack and carry around with you all day.
The case is made from aluminium, which features a simple-if-unexciting finish, complete with the minimalist ‘four slashes’ HP logo. While the EliteBook 745 G5 is not a toughened, ruggedised laptop, I couldn’t find any weak spots after much poking and prodding. Every facet of the EliteBook feels nice and solid. I got the impression that if I were to take this on the road with me every day, it would survive most kinds of punishment. The design is very straight-laced, but that’s typical of a business laptop.
HP EliteBook 745 G5 – Screen
If you need something for creative and office tasks, HP’s 14-inch IPS display is up to the job. The Full HD resolution produces quite crisp visuals, while colour accuracy is very respectable too. Almost the complete sRGB gamut is covered (our tests reported 99% coverage overall), while 78% of Adobe RGB is also accounted for. Colour temperature hovers around the ideal mark of 6500K on most brightness levels, rising only once you hit 80% brightness and above.
Unfortunately, lighting is a major issue. On top brightness, the EliteBook 745 G5 doesn’t quite hit 200 nits, which is sub par, and literally pales in comparison to the HP EliteBook 1050 G1, which gives out an excellent peak brightness of over 600 nits.
I had no issues with visibility when working indoors, in ambient lighting. As soon as I tried moving outdoors however, I immediately gave up. Even with the anti-glare finish, I struggled to see anything that was going on. This low brightness also results in a less-than-stellar contrast ratio, reported at just 710:1 in my tests.
HP EliteBook 745 G5 – Audio
For the audio, this HP laptop packs in dual stereo speakers with some Bang & Olufsen branding. Sound is fired out of the slender grille which stretches across the EliteBook, just above the keyboard. In terms of volume it’s fine, although high end noises sound tinny and distorted at full volume. I also had no issues with the built-in mic when chatting online. This picked up my voice clearly and cleanly, even in fairly noisy environments.
HP EliteBook 745 G5 – Performance
Windows 10 Home is the OS of choice and this ran well on the EliteBook, even with a heap of HP’s own apps and software slapped on top. Many of these apps, such as JumpStart, are the usual fluffy nonsense that we’d rather do without. However, those security conscious users will appreciate HP’s Sure Start feature. This forces a password entry before Windows is even loaded, on top of the usual Microsoft account security.
Our review model came with AMD’s Ryzen 7 Pro 2700U chipset running the show, the most premium processor on offer with the 745. If your budget is a bit tighter, you can opt for the less powerful Ryzen 3 Pro 2300U or 5 Pro 2500U platform instead.
In our benchmark tests, the EliteBook didn’t surprise. It’s not as strong as some rivals such as the LG gram and Dell’s XPS 15, but beats off competition from the Lenovo IdeaPad 720s.
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