HP 17-BY1053DX Review - my buying guide

During this day and age, with the pandemic wrecking havoc all over the world, the ‘work from home’ trend has taken a boost and so people are looking for a device that doesn’t cost a fortune and gets the job done. To end the search for these people, HP has introduced the HP 17-BY1053DX, a device for low end users under the $600 mark. HP 17-by1053dx offers a 17.3’’ HD display, 8GB RAM, 256 PCIe SSD storage accompanied by a CD ROM, and a SD card reader.

PROS & CONS

DESIGN

One of the biggest selling point of the HP 17-BY1053DX is that despite being a 17.3” laptop, it hardly weighs anything. The device weighs in at just 0.81 pounds, which allows the device to be easily transported or hung over the shoulder without feeling a thing. On the other hand being a 17.3” laptop, you will need a large bag to put it in, which does affect the portability of the laptop. The body is made out of good quality plastic, which helps to reduce the weight as well as keep the laptop cool during use. The design overall is excellent and it doesn’t let slip that it’s a laptop under budget. The laptop is available in a stylish jet black color accompanied by an amazing Maglia pattern.

CONNECTIVITY

There is 1 USB 2.0 port and 2 USB 3.0 ports present in the device. Unfortunately there is no type C port available, which is a bit surprising. On the other hand fortunately the Kensington lock is provided on the right hand side of the laptop, which is highly useful when you are using your device in a public place (as it protects your laptop from being stolen). Fortunately HP has also added a SD card reader, so you can expand your storage without having to replace your SSD. Surprisingly a CD drive is also present on the right side of the device, which can prove useful when transferring data to or from a CD

SPEAKERS

This laptop has two built-in top firing speakers. Top firing speakers are louder and don’t require any specific type of surface to be placed on in order to work perfectly (as is the case with bottom firing speakers) . The performance of the speaker is merely adequate so you are advised to use external speakers or headphones for the best experience.

WEBCAM

The device makes use of the HP webcam with an integrated digital microphone. The quality of its webcam is good enough for video chatting but not good enough for video conferencing or meetings. You will need to buy an external webcam or spend a few extra bucks on a laptop with a better webcam.

KEYBOARD/MOUSEPAD

If we talk about the keyboard, the keyboard is of great quality, the keys are well spaced (which helps in avoiding unintended preses) and comfortable to use for extended periods of time without causing any sort of strain on the wrist. The mousepad is centered and comfortable to use, HP has installed buttons on the mousepad to easily register right and left clicks.

DISPLAY

This model has a 1600x900p VA display. VA panels have great viewing angles, greater maximum brightness and color reproduction as compared to TN panels. The bezels are quite thin, which means more viewing area. The display is a glossy screen type meaning it is easier to clean as compared to matte screen type but regretfully glossy screen type doesn’t have glare handling capability, which means working outdoors can be a difficult task.. The display lid of this laptop can be pushed up to 180 degrees. Sadly this model is not touchscreen capable, but it doesn’t come as a surprise as laptops at this price range are rarely touchsceen capable .

Storage

HDD/SSD

The HP 17-by1053DX uses a 256 SSD as its primary storage. SSDs are faster, lighter and cooler than both HDD and eMMC. 256GB will prove to be enough for day to day tasks such as writing documents, light gaming, editing etc. However if you want to run heavy softwares or love to store movies or shows on your device then 256Gb might feel insufficient. Fortunately the SSD can be upgraded all the way up to 8 TB’s.

RAM

8GB DDR4 SDRAM is offered by HP in this specific model. DDR4 RAM’s are faster than its predecessor the DDR3 RAM’s. The RAM is, fortunately, upgradeable if 8GB isn’t enough for the user.If you intend on using heavy softwares or games then it is highly recommended to upgrade the RAM to at least 16GB’s.

PERFORMANCE

The HP 17-BY1053DX plays host to the 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8265U dual core mobile processor (boosted up to 1.6 GHz). The processor is sufficient for casual day to day use, along with light multitasking and entry to mid level gaming. Talking about gaming, this laptop uses the integrated ‎Intel HD Graphics 620. Which is sufficient for light games like Roblox, GTA III etc, however the graphics card isn’t powerful enough to run heavy games like Fortnite or GTA V, which is expected given the fact that it is not a gaming laptop.Sadly the processor does start to heat up when the processor is put under pressure which can lead to your laptop freezing or crashing mid use. To counter this issue a cooling fan is offered but on occasion the fan unfortunately does get loud and irritating

BATTERY LIFE

The HP 17-BY1053DX has one Lithium Polymer AAA battery installed. The battery can power your laptop for about 5 to 6 hours, which is enough to get you through your work day but won’t last while travelling long distances so it is strongly advised that you bring the charger as well if you intend on travelling long distances with this model..

BUY IT IF

An everyday use laptop
Light photo/video editing
Light gaming
Binge watching

DON’T BUY IT IF

Require long battery life
Intensive gaming or editing