Finding the perfect 17-inch laptop is difficult. The laptops are either too expensive, have terrible battery life, or still carry around displays from the early 2000's. However, with HP’s newest release of the HP 17-cn0021nr, you can finally find what you are looking for!
This laptop features a Core i5 processor, 256 GB of SSD storage, and a solid battery life amongst its most prominent points. All, at a very reasonable and budget-friendly price point.
But, will this laptop be enough to meet all of your needs? That's what we're here to find out! Let's get cracking!
Who's it for?
=> Students: This laptop is a perfect choice for students who need ample screen real estate with its great multitasking abilities and its amazing battery life.
=> Power Users: Do you need to rely on your computer for many tasks at once? This could be a perfect fit for you.
=> Professionals/Businessmen: This laptop will be able to help you get your work done faster while also keeping a low profile (thanks to its amazing battery life).
Who's it NOT for?
=> Gamers: While this laptop will be able to run some games, it does not meet the standards most gamers have.
=> Casual Users: This is a relatively powerful device that will help you get your work done fast but might not be the best choice if you're looking for a simple machine. This set of users would be better off with a Chromebook or a cheaper 17-inch Windows laptop. Related: Chromebooks - The Good, the Bad & The Ugly
Design
We appreciate the fact that it's relatively thin, measuring 0.78 inches, whilst the weight is notably heavier than your standard 15-inch models, weighing in at 4.6 pounds.
Display
Perhaps the most significant deterrent of this laptop is the fact that it features an HD+ display, which is another way of saying it's got a 1600 by 900 pixel resolution. These days when most laptops in this price range will feature a Full HD display - at least when you look at the 15-inch models - we were quite surprised to find what's essentially an HD resolution over here.
Other than that, colors are fine and it's not like you're going to have an awful viewing experience but it's quite clear that this laptop was not designed with visual professionals in mind - though we could've guessed that when looking at the GPU -.
It's alright to stream movies and the likes but we definitely would've appreciated HP go with a Full HD display instead.
Keyboard and trackpad
The keyboard is fine, providing a comfortable typing experience overall. It's also a fully-fledged keyboard, in the sense that there's a full numeric pad on the side - a benefit of having a full-sized laptop -.
However, it's not backlit. If you're a touch typist then that's fine but if you need to look at your keys before each stroke then you should know that you'll have to use this laptop in well-lit environments.
The trackpad is also fine. It gets the job done as it's responsive and there are no accidental clicks - something that most users will definitely appreciate.
It's also worth noting that it supports multi-touch gestures, which is always a welcome sight to see on any device nowadays.
Performance
Finally! We've arrived at the raison d'être for this review! We want to know what's up with the performance! On that front, we must say that we're rather happy with the HP 17-cn0021nr.
Specifically, this model boasts an 11th Generation Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor with four cores, 8 GB of RAM - that you can upgrade - and 256 GB of SSD storage.
But what does this all mean in terms of everyday performance? What can I expect from this laptop?
Well, the i5 processor will keep up with your everyday tasks as it packs in a decent 2.4 GHz base clock speed and can really go all out up to 4.2 GHz when pressed for more demanding tasks such as editing pictures.
As far as the RAM is concerned, 8 GB of RAM will allow for a comfortable multitasking experience.
It's not what we'd recommend for power-hungry professionals who need to have dozens of tabs open and several programs running on the background, but for a relatively standard user it will be enough - and you can upgrade it if you find yourself needing more down the line-.
Finally, the SSD storage means that you'll be able to load your applications and games in seconds, without having to wait for long times. Of course, 256 GB is a relatively small amount of storage space but you can always upgrade it if needed.
As far as everyday performance goes, we must say that the HP 17-cn0021nr packs an overall punch. You'll be able to do your everyday tasks and even some demanding editing jobs - though we wouldn't recommend doing this on a regular basis or for extended periods of time -.
Graphics and battery life
Graphics on this notebook are provided by an integrated Intel Iris XE Graphics chip. This is a powerful integrated chip, capable of running relatively demanding games if you lower the settings but don't expect to be able to play on high or ultra graphics settings - not in recent titles, at least.
As far as battery life is concerned, HP claims to deliver up to 8 hours on this machine. Sure, 8-hours is definitely doable, but our extensive experience in the field has taught us to take the manufacturer's claims on battery life and slice them by 30%, meaning that if HP promises 8 hours, 5-6 hours would be a far more achievable number. Still respectable considering we're talking about a 17-inch model over here.
Also, HP has implemented fast-charging capabilities on this unit, meaning we can have 50% of the battery up and running in just 45 minutes, now that's impressive.
Connectivity Options
Finally, as we start to wrap up this review of the HP 17-cn0021nr we reach the connectivity segment of the review.
On this front, we must admit to being slightly disappointed. We understand when a 14-inch convertible such as the recently reviewed HP 14a-ca0022nr doesn't have several ports, but a 17-inch laptop with limited ports is just asking to be reprehended!
Specifically, it features a couple of USB Type-A ports, a single USB Type-C port, an HDMI port, and an audio jack. That's it. No SD card reader. No Ethernet Port.
Fortunately for us, the laptop does feature a solid wireless connectivity suite, with dual-band WiFi 6 - which is up to 3 times faster than the previous WiFi 5 standard -.as well as Bluetooth 5.0.
There's also a webcam over there that gets the job done.
Bottom line: Is the HP 17-cn0021nr a good choice?
If you are looking for a 17-inch laptop that will deliver on the essentials and you can overlook the fact that this display doesn't feature a Full HD resolution, then HP's latest model should be at the top of your list.
The i5 processor combined with 8 GB RAM and 256GB SSD storage makes this one of our favorite laptops in its class.
Graphics might not be as good as some more expensive competitors but battery life is respectable and connectivity options are just enough to get by without being too limited or complicated. Throw in fast charging capabilities and we think it’s safe to say; you can't go wrong with an HP!