[Review] HP 14-fq1025nr: Shut up and take my Money!

Finding the perfect mid-range laptop can be a grueling task. You need to find a device that offers great productivity and performance yet doesn't empty out your bank account in the process.

Enter, the HP 14-fq1025nr. Few times do we find a mid-range laptop that offers such a perfect balance of specs and performance at such a competitive price point. Sure, the laptop doesn't feature lots of bells and whistles but it delivers a solid performance on day to day tasks thanks to its AMD Ryzen 5 processor, 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. Couple that with a Full HD display and ample battery life and you've got yourself a laptop that means business.

Without further ado, today we uncover everything there is to know about this notebook as we set out on our review of the HP 14-fq1025nr.

Who's it for?

=>Students: If you're on a budget and need a laptop that can hold its own without hurting your wallet and give you a solid battery life to save you from carrying the charger everywhere you go then this notebook is perfect for you.

=>Professionals: This laptop is equally suited for professionals, whether your job entails writing articles and reports, managing accounts and editing documents. The HP 14-fq1025nr will do everything you need with ease.

=> Casual users: Even if you're not a power user or demanding gamer, the newest HP laptop is still more than capable of satisfying your demands as it will allow you to browse the web and stream movies with ease.

HP 14-fq1025nr Design, Display & Keyboard

In terms of design we can't say that HP's latest venture surprises us. In fact, it's almost identical to the HP 15-ef1020nr and HP 15-ef2025nr we covered in the last few weeks. Meaning you've got your standard silver design with a brushed metal appearance on the palm rests.

This is not a high-end notebook and therefore don't expect a metalic build. It's built out of hard plastic. It's still good however and doesn't give out the "flimsy vibe" cheaper notebooks often deliver.

Moving onto the display, this is perhaps where HP has delivered the biggest surprise. Unlike most of the company's laptops within this price range, it features a 14-inch Full HD display, meaning that the resolution stands at 1920 by 1080 pixels and not 1386 by 768 pixels like most of its sibilings.

Finally, the keyboard is your standard chiclet keyboard with good key travel distance to produce a comfortable typing experience. Unfortunately, there's no backlight, something that's worth noting since some users find it rather fundamental.

Performance

While we appreciate the Full HD display, it's a pointless feature if there isn't a good set of internals backing it up. Fortunately for us, HP has us covered and this model features everything we could ask for on a mid-range laptop.

Specifically, we've got a powerful AMD Ryzen 5 5500U that features six cores and a base clock speed of 2.1 GHz. If you've always had Intel laptops this would be the equivalent in performance to an Intel Core i5 laptop.

Specifically, as per Geekbench results this CPU has multi-core score of 4368, while the quad-core 11th generation Intel Core i5 features a multi-core score of just above 4200. That's some serious power.

Couple that with 8 GB of DDR4 RAM and a generous 256 GB worth of SSD storage and you've got yourself all the ingredients necessary for this laptop to quickly climb the charts and become one of the most popular mid-range options in the market - as long as it sticks to its compelling price -.

What's more, you can even upgrade the RAM on the HP 14-fq1025nr by adding another 8 GB stick of DDR4 RAM or go as far as implement two 16 GB sticks of RAM for a whoppping 32 GB of memory.

In any case, with its built-in set of specs it's quite clear that we're talking about a solid performer as its buyers can attest to.

Overall, you'll be able to use this laptop on anything from browsing the web, editing documents, streaming movies, programming and even doing some light photoshop sessions. Ultimately, we're talking about a laptop that's fit to cover the needs of roughly 99% of all users, only leaving out hardcore gamers and graphic designers who need a dedicated graphics card to achieve top performance.

What Are Customers Saying?

Customers generally have positive feedback about the HP 14-fq1025nr laptop, with a few minor concerns mentioned. One of the standout features is the laptop's overall performance, which is considered impressive for its price range. The AMD Ryzen 5 5500U processor and 8GB of RAM provide smooth multitasking and speedy operation, making it suitable for everyday tasks like web browsing, word processing, and light gaming. The 14-inch display is bright and clear, enhancing the user experience for work and entertainment.

Customers appreciate the laptop's lightweight design, which makes it convenient for portability. The keyboard is comfortable to type on, and the build quality of the laptop is generally considered good. Users also mention that the laptop stays relatively cool during use, eliminating the need for an additional cooling pad.

While there are a few concerns raised by customers, such as screen settings and touchpad smoothness, they have found workarounds and solutions to address these issues. Adjusting the screen settings and adding a touchpad cover or skin can improve the user experience. Additionally, some customers have upgraded the RAM to 16GB, further enhancing the laptop's performance.

Overall, customers find the HP 14-fq1025nr to be a decent, practical, all-around laptop that offers good value for the price. It is a reliable option for everyday computing needs, and the positive aspects outweigh the minor drawbacks.

Battery life and connectivity options

As we mentioned at the beginning of this review, another feature that stands out on the 14-fq1025nr is its battery life. Specifically, HP promises to deliver up to 9 hours worth of juice. When all is said and done that number is closer to 6-hours but for a mid-range notebook that's still fairly impressive.

The laptop also features HP's fast charge technology, meaning we can charge 50% of the battery in just 45 minutes, giving us a solid 3-4 more hours of energy.

Finally, the fact that HP delivered on battery life, performance and display doesn't mean the company forgot about the connectivity features that can make or break a laptop. On that front we've got the latest generation WiFi 6 connectivity as well as Bluetooth support.

There's also an SD card reader, as well as a couple of USB Type-A ports, a single USB Type-C port, HDMI port and audio jack. There is no ethernet port however, so if you where looking to use this laptop's internet connection through cable then you're going to need a USB to ethernet adapter.

We particularly appreciate the inclusion of an SD card reader since these days that's becoming less common with manufacturers seeming to complot against those of us who still like to use this format to check out our pictures.

Bottom line: Should I buy the HP 14-fq1025nr?

At the end of the day, we're looking at a very compelling laptop that's practically guaranteed to satisfy most users. Sure, it doesn't come with a backlit keyboard and we'd like an ethernet port but these are small compromises for most people when we consider its price. Furthermore, if you find this model on sale you can easily make it even more enticing.

All in all, if you're looking for a mid-range laptop that can do just about anything then the HP 14-fq1025nr isn't just good deal but will go beyond your expectations when it comes to performance and battery life.