HP Pavilion dv6750ea review

HP currently sells more laptops world-wide than any other manufacturer.

A large part of this success has been placed on its new-look consumer range, of which the HP Pavilion dv6750ea (£549 inc. VAT) is the latest iteration.

With its high-gloss black lid and silver and black body, this is an attractive laptop. Made from plastic, the case isn't as robust as some rivals, and the screen tends to rock gently during typing, but we certainly found it solid enough for the asking price.

Quality screen

The screen is a 15.4-inch Super-TFT panel that looks stunning in most situations. Images proved sharp and bright, which makes editing photos or simply watching DVDs a pleasure.

In terms of graphics, this laptop has the newest GPU on test, with the nVidia GeForce 8400M GS being a mid-range graphics card that offers decent all-round performance.

When it comes to watching movies, there is a DVD rewriter built into the case and the inclusion of Altec Lansing speakers, located above the keyboard, help to deliver impressive performance.

User-friendly controls

A set of touch-sensitive buttons above the keyboard allow you to control audio and video settings and are easy to control.

There is also a separate button for launching HP's own QuickPlay multimedia application, which can be run independently of the main OS for a much quicker startup.

Weighing in at 2.7kg, this is a semi-lightweight machine that delivered a battery life of over three hours, which is fine for using when out and about.

Comfortable to use

When it comes to usability, this machine offers decent value for money, but we found it grew warm to the touch rather quickly.

The keyboard sits squarely in the middle of the main body and proved very comfortable to use.

The keys are a good size, but while they have a good amount of travel, they don't feel as reassuringly solid when you type as those of the ThinkPad. The same is true of the mouse buttons.

We found they responded well, but they tended to feel a little on the cheap side.

HP adds on some useful extras

When it comes to extras, the inclusion of a webcam is useful, and the inclusion of an HDMI port for connecting to larger screens is still uncommon at this price point.

Less appealing for the home user is the expansion port slot, which only works with HP products and therefore limits the flexibility of the machine.

The HP Pavilion dv6750ea is a good laptop, but not as versatile as we were expecting. While it delivers on performance and power, we felt the overall build quality wasn't quite as robust as we were expecting at this price.