HP ProBook 650 G4 review

A 2017 ProBook 650 G4 with a workhorse CPU and no real standout strength

The HP ProBook 650 G4 (2017) pairs an 8th-gen Intel Core i5 8250U with 32 GB of RAM and lands at $243, below the business-class median of about $297. It is an honest budget office machine with no standout strength: mobility is low at 32, reliability is low at 23, and there is no discrete GPU. The i5 8250U is a workhorse quad-core CPU that still handles everyday office work comfortably.

A workhorse CPU for stationary office use

The i5 8250U is a reliable 8th-gen quad-core processor that handles email, web, documents, and light multitasking without complaint, and 32 GB of RAM is more than most peers at this price offer. There is no metric on which this laptop clearly leads its class — it is a balanced, unremarkable configuration.

Mobility, reliability, and graphics show the age

The weak spot by level is graphics performance (integrated only — no gaming or GPU-accelerated creative work), but mobility (32) and reliability (23) are also low for the class, which reflects a 2017 platform ageing. This is a machine for genuinely light office duty at a desk, not for travel.

Depreciation tracking the class

From a base near $1300, the laptop has depreciated to $243 at roughly 7.6% per year, with a projected value around $208 in two years — a typical curve for a 2017 budget business model.

Pricier and cheaper peers bracket it

Slightly pricier options include the Dell Latitude 5300 ($256) and Lenovo ThinkPad L490 ($271); cheaper alternatives include the HP ProBook 450 G5 ($219) and Lenovo ThinkPad L580 ($217), which offer similar vintage business hardware for somewhat less.

Bottom line

The ProBook 650 G4 is a defensible pick if your budget is firmly capped around $240 and your workload is genuinely light — email, documents, browsing. Value-for-money is average for the bracket; the i5 8250U is the main redeeming feature, and buyers needing more should look at slightly pricier peers with newer platforms.