HP ProBook 640 G3 review
HP ProBook 640 G3 — from 2016, 1.88 kg, performance 20.
Technical specifications
| Type | Business |
| Release year | 2016 |
| Screen | 14" · 1366x768 |
| Processor | Intel Core i5 7200U |
| Max. RAM | 32 GB |
| Weight | 1.88 kg |
Performance scores
ProBook 640 G3 — an honest, unremarkable budget business workhorse
The 2016 ProBook 640 G3 is HP's mid-tier 14-inch business laptop with an i5-7200U and 32 GB of RAM. At $195 it sits well below the business-class median of $297, and the profile is exactly what that price suggests: no discrete graphics (score 0 versus a 3.84 median), reliability at 13 versus a 42.5 median, CPU at 20.6 versus a 52.97 median. No axis stands out; nothing collapses catastrophically except the graphics floor.
32 GB carries the practical value
For a budget business machine, 32 GB of RAM is the bright spot — enough for heavy office multitasking, large spreadsheets and modest development work without swap pressure. The i5-7200U (Kaby Lake, dual-core) is a deliberate economy: fine for office-class throughput, quick to saturate under parallel load. The pairing suits exactly one profile — a memory-hungry but compute-light user.
Know the floors
Graphics at 0 (integrated-only) rules out gaming and GPU work. The reliability index of 13 (−69% versus class) is a used-purchase warning: budget-tier chassis from this generation show hinge and coating wear, and batteries are typically several replacement cycles old. Neither floor is disqualifying at $195, but both should be priced in.
Price trajectory
From roughly $1,300 new to $195 today at 7.2% per year, projecting to $168 in two years (13.9% lower). At this level the depreciation curve has flattened into commodity territory — most of the remaining value is the working keyboard, screen and RAM.
Where it sits against peers
Pricier neighbors are the ProBook 640 G4 ($204) and HP 250 G5 ($207) — one generation up; cheaper options are the ProBook 450 G4 ($182) and ProBook 455 G2 ($174). The differences within this band are marginal: a CPU generation here, a RAM stick there. This unit's 32 GB is the single spec that separates it from the 8–16 GB pack.
Bottom line
A budget-friendly, unglamorous pick for office-duty buyers who value RAM over everything else. The graphics floor and worn-reliability reading are the honest costs of the price. If your workload is browser-and-documents with occasional heavy documents, this machine is fair value; anything more ambitious wants a newer platform.
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⭐ What stands out
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graphics performance absent (no data or feature not provided).
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reliability is lower than typical business class (+69.4%) (low tier).
budget segment of category -
CPU performance is lower than typical business class (+61.1%) (basic tier).
budget segment of category
🔁 Alternatives
Compromise axis: reliability ↔ price
⚙️ Configuration analysis
Top configuration is built for office apps, web browsing, and basic daily tasks.
🤔 How to choose
Universal advice for any use case.
- Reliability vs price: reliability (median 42.5) ↔ price (median 297.4).
- Weight vs CPU: mobility (median 60) ↔ overall performance (median 41.5).
- Upgradeability vs battery: upgradability (median 62.5) ↔ battery life (median 3.3).
ProBook 640 G3: verdict
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