The HP 17" Laptop offers a larger screen and numeric keypad, making it suitable for those who prefer a spacious display and tend to do a lot of data entry. However, due to its size, it's less portable and has a shorter battery life. On the other hand, the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" is more portable, has a longer battery life, and features a higher screen resolution, touch capability, and a more premium build. It's also equipped with better quality speakers and webcam, but comes at a higher price. Consider the Dragonfly Pro 14" if you need mobility and enhanced multimedia features or the 17" Laptop for more screen space and a lower cost. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the HP 17" Laptop
The HP 17" Laptop has no clear advantages over the HP Dragonfly Pro 14".
Advantages of the HP Dragonfly Pro 14"
Very good for general use
Good for engineering and design
Good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Very good portability
Very good battery life
Best in class speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.3/10
8.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
287.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
405.0 nits
5.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
10.0 Hours
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.1/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
8.2/10
The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" is very good for general use, while the HP 17" Laptop is good.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Engineering and Design
6.8/10
7.6/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.7/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.9/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" is good for engineering and design, while the HP 17" Laptop is only fair.
PerfectRec’s Engineering and Design Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for graphic design and 3D rendering work.
Content Creation
7.2/10
7.9/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.7/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" and HP 17" Laptop are both good for content creation, though the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.1/10
7.8/10
6.9/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
6.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" and HP 17" Laptop are both good for software development, though the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
6.6/10
7.1/10
17.3in
SIZE
14.0in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
1920 x 1200
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
287.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
405.0 nits
The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" has a better screen than the HP 17" Laptop for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
The HP 17" laptop's screen has a resolution and brightness suitable for everyday tasks and viewing documents, but its lower color accuracy and refresh rate make it less ideal for engineering applications and inadequate for refresh-rate-intensive tasks like gaming and 3D. The HP Dragonfly Pro's 14" display, while smaller, offers higher resolution and superior color accuracy, benefiting professional design work, yet remains hampered by a lower refresh rate not suitable for high-frame-rate gaming and 3D rendering. In both cases, the tradeoff is between screen size and clarity for general tasks, balanced against the need for high color fidelity for engineering and design or the requirement of a high refresh rate for smooth visuals in 3D environments.
Battery
5.5 Hours
10.0 Hours
The HP 17" Laptop has 5.5 hours of battery life. The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" has 10 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Good
Very Good
17.3in
SIZE
14.0in
4.5 lbs
WEIGHT
3.4 lbs
0.8in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" has very good portability, while the HP 17" Laptop has good portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
6.0/10
8.5/10
The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" has very good build quality, while the HP 17" Laptop has only fair build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$850
$1,400
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The HP 17" Laptop has a price of $850 and the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" costs $1,400.
The HP Dragonfly Pro 14" and HP 17" Laptop are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The HP 17" Laptop has an integrated GPU and a standard 60Hz screen refresh rate, making it adequate for gaming but not exceptional; similarly, the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" also comes with an integrated but slightly more powerful GPU and the same 60Hz refresh rate, offering decent performance but not designed for high-end gaming or professional 3D work. Both laptops are suitable for casual gaming and 3D applications, but dedicated gaming laptops with specialized graphics cards and higher refresh rates would provide a noticeably better experience for those specific demands.
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How the HP 17" Laptop and the HP Dragonfly Pro 14" compare to other laptops
"As far as starter laptops go, the HP Laptop 17 is a sound investment. Sure, it might not be the lightest of options, but what you get for the price is a well-rounded machine that fits multiple niches. Whether it be office duties that require you to multi-task between multiple programs, or study tasks in which you’ll spend hours browsing online, this laptop does it all. Plus, when it's time to unwind, you can watch your favorite shows or movies on a super-wide display. What's best of all is that you can do all this for about half a day on a single charge."
"I’d say that the HP Dragonfly Pro checks off most of the boxes for this freelancer. It feels nice to use, is zippy and responsive, has great speakers, and even has a relatively sane price. Although it’s an unorthodox choice to pick AMD for this kind of machine, it’s clear that when Ryzen is given a chance to shine, it can kick a lot of butt."
Get a great deal on the HP 17" Laptop or the HP Dragonfly Pro 14"
About HP
HP, also known as Hewlett-Packard, is an American technology company that develops personal computers and computer peripherals. In the laptop industry, HP is known for its entry level Essential series laptops, its mid-range Pavilion, Envy, and Victus series, and high-end Omen and Spectre series, in addition to its business-oriented EliteBook, ProBook, and Dragonfly series laptops. HP laptops generally undercut other mainstream competitors in terms of price, placing itself as the value-oriented mainstream brand.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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