As already mentioned, the 6475b shares a common barebone with its Intel sibling, the 6470b. Number and type of ports are the same, as are their locations. Even the interior of the device looks alike, which makes maintenance of its components a breeze.

However, the 6475b differs considerably from the larger 15-inch 6570b, which sports a completely different chassis with different port locations and an additional numpad which the 6475b does not have. Only color, material and general shape and design remain similar.

HP has chosen to simply reuse the case of the 14-inch predecessor ProBook 6465b (early 2012) - apparently, its stable, high-quality build didn't require any improvements. For a more detailed analysis of all ports, we refer to our reviews of the ProBook 6465b (AMD) and the 6470b (Intel).

Communication

All P6475b variants offer Wi-Fi draft-n, but some come equipped with pretty much every possible radio device. There is a Broadcom module for Bluetooth 4.0support, while the Realtek LAN adapter runs with full gigabit speed. Our model does not include an HSDPA modem (3G), although other variants do. In our test device, a free mini-PCI-Express slot with preinstalled antennas, as well as SIM card slot in the battery compartment, heavily imply a 3G version as well. An HP Connection Manager allows for different, location-sensitive Wi-Fi and Bluetooth profiles to be put in place.

Reception is excellent, not only three meters away from the router, but also in the first floor (10 m distance) and outside (15 m). It takes 40 meters for the signal quality to drop down to two bars, which is still satisfying. Even then, the connection remains uninterrupted. These values are astonishing, even more so considering that our router (Fritz!Box 7270) was set at 50% transmission power. Among the last ten devices this reviewer tested, only one - the Fujitsu Lifebook P702 with an Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 - was equally good concerning reception.

Security

It is possible to insert an optional SmartCard reader into the ExpressCard54 slot. SmartCards see some usage in corporate environments to allow for personalized logins. BIOS access can be locked with a password and a passive TPM 1.2 Embedded Security Chip for business usage is installed, allowing for unambiguous identification of a computer via a cryptographic key code. The keyboard is splash-proof and comes equipped with a drain in the bottom panel. All security solutions are bundled in the HP ProtectTools Security Manager.

Accessories

The HP 6475b wouldn't be a real business laptop without a matching docking solution. Both the HP 230W and the 90W docking stations (which cost around $180 and $160 respectively) fit, expanding the HP ProBook with a serial, PS2, DVI and parallel port. The Advanced Docking Station (Upgrade Bay, eSATA) is also suitable for usage with the 6475b. It costs around $280. All docking stations offer their own power supply, thereby also recharging the laptop.

The bottom panel also sports a battery port, where the travel battery pack (73 Wh, $80) can be attached as a slice beneath the base unit. This might be a recommendable addition to the P6475b, since its battery life of 4 hours (Wi-Fi usage) is rather fair to middling.

A Windows 8 Pro Recovery DVD is enclosed. This is not the case for Windows 7 Pro - with which the P6475b ships - as only a recovery partition exists. The HP laptop comes with few manuals: A Windows 8 installation guide and a setup booklet, that's it.

Maintenance

Maintenance is a breeze; the bottom panel can easily be removed by activating a simple slider mechanism. Afterwards, all internal components are accessible, including fans, CPU, RAM and the Mini PCI-Express ports (Wi-Fi, optional 3G modem). The Seagate HDD is a standard 9.5mm specimen so that all common 2.5-inch SATA SSDs and HDDs can be installed.

Warranty

HP offers 12 months of warranty for its ProBooks, however, in some countries, the laptop has to be sent in. This warranty can be extended to cover up to 3 years next-workday on-site service (Care Pack Services) for a hefty $300.

Despite its decent resolution (1280x720 pixels), the HD webcam suffers from bad image quality due to pale colors and a hit-and-miss autofocus. The Power Assistant is meant for switching between different energy profiles for different application or usage scenarios, replacing the more tedious Windows energy modes.

The keys of the 6475b offer a well-defined pressure point, generous travel as well as firm feedback. Nothing wobbles or bends when pressure is applied. We have a sweet tooth for the arrow keys, which can be accessed well without looking, even though they are not separated from the rest of the keys.

Writing maniacs are going to appreciate the slightly conic shape of the keys which guide the fingers, caressing them haptically. The Return key is a bit on the narrow side due to the neighboring Page Up and Page Down keys, but this didn't diminish our typing experience - the full-sized right Shift key is much more important in our opinion. In addition to the standard keys, there are also hardware buttons for the radio modems, speakers and the browser, which complement the function keys perfectly while being easy to reach.

Touchpad

The touchpad is positioned in a small, edged depression. The Synaptics LuxPad V7.5 (110 mm diagonally) is quite sensitive even in its edge regions, while offering an enjoyably smooth gliding experience. There is both a vertical and a horizontal scroll bar - neither of which is marked on the touchpad. One-finger scrolling is deactivated in its delivery condition.

The mouse keys are made from hard rubber, rendering them slip-proof. Travel is extraordinarily large and the keys can easily be actuated. Their feedback is great, increasing productivity far more than the usual rigid, short-winded keys of almost all consumer laptops.

The Synaptics touchpad comes equipped with a small palm sensor, deactivatingthe touchpad while the keyboard is in use. Like in all consumer laptops nowadays, this touchpad is also multitouch-enabled, thus allowing for two-finger scrolling, pinching or twisting.

"Color space" are two important words for digital artists and graphics designers which require good agreement between real-life colors and their digital substitutes. Like its competitors, the 6475b does not manage to fully cover the sRGB color space, let alone the AdobeRGB color space. However, even expensive business laptops have a hard time fulfilling these requirements, as the last two graphs show. Even Lenovo's X1 Carbon (sporting the same HD+ resolution) fails to render all of the sRGB color space, despite expanding it upwards.

Due to its matte display, outdoor usage seems viable, but the non-preventable dimming down to 136 cd/m² while on battery power destroys these hopes. Our test image below is barely visible in sunlight, even less so from the sides. The situation can be improved by plugging the laptop into an outlet, however, even then 205 cd/m² may not be enough for a pleasant day on the terrace. 250 cd/m² or more would be needed for acceptable outdoor usage. 

Wide viewing angles are important, allowing the user to make out all the details on the display even from the sides or from above. Office notebooks often employ inexpensive TN panels, leading to limited viewing angles. The 6475b doesn't perform quite as bad as some of its competitors. Horizontally, the display begins to darken at around 40 degrees, while color distortions occur beyond 70 degrees.

Ve tical deviations are less benign. Colors start to invert at approximately 15 degrees, text becomes unrecognizable at 25 degrees or less. The Vostro 3460, the ThinkPad L430 and the TravelMate P643 offer the same experience concerning vertical viewing angles, but they fare worse in the horizontal direction (image stability lasting to around 45 degrees).