HP 15 2025, Core Ultra 7 155H, 32GB, 1TB SSD, Natural Silver

A beefy CPU and 32GB of RAM in a budget shell. Great for desk-bound work, terrible for battery life and gaming.

The Core Ultra 7-155H is the star here, and it shows. In our database, this CPU lands well above average, and paired with 32GB of RAM, multitasking is genuinely smooth. We threw a bunch of browser tabs, a code editor, and some background tasks at it, and it didn't flinch. The integrated Arc Graphics are fine for everyday stuff but don't expect to game on this thing. The 18.3 gaming score tells you everything you need to know there. What surprised us most is how capable this feels for development work despite the budget vibes.

Against something like the MacBook Pro M4 Pro, this HP gets absolutely smoked on display quality, battery, and build. The MacBook is in a different league, and it costs like it. The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 is a better pick if you want any gaming capability, though you'll pay more. The MSI Prestige and Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro both offer better portability and screens, but they don't match this HP's RAM and CPU combo at this price. For pure spec-per-dollar, the HP holds its own. For everything else, the competition is ahead.

At around CA$1,200, this is a solid deal if you need raw CPU and RAM for work. You're getting a lot of compute for the money. But you're also accepting a weak screen and questionable longevity. If you can live with those trade-offs, it's worth it. If you want a laptop that feels premium or lasts all day unplugged, keep looking.

The HP 15-fd1038ca is a weird mix of genuinely impressive specs and some pretty glaring compromises. You get a Core Ultra 7-155H, 32GB of DDR5, and a 1TB SSD, which is a lot of horsepower for the money. But that power is stuck behind a mediocre 60Hz display and a chassis that feels more budget than the internals suggest. The one thing to know? This is a workhorse for people who plug in and grind, not a portable all-rounder.

If you're a student who needs all-day battery life or someone who wants a vibrant screen for media, this isn't it. Go get a Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro or a MacBook Air instead. And if you want to game even a little, skip this entirely and grab an ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14.

If you're a developer or heavy multitasker who mostly works at a desk, this HP is a smart buy. The CPU and RAM combo is hard to beat for the price. But if you need battery life, a good screen, or any gaming ability, this isn't your laptop. It's a desktop replacement in a laptop's body, and it's honest about that.