HP 15-r015dx TouchSmart Budget Laptop With Bundled Extras

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The HP 15-r015dx is a 15.6-inch touchscreen notebook from the TouchSmart lineup. It’s among the popular laptop models this back-to-school season, since it’s a part of one of the promoted Best Buy’s product bundles.

The 15-r015dx is a good example of a budget laptop. Just like the wast majority of them, the system has 4GB of RAM memory, 500GB hard drive, and 1366×768 display resolution. These are bare minimums by today’s standard, but are sufficient for normal functioning of the notebook. But, instead of the usual entry-level Intel Celeron or Pentium processor, this model has the lower-mid-range Intel Core i3-4010U chip. In light tasks, such as web surfing, text editing, and multimedia playback, there won’t be big difference speed-wise between the i3 and entry parts. On the other hand, if you throw something more demanding at it such as video editing, the difference will be visible in i3’s favor. However, if you do complex stuff all the time, the Intel Core i5 and i7 processors are better solution worth extra investment. For all ordinary users, the i3 will be satisfactory.

When it comes to gaming, the notebook relies on the Intel HD 4400 integrated graphics. It actually isn’t intended for 3D game rendering, but is able to run even the latest titles. If you dial down graphics detail settings and resolution to low, that is. In this case, going for an i5 or i7 replacement such as the i5-4200U/4210U or i7-4500U/4510U won’t be of much help, since they also come with the HD 4400. The only good solution is going for a gaming laptop with a dedicated video card or at least a standard laptop with it.

Rounding off the core parts, there’s a built-in DVD burner, a full-size keyboard with chiclet keys and numeric pad, a trackpad with physically isolated click buttons, and a 3-cell battery with unknown battery life.

Alongside obligatory stereo speakers, webcam, HDMI video output, Wi-Fi wireless and Ethernet wired connections, and media card reader, the 15-r015dx has two USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0 port. Bluetooth and VGA video out are omitted.

Rear View of HP 15-r015dx

This utilitarian- and quite elegant-looking laptop has glossy finish in black color and 1″ thin profile. It weighs 5.3 pounds.

Besides the 15-r015dx, the bundle contains a Targus notebook sleeve, ScreenDr Pro screen cleaner, PNY Classic Attache 8GB USB 2.0 flash drive and Trend Micro Internet Security software (6-month subscription for 3 devices). Overall, the laptop itself and extras justify the price and offer a great value for your buck. However, before purchasing it make sure you’ve checked out other similar laptop offers. Among similar to the 15-r015dx, the HP 15-r017dx might be interesting since it offers basically the same hardware with a larger 750GB hard drive for less money but no bundled extra goodies.

Specifications of the HP TouchSmart 15-r015dx

Here are the specs of the HP TouchSmart 15-r015dx with descriptions of its features. For comparison against other laptops, you can use the "Compare Specs" button.

Brand HP
Screen Size 15.6-inch

This is by far the most popular laptop screen size. It provides a lot of screen real estate, while avoiding bulkiness of the 17.3" laptops.
Screen Resolution 1366x768 pixels HD

This is an entry-level screen resolution, oftentimes found on budget laptops. It doesn't deliver picture sharpness and space on the screen like the Full HD or higher resolution laptop displays do.
Touchscreen Finger multi-touch input

The screen supports finger touch input, including multi-touch gestures.
Other Display Specs TN type

Displays based on the old TN technology lack wide viewing angles you can find on IPS screens. The colors may look washed out or inverted at certain viewing angles.
Processor (CPU) Intel Core i3-4010U 4th Gen dual-core 1.7GHz 3MB cache (User Benchmark CPU score: 25)
Graphics (GPU) Intel HD 4400 integrated graphics
System Memory (RAM) Size 4GB RAM

4GB is a small RAM size for computing in 2023. For smooth operation of a laptop during everyday tasks, at least 8GB is recommended.
Data Storage 500GB HDD

This is a very good capacity, but HDD is a slow type of storage.
DVD Optical Drive DVD writer
Keyboard & Input Non-backlit keyboard with dedicated number pad

The keyboard has a separate numeric pad on the right side of the keyboard, but it has no keyboard backlight.

Touchpad with separate physical click buttons

The touchpad features physical left and right click buttons, as opposed to click buttons integrated into the touchpad surface.

Touchscreen
Speakers & Audio Stereo speakers

As usual, the device features a pair of built-in stereo speakers.
Camera Front-facing web camera

Laptops usually feature a frontal webcam located on the display bezel. This laptop is no exception.
Wi-Fi Wireless 802.11N

802.11N is an old Wi-Fi standard, precursor of the 802.11AC and the latest 802.11AX with improved data transfer speeds and connectivity. 802.11N is rarely used in modern laptops.
Ethernet Network Port Yes

This laptop has an Ethernet LAN port for wired internet and networking connectivity.
Mobile broadband (4G LTE) No
Bluetooth No

This laptop has no built-in Bluetooth module.
USB Ports 2 x USB 2.0 + 1 x USB 3.0

A total of three full-size Type A USB ports.
Video Output Ports 1 x HDMI

HDMI is a widely used digital video output port. You can find HDMI-in ports on most computer monitors and TVs.
Media Card Reader SD card reader

The laptop has a slot for full-size SD memory cards, used in many digital cameras. You can also use microSD cards with a card adapter.
Battery 3-cell lithium-ion polymer battery (2800 mAh / 31WHr)
Weight 5.3 pounds
Height 1"
Width 14.9"
Depth 10.2"
Windows Version Windows 8.1

Windows 8.1 is eligible for free upgrade to Windows 10 Home. Check Windows.com for more info.
Warranty 1-year

A typical laptop warranty.

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User Reviews and Q&A on the HP TouchSmart 15-r015dx

Below you can read and submit user reviews, questions, and answers about the laptop. Thank you for your contribution.

Current rating: 2 out of 5 stars
  1. 2 out of 5 Caps lock

    Cynthia

    Caps lock is stuck on. How do I fix it? Otherwise, it’s an okay laptop.

  2. hans

    Can it play League of Legends?

    • Zach

      No it cant play anything it only has 4gb of ram

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