The HP OfficeJet 4650 is pretty much the best duplex printer to go for if you have a budget of $200. It has dropped in price by quite a lot over the past few years. And fret not; you’ll be getting most of the modern features that you need along with it. Read our review to learn key qualities that make it a top-grade printer.
Related: Looking for a versatile but portable printer? Check the HP Officejet 250 All In One Portable Printer review
Why We Like It – HP OfficeJet 4650
The HP OfficeJet 4650 is hands down one of the best inkjet printers available below $200. Yes, it is a bit old at this point, and it won’t have a few modern features. But the features it omits aren’t really necessary for anyone, and most can get by just fine.
- Support for 8 x 10-inch papers
- Automatic two sided printing (duplex printing)
- Apple AirPrint and Wi Fi Direct support
- HP locks you in with either their Instant Ink or the Dash Replenishment subscription service
Related: In case you want an ink-efficient printer, read our HP Officejet 6978 Wireless Printer review
Speed
The HP OfficeJet 4650 is most definitely not the fastest budget printer out there. In fact, at just 9.5 pages per minute, it’s quite slow for an HP printer. Color printouts come out even slower, at 6.8 pages per minute. For fast print speed, just go for the Brother HL-L2350DW.
Print Quality
The print quality is actually fairly good here for an HP product. You can select up to 4800 x 1200 DPI for high quality color prints from the settings. Also, it has support for effortless high quality borderless prints. It doesn’t really get much better than that. Still, if you need higher DPI for high quality photo prints, you can get the Epson WorkForce WF-3540 instead.
Efficiency
It is very power efficient, just like other inkjet printers. However, it does lack somewhat severely in the ink efficiency department. And the worse part is, it is an HP printer. So obviously, they’ll try and lock you in their own ecosystem, where you can only get ink refills by using original HP ink, HP Instant Ink, or the Amazon Dash Replenishment subscription services. If you need to use third party ink cartridges, pick up the cheaper Brother MFC-J880DW inkjet.
Advanced Features
On this one printer HP did include all the features it could for the time. It does have an automatic document feeder. You can connect it to your PC using a USB cable and control the printer using the HP smart app. For wireless printing, you can register yourself at HP.com and take advantage of Wi Fi Direct and Apple AirPrint.
Value
The price of the HP OfficeJet 4650 is quite low right now, so it is a value for money buy. However, HP support in the United States is nothing to write home about. Also, even though this printer does have support for high yield ink cartridges, it is not very ink efficient at all, even compared to cheaper inkjet printers.
HP OfficeJet 4650 Wrap Up
Overall the HP OfficeJet 4650 is a pretty good printer. Slow print speed and bad ink efficiency aside, it does have support for a few features that you normally don’t see at this price point.
