HP Smart Tank 210 Review: Budget Ink Tank Printer Offers Vibrant Prints but Lacks Features

The review describes the Smart Tank 210 as the smallest and most affordable member of HP’s Smart Tank family. It is a print-only device with manual duplexing, no scanner bed, a tiny display, and slow print speeds. The absence of an automatic duplexer, Ethernet port, and front paper tray makes it a stripped-back option, the reviewer noted.

Despite the omissions, the review praised the print engine, which it says is the same as that used in the more expensive HP Smart Tank 5100. Test pages came out crisp and colorful, with bold, vivid dye-based color inks and sharp pigment-based black text that passed a smudge test. The printer’s cost-per-page is described as unbeatable, thanks to included ink bottles rated for 6,000 black or color pages.

Design and build quality also received positive comments. The printer is compact, weighing about 3.75 kilograms, and uses 45% recycled plastic. Its packaging is entirely cardboard. The ink tanks are integrated neatly, and refilling is made foolproof by individually shaped bottle necks.

Setup is streamlined through Bluetooth and the HP Smart app, which connects the printer to Wi-Fi easily. AirPrint and Chromebook support are also included. However, installing the two printhead cartridges requires reaching through the front panel, which the reviewer found fiddly.

Print speeds are a notable drawback. The review measured roughly 5 pages per minute for color and 12 ppm for black, with a draft mode boosting black output to 22 ppm. Manual duplexing slows workflows and encourages one-sided printing, which the reviewer considered a step too far in feature cutting.

Overall, TechRadar concludes that the Smart Tank 210 is the cheapest way to achieve volume color printing at home or in a micro office, provided users can live without the extras. The review did not report any malfunctions during testing, with no crashes or paper jams observed.