HP Smart Tank 6001 vs 7001: Which Ink Tank Printer Should You Choose?

The HP Smart Tank 6001 and Smart Tank 7001 are built around the same basic idea: give home users an all-in-one printer that can handle printing, scanning, and copying without relying on traditional ink cartridges. Both include refillable ink tanks, up to two years of ink, automatic duplex printing, borderless printing, wireless connectivity, and HP’s AI-assisted printing features. On paper, they look like close relatives rather than completely different printers.

The difference becomes clearer once I look at performance and day-to-day features. The HP Smart Tank 7001 reaches up to 9 pages per minute in color and 15 pages per minute in monochrome, compared with 7 ppm and 12 ppm on the 6001. The 7001 also adds a display screen and USB connectivity, while both have the same listed weight and ink yield. For me, the real question is whether those extra speed and convenience features matter enough for my typical workload.

Key Difference Between HP Smart Tank 6001 vs 7001 Printer

The main difference is printing speed and user-interface features. The HP Smart Tank 6001 is rated at 7 ppm color and 12 ppm black, while the Smart Tank 7001 reaches 9 ppm color and 15 ppm black. The 7001 also specifically lists a display screen and USB connectivity, while both offer automatic duplex printing, borderless printing, wireless connectivity, and the same listed ink yield.

HP Smart Tank 6001 vs 7001 Comparison Table

Feature	HP Smart Tank 6001	HP Smart Tank 7001
Printer Type	Wireless All-in-One Ink Tank	Wireless All-in-One Ink Tank
Functions	Print, Scan, Copy	Print, Scan, Copy
Printing Technology	HP Thermal Inkjet	Inkjet
Color Printing	Yes	Yes
Max Color Speed	7 ppm	9 ppm
Max Monochrome Speed	12 ppm	15 ppm
Connectivity	Wired, Wireless	USB, Wireless
Ink System	Refillable Ink Tank	Refillable Ink Tank
Included Ink	Up to 2 years	Up to 2 years
Black Yield	Up to 6,000 pages	Up to 6,000 pages
Color Yield	Up to 8,000 pages	Up to 8,000 pages
Automatic Duplex	Yes	Yes
Borderless Printing	Yes	Yes
Network-Ready	Yes	Yes
Mobile Printing	Yes	Yes
AI-Enabled Printing	Yes	Yes
Display Screen	Not listed	Yes
Refill System	Mess-free HP refill	Mess-free HP refill
Weight	14.07 lbs	14.07 lbs
Color	OOV White / Portobello	Gray
Best Fit	High-volume home printing	Faster home-office printing
Check Latest Price on Amazon	Check on Amazon	Check on Amazon

Detailed Comparative Review – Design

The physical specifications make these two printers look remarkably similar. Both weigh 14.07 pounds, so there isn’t a meaningful difference in portability between the Smart Tank 6001 and 7001.

The more noticeable difference is appearance. The 6001 comes in an OOV White / Portobello finish, while the 7001 is listed in gray. That’s mostly a matter of personal preference, but it can matter if I’m trying to match a printer with a particular home-office setup.

Both models are all-in-one printers, so I get printing, scanning, and copying in the same machine. Both also support automatic duplex printing and borderless printing, which gives me useful flexibility for everyday documents as well as certain graphics and photo-oriented prints.

The 7001 does have one design-related feature that I find more practical: a display screen is specifically listed among its special features. The 6001’s supplied specifications don’t list a display screen.

A dedicated display can make printer interaction more convenient because I can access certain controls directly on the printer rather than depending entirely on another device.

My take: The physical design is closely matched, but I prefer the 7001’s interface-oriented approach because of the listed display screen. If color and appearance matter more, the choice may simply come down to the white/Portobello 6001 versus gray 7001.

Ease of Use

Both printers are designed around HP’s refillable Smart Tank system, and this is one area where I don’t see a significant difference.

The Smart Tank 6001 and 7001 both use refillable ink tanks, and HP describes their refill process as mess-free. The supplied information says the ink bottles can be plugged into the tank and allowed to drain without squeezing or spilling.

That’s exactly the type of setup I want from a high-volume home printer. Instead of repeatedly replacing small cartridges, I can replenish the ink tank when necessary.

Both also include up to two years of ink, and both are rated for up to 8,000 color pages or 6,000 black pages right out of the box. So I wouldn’t expect a meaningful difference in how frequently I need to purchase replacement ink simply based on these specifications.

Connectivity is slightly different. The 6001 lists wired and wireless connectivity, while the 7001 specifically lists USB and wireless. Both are also described as supporting mobile and wireless printing.

The 7001’s display screen gives it another usability advantage. For me, having a screen directly on the printer can make basic interaction more convenient, particularly when I’m standing at the printer rather than working from a computer.

Both also include HP’s AI-enabled printing functionality. HP describes this as helping format web pages and emails while removing unwanted content, reducing wasted pages from poor layouts.

My take: The basic refill and printing experience is very similar, but I find the 7001 more appealing for day-to-day interaction because of its display and faster operation.

Functions

This is where the Smart Tank 7001 separates itself most clearly from the 6001.

The Smart Tank 6001 is rated for up to 7 pages per minute in color and 12 pages per minute in monochrome. The Smart Tank 7001 increases that to 9 ppm in color and 15 ppm in monochrome.

That’s a noticeable difference on paper.

If I’m printing only a few pages at a time, I probably won’t care much. But when I’m printing multiple documents, longer reports, school assignments, work materials, or batches of black-and-white pages, the faster 7001 should make the process more efficient based on its published maximum speeds.

The two models otherwise share many important capabilities.

Both can print, scan, and copy. Both support automatic duplex printing, allowing compatible documents to be printed on both sides automatically. Both also offer borderless printing, which is useful for certain images and graphics.

Both have wireless connectivity and mobile printing, and both include HP’s AI-assisted formatting feature.

The ink figures are also identical. HP lists both models for up to 8,000 color pages or 6,000 black pages with the included ink.

This is important because the 7001 isn’t gaining its advantage through a larger listed ink capacity. Instead, its main functional upgrade is faster printing, along with the display screen and USB connectivity listed in its specifications.

My take: If print speed matters to me, the 7001 is the obvious model to examine more closely. If I rarely print more than a few pages at once, the 6001 already provides the same core functions.

Maintenance

Maintenance is another area where these two printers are very closely matched.

Both use HP’s cartridge-free refillable ink tank system, so I don’t have to deal with the repeated replacement of conventional ink cartridges.

Both also use the same basic mess-free refill concept, and both come with up to two years of ink. Their listed yields are identical at up to 8,000 color pages and 6,000 black pages.

That means I wouldn’t expect one model to have a major maintenance advantage over the other based on the supplied specifications.

The more interesting difference is how the faster 7001 might fit into a high-volume workflow. If I’m already printing frequently, having higher listed print speeds can make the overall experience more efficient, even though it doesn’t change the ink system itself.

The 6001 remains attractive for the same reason: its refillable design is intended to reduce interruptions associated with traditional cartridge replacement.

My take: I’d call maintenance essentially even. Both have the same refillable concept, included ink duration, and listed page yields.

Which One Fits My Workload?

The HP Smart Tank 6001 makes sense to me if I’m primarily looking for a capable home printer and don’t need maximum printing speed. Its 7 ppm color and 12 ppm black speeds are still paired with automatic duplex, borderless printing, wireless connectivity, mobile printing, and the same large ink capacity as the 7001.

The Smart Tank 7001 becomes more interesting if I print frequently enough for speed to matter. Moving to 9 ppm color and 15 ppm black gives it a measurable advantage, and the addition of a display screen provides another convenience feature.

For a home office, student workspace, or household that regularly prints larger batches, I’d pay more attention to the 7001’s faster output. For occasional documents, the 6001 already covers the fundamental requirements.

The good thing about this comparison is that I don’t have to sacrifice the features that make the Smart Tank lineup attractive. Both models retain refillable tanks, long ink life, duplex printing, borderless printing, mobile/wireless printing, and AI-assisted printing.

HP Smart Tank 6001 Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Refillable cartridge-free ink system
• Up to two years of ink included
• Up to 8,000 color pages listed
• Up to 6,000 black pages listed
• 7 ppm color printing
• 12 ppm monochrome printing
• Automatic duplex printing
• Borderless printing
• Wireless and wired connectivity
• Mobile printing
• HP AI-assisted printing
• Print, scan, and copy functionality
• Mess-free refill system
• Network-ready

Cons:

• Slower than the Smart Tank 7001
• No display screen listed
• Same 14.07-pound weight as the 7001
• USB isn’t specifically listed in the supplied connectivity description

HP Smart Tank 7001 Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Faster 9 ppm color printing
• Faster 15 ppm monochrome printing
• Automatic duplex printing
• Display screen
• USB and wireless connectivity
• Up to two years of ink included
• Up to 8,000 color pages listed
• Up to 6,000 black pages listed
• Borderless printing
• Mobile and wireless printing
• HP AI-assisted printing
• Refillable ink tank
• Mess-free refill system
• Print, scan, and copy functionality
• Network-ready

Cons:

• Same weight as the Smart Tank 6001
• Same listed ink yield as the 6001
• The speed advantage may matter less for light home printing

HP Smart Tank 6001 vs 7001: My Final Take

After comparing the two models, I see the HP Smart Tank 7001 as a faster and somewhat more feature-oriented version of the 6001, rather than a completely different type of printer.

The Smart Tank 6001 already gives me a strong collection of features for home printing. I get automatic duplex printing, borderless output, wireless and wired connectivity, mobile printing, AI-assisted formatting, scanning, copying, and a refillable ink system with up to two years of included ink. Its 7 ppm color and 12 ppm monochrome speeds are adequate for many everyday workloads.

The Smart Tank 7001 adds more speed to that formula. Its maximum rated speeds increase to 9 ppm for color and 15 ppm for monochrome, which is the biggest difference I’d notice when printing larger batches. The display screen and USB connectivity also give it a little more flexibility.

What I find particularly interesting is that both models have the same listed ink yield. The 7001 doesn’t give me more pages according to the supplied specifications; instead, it lets me get through those printing jobs faster.

If I were choosing between the two for my own workflow, I’d pick the 7001 when I regularly print larger batches or want the convenience of a display screen. I’d consider the 6001 if my printing is lighter and I don’t need the additional speed.

For me, the deciding question would therefore be simple: How much do I value faster printing? If I print frequently, the 7001’s 9 ppm color and 15 ppm black ratings make a meaningful difference. If my printer mostly handles occasional documents, the 6001 already provides nearly all of the core Smart Tank features I need.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is the HP Smart Tank 7001 faster than the 6001?

Yes. The Smart Tank 7001 is rated for up to 9 pages per minute in color and 15 pages per minute in monochrome, while the 6001 is rated at 7 ppm color and 12 ppm monochrome.

2. Do both HP Smart Tank printers have automatic duplex printing?

Yes. Auto-Duplex is listed as a feature for both the Smart Tank 6001 and Smart Tank 7001.

3. Which has the higher ink yield, the HP Smart Tank 6001 or 7001?

Neither has a higher listed yield based on the supplied specifications. Both are rated for up to 8,000 color pages or 6,000 black pages with the included ink.

4. Does the HP Smart Tank 7001 have a display?

Yes. A display screen is specifically listed among the Smart Tank 7001’s special features. A display screen isn’t listed in the supplied specifications for the 6001.

5. Which should I choose, HP Smart Tank 6001 or 7001?

I’d choose the Smart Tank 7001 if faster printing, a display screen, and USB connectivity are important to me. I’d choose the Smart Tank 6001 if I mainly need a refillable home printer with duplex printing, borderless printing, mobile/wireless printing, and high page yields without requiring the additional speed.