HP has unveiled a new laptop, the HP EliteBook Folio G1 at the ongoing CES 2016. While there is nothing particularly screaming out about this laptop as far as performance and specs are concerned, it does however have some awesome tweaks to suit the needs of a business person.
The HP EliteBook Folio G1 is the go-to laptop for a business person looking for a laptop that is light and easy to carry around, has long battery life, and has a great Skype experience among things.
This laptop runs on Intel’s Core M Processors (M3, M5 or M7), from the Skylake line chips. The HP EliteBook Folio G1 also comes with internal storage of either 128GB SSD or 512GB SSD and an 8GB RAM. It has a 12.5-inch 1080p display, with the option of upgrading the screen to a 4K display. Like most Windows computers, the screen can be made touchscreen if the users wishes.
Most reviewers have said the screen is okay, but they were not particularly thrilled about it. Then again, HP was targeting the business community; users who are looking to do just basics on their laptop. Not users looking to do some video editing or anything needing a lot of graphics specs.
As far as connectivity goes, the EliteBook Folio G1 has gone the MacBook way, by having only the bare minimum ports; two USB Type-C ports, and a headphone jack. HP says the battery can go for up to 10 hours before the next recharge. That should be just about enough for the business man looking to get some work done on an 8-to-5 job.
What makes the EliteBook Folio G1 appealing for those who want a MacBook but for one reason or another they cannot get one. Is the fact that it is quite small, with a thickness of less than 0.5 inches and weighing about 2.2 pounds. Although, it does look more like the Dell XPS 13 than the MacBook; with its tiny bezels that gives more emphasis to its display over the rest of the computer body.
It is housed in an aluminum that gives it a sturdy feel. You also have the option of configuring the screen to be touchscreen. We had our predictions saying we should expect more 2-in-1 computers at the CES 2016. While the HP EliteBook Folio is a regular laptop, it does, however, flip around to the point the display tilts backwards lying nearly flat on the table. How is this feature useful? Depends on who will be using it I guess!
The laptop runs on Core M processors that are fan-less thus runs (very) quiet. It is a middle-range laptop and far less powerful than Dell XPS 13 or the MacBook. HP says it will start retailing the Folio at $999 for the 1080p model. The company is yet to say how much the 4K model will sell at. Sale of the HP EliteBook Folio G1 is expected to begin in March 2016.