HP EliteBook Folio laptop: Thinner, lighter, powerful (Tech Review)

HP Inc has got its rivals on their toes by launching new-generation budget offerings and premium ultrabooks in the last one year. The HP EliteBook Folio is the latest in the company's new line-up of productivity devices.

A near-perfect blend of performance and portability for users who like to work on the go, the Rs 145,445 premium HP EliteBook Folio is sleek and stylish, paired with security features and smooth performance.

Moreover, it is built on military standard certification (MIL-STD 810G) to withstand drops, shocks and exposure to high temperature, humidity and pressure.

At 12.4 mm and under 1 kg, HP EliteBook Folio is lighter than Apple MacBook Pro, and even the HP Spectre x360 and HP Spectre 13.

Here is what works for the device:

Encased in an all-polished, diamond-cut CNC aluminum chassis, the machine has killer looks and is surely a head turner.

The notebook's 180-degree, unique piano hinge allows the device to lie completely flat for easy sharing. The hinge is sturdy and the display glides smoothly, staying in place where a user wants it to be.

The 12.5-inch full-HD UWVA ultra slim LED-backlit touch screen display projects brilliant colours on screen. The text was sharp and images looked bright and full of vibrancy. Even when viewed off axis, the screen delivers wide viewing angles with minimal to no colour lag, which you will definitely enjoy.

The 6th Gen Intel Core m7-6Y75 processor, coupled with 8GB of RAM, delivered fast performance with applications loading in an instant. The notebook is capable of performing productivity and other demanding tasks without any glitches or requiring any additional resource upgrade.

With integrated Intel HD Graphics, the notebook can handle jobs that require medium graphic capability. One can also enjoy light gaming.

With HP Sure Start with Dynamic Protection feature, the notebook automatically identifies and fixes BIOS firmware attacks and Windows 10 Pro allows multi-factor authentication to help secure access to business networks and resources.

The notebook includes a back-lit keyboard and widely-spaced keys that offer a comfortable typing experience. The touchpad allows for easy swiping and zooming. Clicking and multi-touch gestures were smooth. The keyboard is sturdy and also offers good tactile feedback.

The device is suitable for business users as HP has tweaked the hardware for voice calls. It has arranged buttons on the top row of the keyboard that allows you to control voice calls, like hanging up or muting down.

The Bang & Olufsen audio with quad speakers produced loud sound and the quality is pretty impressive. From games to music, everything sounded great and so you do not need to invest in extra Bluetooth speakers. Voice was also clear over Skype calls.

HP Elitebook Folio lasted for approximately eight hours and 50 minutes on normal usage.

In terms of connectivity, the notebook offers two USB Type-C port with Thunderbolt support (docking, charging and USB 3.1), one headphone/microphone combo, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

What does not work?

After using the device for almost a fortnight, we did not find anything that let us down.

Conclusion: The HP Elitebook Folio is an ultra-portable, high-performance notebook aimed at demanding users that want excellent performance with unmatched elegance.

(Anuj Sharma can be contacted at anuj.s@ians.in)

--IANS

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