HP Elite Folio Review: A model new twist on the pull-forward 2-in-1
MSRP $1,890.00
“Within the occasion you desire a 2-in-1 you can take anyplace and get work achieved, albeit considerably additional slowly, then the Elite Folio is an efficient choice.”
Execs
- Cosy constructing due to vegan leather-based
- Secure assemble prime quality
- Good present in 3:2 aspect ratio
- Great keyboard and pen
- Progressive 2-in-1 design
Cons
- Effectivity restricted to undemanding productiveness
- Battery life inferior to some ARM laptops
- Only one angle in media mode
Laptop computer laptop designs will likely be generic, nonetheless every every so often, one factor breaks the mould. That describes the HP Spectre Folio when it launched in 2018.
It was a novel 2-in-1 — a leather-clad “pull-forward” design that stood out for its class and class. You presumably can’t buy that machine any longer, nonetheless in case you appreciated the form concern and the bizarre provides, then HP has a model new risk for you, the Elite Folio. This new gadget follows the an identical design cues whereas being aimed towards HP’s enterprise shoppers.
Nonetheless it’s not solely a cookie-cutter copy of the Spectre Folio. The Elite Folio is notable for its use of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2, the newest ARM processor on the market for Dwelling home windows 10 laptops. My review unit was configured with talked about processor, 16GB of RAM, a 256GB solid-state drive (SSD), a 3.5-inch IPS 3:2 present, and 4G LTE WWAN help. It’s an expensive laptop at $1,890, putting it solidly in premium territory. It’s an attention-grabbing design with unusual provides — nonetheless is that enough to compete inside the crowded enterprise 2-in-1 market?
Design
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Certainly one of many largest variations between the Elite Folio and the Spectre Folio is that the earlier is made with “vegan leather-based” considerably than the actual leather-based used inside the latter. What’s “vegan leather-based,” you ask? Correctly, in a phrase, it’s plastic — technically, polyurethane. It’s known as “vegan” because of it’s not animal-based — clearly, a promoting and advertising considerably than a technical distinction. Frankly, I don’t suppose the Elite Folio feels as warmth and alluring — nor as supple — as a result of the Spectre Folio. It’s merely not as elegant.
The Elite Folio nonetheless seems considerably like a leather-bound paper pocket e-book, nonetheless the Spectre Folio emulates that feeling significantly better. Nonetheless, the Elite Folio stays to be pretty distinctive, and its all-black shade scheme works properly with the vegan leather-based, making for a laptop that’s not merely one different silver wedge.
By the way in which, the primary function HP cites for using the vegan leather-based is that it bonds greater with the magnesium physique. This permits for a tighter match alongside the edges — the Spectre Folio’s leather-based wrapped spherical and added to the width and depth — and a barely smaller chassis. I see the reasoning, nonetheless the vegan leather-based merely doesn’t preserve the an identical enchantment.
In another case, the design is comparable. The present flips inside the heart due to the pliability of the vegan leather-based supplies and will likely be pulled forward over the keyboard, forming a media mode. Pull it further forward, and it turns right into a tablet with a slight angle. It’s a definite deal with the 2-in-1 and it actually works properly, albeit with only one angle considerably than the varied angles on the market with a 360-degree convertible or tablet with a kickstand.
I found the present to be considerably wobbly in clamshell mode, enough so that I seen it whereas typing. Most 360-degree convertibles I’ve used, similar to the HP Spectre x360 14, have firmer hinges. And as with the Spectre Folio, the flexibility button is on the keyboard and hidden in all nonetheless clamshell mode.
The Elite Folio feels pretty sturdy, with no flexing or bending anyplace inside the chassis. On this division, it’s the equal of the Spectre x360 14 and Dell XPS 13. That locations the Elite Folio in efficient agency, and in addition you gained’t actually really feel like you must baby the laptop merely resulting from its distinctive provides and design. Solely time will inform how the vegan leather-based holds as a lot as placed on and tear, though.
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On the subject of its dimension, the Elite Folio is 0.63 inches thick and weighs 2.92 kilos. That compares to the Spectre x360 14 at 0.67 inches and a pair of.95 kilos and the XPS 13 at 0.58 inches and a pair of.8 kilos. Whereas the metal portion of the Elite Folio’s base is kind of skinny, the lid is a bit thicker and the vegan leather-based offers additional bulk. The Elite Folio is because of this reality not as small as a result of it’s maybe if it had been constructed purely of metal.
Connectivity isn’t the Elite Folio’s greatest energy. You get two USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 ports, one on either side (each will power the laptop), and a 3.5mm audio jack. That’s it. Thunderbolt isn’t supported, in spite of everything, because of the Qualcomm chipset. Wi-fi connectivity is robust, nonetheless, with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5. You’ll be able to too choose between non-obligatory LTE 4 or 5G WWAN help, and there’s a SIM slot located subsequent to the pen (additional on that later). HP chosen to go together with 5G Sub6 proper right here and by no means mmWave.
Effectivity
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Thus far, Dwelling home windows on ARM processors has been underwhelming, and nothing similar to the excellent effectivity that Apple squeezes out of its M1 ARM chip. The Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 is supposed to supply improved effectivity, and whereas I would prefer to quantify this claimed enchancment, it’s powerful because of lack of help for lots of Dwelling home windows legacy features. Most of our benchmarks gained’t run on the Elite Folio, so I can’t give loads aim information.
I would run Geekbench 5, and proper right here the Elite Folio managed a meager 770 in single-core mode and a barely greater 3,028 in multi-core mode. That compares to the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 1 inside the Lenovo Flex 5G at 700 and a pair of,802, respectively — not a number of an enchancment. And, in spite of everything, it’s nothing as compared with the scores achieved by Intel’s Eleventh-gen Core CPUs, to not level out the Ryzen 5000 chips and the Apple M1. The HP Spectre x360 14 with its Core i7-1165G7 hit 1,214 and 4,117, as an illustration, whereas the Ryzen 7 5800U-equipped Asus ZenBook 13 UX325UA scored 1,423 and 6,758. Apple’s MacBook Air with the M1 blew away the sector at 1,727 and 7,585. Solely the Acer Aspire 5‘s Core i3-1115G4 scored equally at 1,214 and a pair of,544. Going by this benchmark alone, the Elite Folio is a sluggish laptop.
In exact use, I found it to be snappy enough for typical productiveness work like using Microsoft Office features (which run natively on the chipset), internet looking, and the like. I couldn’t run any of our additional sturdy benchmarks, such as a result of the Handbrake examine that encodes a 420MB video to H.265 nor Cinebench 23 or our regular PCMark 10 benchmarks. Nonetheless I wager the Elite Folio isn’t a machine that you just simply’re going to wish to make use of for enhancing big pictures or any video. It’s fanless and completely quiet, which is a plus and a boon for battery life.
I moreover couldn’t examine the graphics using our regular 3DMark benchmarks, and Fortnite wouldn’t arrange, so I couldn’t run that examine, each. The Elite Folio isn’t a gaming machine, which is okay because of it’s not meant to behave like one.
Present and audio system
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I moreover couldn’t examine the present using my colorimeter for lack of supported drivers. And that’s a shame because of it’s a surprising 13.5-inch IPS present inside the productivity-friendly 3:2 aspect ratio that I’d like to have the flexibility to quantify. Determination is lower than I’d like at 1,920 x 1,280, merely barely better than Full HD, nonetheless I’m most certainly additional concerned about better resolutions than the on a regular basis productiveness particular person. The show was sharp, merely not as sharp as I like.
HP advertises 400 nits of brightness, and I’m optimistic the present approaches that metric. I certainly not found it too dim in my regular working environment, nonetheless it wasn’t vibrant enough to make use of out of doors inside the daylight (as is the case with most laptops). HP provides its latest Optimistic View Mirror privateness show as an risk, and it’s loads brighter at 1,000 nits with the privateness carry out turned off — making it an risk for anyone who wants a very vibrant present.
Colors appeared vibrant and pure and by no means oversaturated. I can’t attest to the accuracy, nonetheless I seen nothing amiss as I used the present subsequent to a Dell XPS 13. Netflix and totally different streaming video appeared neither too vibrant nor too darkish, so gamma seems to be on stage.
Normal, I liked using the present. Taller exhibits are loads additional sensible than old-school 16:9 panels, and so I can see the Elite Folio making transient work of longer we pages and paperwork.
The two upward-firing audio system to each side of the keyboard put out sufficient amount for watching YouTube motion pictures and the occasional Netflix current. Mids and highs are clear and good, nonetheless the bass is sort of no-existent. It’s an awesome sound system for such a small laptop, nonetheless you’ll nonetheless need a pair of headphones for longer binge durations and music listening.
Keyboard and touchpad
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The Elite Folio makes use of a mannequin of the Elite keyboard, which is analogous to the mannequin HP makes use of on its Spectre line nonetheless not exactly the an identical. It’s engineered to be fixed all through the keyboard and actually regular — and it reveals. There’s moreover sufficient journey at 1.3mm, with a cosy bottoming movement and a light-weight contact. I don’t uncover it pretty as springy as a result of the Spectre Folio’s keyboard, and so I nonetheless favor that one to the Elite Folio’s, nonetheless the latter’s keyboard nonetheless ranks up there with the right.
The touchpad on the Elite Folio is barely larger than the one on the Spectre Folio, due to the taller present and the additional space on the keyboard deck. It’s not pretty as big as a result of the touchpad on the Spectre x360 14. It was as responsive as all Microsoft Precision touchpads are, providing precise and reliable help for Dwelling home windows 10’s multitouch gestures.
The Elite Folio’s present is touch-enabled and responsive. Further attention-grabbing is the energetic pen that has its private dock and charging station above the keyboard. It’s an superior reply for storing the pen, although it does make the pen flat considerably than spherical. I found it pretty cosy in use, though. It helps 4,096 ranges of stress sensitivity and tilt, and it actually works properly with Dwelling home windows 10’s inking capabilities. The three:2 aspect ratio might be additional cosy for writing on the show, being wider when held as a tablet in portrait mode and nearer to a every day piece of paper in the case of dimensions. HP estimates that the pen’s value will closing for 10 days of three hours utilization a day, nonetheless in spite of everything, you can protect it topped off just by storing it in its rightful place.
An infrared camera and facial recognition current dwelling home windows 10 Howdy help, and I found it fast and reliable. HP inbuilt a bodily privateness shutter for the webcam, and so that you just’ll should make sure that it’s open in the event you want to log in using your face.
Battery life
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HP packed a 46 watt-hour battery into the Elite Folio’s diminutive chassis, which is decrease than some rivals. The Spectre x360 14, as an illustration, has 67 watt-hours on the market. The Qualcomm CPU is supposed to be very atmosphere pleasant, nonetheless, and so I was anticipating battery life to excel.
As quickly as as soon as extra, I was restricted inside the number of benchmarks I would run. The PCMark 10 checks wouldn’t run on the Elite Folio, so I was restricted to easily our internet and video checks. In internet testing, which runs by the use of a sequence of widespread webpages, the Elite Folio managed barely under 11 hours, as compared with the Lenovo Flex 5G with the previous-generation Snapdragon 8cx that went for 17 hours. The Elite Folio’s longevity on this examine was barely greater than frequent for contemporary Intel Eleventh-gen Tiger Lake laptops — and plenty of lasted for for much longer. The Samsung Galaxy E book Skilled 360 with a Core i7-1165G7, as an illustration, lasted for better than 1.5 hours longer. I anticipated greater effectivity from the Elite Folio on this examine.
On our video examine that loops by the use of a 1080p movie trailer, the Elite Folio lasted for 19-and-a-half hours. That’s a sturdy displaying, nonetheless as soon as extra, it’s properly behind the Lenovo Flex 5G’s 28 hours. The Galaxy E book Skilled 360 made it to 17.5 hours, and as soon as extra the Elite Folio underwhelmed given its atmosphere pleasant ARM CPU.
There’s little query that the Elite Folio will closing a full day of labor, nonetheless it doesn’t pretty reside as a lot as its processor’s promise. That’s maybe because of comparatively small battery functionality, which is a carry out of the laptop’s diminutive base portion. Whatever the case, the HP Elite Folio lasts longer than your frequent Intel-based laptop, nonetheless it’s faraway from being the longest-lasting among the many many alternative Snapdragon-based laptops we’ve examined.
Our take
The Spectre Folio was a standout machine when it was launched in 2018. Its leather-based was luxurious, and its design progressive. The Elite Folio provides the an identical design, modified barely to be way more environment friendly due to the present’s 3:2 aspect ratio. I’ll observe that the vegan leather-based supplies isn’t as viscerally pleasing as the actual leather-based on the Spectre Folio, nonetheless it’s nonetheless additional cosy than bare metal.
The Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 underwhelmed. Its effectivity wasn’t loads improved over the sooner technology, and it stays a slower CPU that complicates points with restricted utility compatibility. And the Elite Folio’s battery life is aggressive with Intel-based laptops, nonetheless it have to be greater. It’s not unhealthy; it’s merely doesn’t reside as a lot as its potential.
Normal, the laptop is good to utilize, with an superior keyboard and pen, and it provides fast always-on connectivity selections. Within the occasion you desire a 2-in-1 you can take anyplace and get work achieved, albeit considerably additional slowly, then the Elite Folio is an efficient choice.
Are there any choices?
The Lenovo Flex 5G could use the previous-generation processor, nonetheless it performs almost along with the Elite Folio and can get significantly better battery life. As with our totally different choices, it’s moreover plenty of hundred {{dollars}} a lot much less. You’ll merely should give up the pull-forward design and the vegan leather-based.
The HP Spectre x360 14 is a superior 2-in-1 in the case of effectivity and, with a lower resolution present, competes in battery life. We reviewed the model with the OLED present, and that machine is cheap than the Elite Folio whereas offering a vastly superior seen experience.
The Dell XPS 13 9310 is a powerful choice in case you don’t desire a 2-in-1. It’s merely as well-built, moreover has a beautiful keyboard, and outperforms the Elite Folio. Get the Full HD present and in addition you’ll see comparable battery life whereas spending plenty of a lot much less.
How prolonged will it closing?
The Elite Folio should closing for years due to a powerful assemble — as long as the vegan leather-based supplies holds out, which we gained’t know until it’s been subjected to the identical previous treatment. There’s solely a one-year assure, which is commerce regular and disappointing for a enterprise laptop. Bear in mind that it’s merely $75 to enhance to a three-year assure, which is a bargain.
Do you must buy it?
Certain, if you must work anyplace and in addition you similar to the pull-forward 2-in-1 design.
Editors’ Solutions
