HP has managed to make a reputation for itself by crafting engaging, distinctive laptops. Its Spectre notebooks are a number of the prettiest PCs round, whereas the was a head-turning mixture of leather-based and steel. The firm continues to chase superlatives like “thinnest” or “lightest” with its Elite Dragonfly collection, but it surely’s additionally bringing eye-catching options throughout its portfolio. The is an actual hodgepodge of these concepts — it has a leather-based construct, a pull-forward touchscreen, Snapdragon 8cx energy, LTE connectivity and a stylus with Wacom expertise. On paper, it is a compelling mixture of options. But at a whopping $1,889, the Elite Folio is hideously costly for a Windows on ARM machine.

Design

One of HP’s best strengths is its distinctive and engaging designs. In a sea of metallic rounded rectangles, the Elite Folio definitely stands out. Its vegan leather-covered exterior is tasteful and mushy to the contact. Carrying it round nearly made me really feel skilled.

Opening the Elite Folio is a bit tough, although. Because it has a pull-forward display screen, typically the panel pops out of the lid once I’m simply making an attempt to open it into laptop computer mode. This occurs about 50 p.c of the time — I want there have been a lock to maintain the display screen in place once I don’t need it to slip ahead.

When the laptop computer is all arrange although, every thing works because it ought to. The hinge is sturdy sufficient to carry the display screen at any angle, and the little slot between the show and keyboard that homes and fees the included HP Slim Active Pen is handy. This little slot, by the best way, can be the place you’ll discover the SIM card tray — it’s tucked away beneath the precise finish. Honestly, it’s somewhat exhausting to seek out in case you don’t know the place to look: I needed to ask HP the place my SIM card ought to go.

Speakers flank the keyboard and a USB-C port sits on both sides of the machine, with a headphone jack on the precise. While there isn’t a fingerprint sensor for logins, you should utilize face recognition through the 720p infrared hybrid webcam. I additionally admire the mechanical privateness shutter right here, although I want the highest bezel have been somewhat slimmer.

Display and audio

The thick prime bezel makes the Elite Folio’s 3:2 panel look additional tall, although that would simply be my eyes adjusting after spending most of my time on a 16:9 system. It’s price noting that the Surface Laptop 4 has the identical side ratio however its bezels are barely thinner.

Chunky borders aren’t that massive of a deal (plus it makes it simpler to pop the display screen out with out unintentionally launching an app). I’m extra bothered by the show itself. While I just like the taller side ratio and the 1920 x 1280 decision makes photos and textual content look crisp on the 13.5-inch panel, I struggled to see most issues beneath daylight. I’ve spent most of final yr utilizing the Samsung Galaxy Book Flex as my important driver, and in comparison with its QLED show, the Elite Folio’s LCD seems to be uneven and dim.

On the opposite hand, HP’s audio setup right here is surprisingly sturdy. The audio system are loud and clear. I’d favor a heavier bass and clearer mids on songs like Doja Cat’s Need To Know and Maroon 5’s Lost, however the sound high quality was higher than many different laptops.

Keyboard, trackpad and webcam

Another benefit the Elite Folio has over most ultraportables at this dimension is its keyboard. HP gives buttons with 1.3mm of journey, which is among the deepest setups I’ve examined. The format is well-spaced, too, and there are not any undersized keys right here. The adjustable backlighting is sweet as nicely. I discovered the buttons require a bit an excessive amount of pressure to depress, however that’s one thing I may see myself getting used to over time.

The trackpad is okay too. It’s responsive, amply sized, and multi-finger gestures work nicely. Nothing tremendous shocking or distinctive, but in addition nothing to complain about. I do have a bone to choose with the webcam, although. While I did just like the comfort of logging in biometrically through the Elite Folio’s 720p digicam, I hated the best way it made me look on video calls. Images have been darkish and splotchy and I regarded like one of many ghosts hidden within the background of The Haunting of Hill House.

Stylus and pull-forward display screen

Something else HP gives that firms like Microsoft and Lenovo don’t (and Samsung has finished away with on its newest laptops) is a slot for the included stylus. That, and the Elite Folio’s pull-forward display screen make it simpler to do issues like draw sketches or take notes. You can accomplish that with the show propped up in entrance of the keyboard or push it down so it lays flat like a pill.

In all these configurations, the Elite Folio carried out nicely, and I discovered palm rejection efficient as I scrawled some handwritten ramblings into Paint. HP’s Elite Slim Active Pen makes use of Wacom expertise, detects 4,096 ranges of strain, and gives tilt sensitivity as nicely. It was responsive and clean as I drew a horrible rendering of the seaside (my fault, not the pen’s). When I used to be prepared to return to laptop computer mode, I appreciated the little nub on the display screen’s backside edge that helps with pushing it again up. The show additionally rotated between portrait and panorama orientations shortly amid these transitions.

Performance

I want I may say the identical in regards to the Elite Folio’s total efficiency. It makes use of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 with 16GB of RAM and, like most Windows on ARM machines we’ve examined, is stuttery. When I switched forwards and backwards between penning this assessment and checking my Slack pings, it could take just a few seconds for the net app to load and present all my messages.

I take advantage of the identical browser-based setup of Slack on my each day driver (an Intel-powered PC) and barely encounter such delays. Of course, it’s attainable that Slack is partially responsible, however I additionally skilled comparable lags whereas setting the Elite Folio up. Benchmarks and my regular suite of apps took noticeably longer to put in than on most different techniques.

Benchmarks aren’t an ideal illustration of efficiency, however they nonetheless inform us how the Elite Folio stacks up towards comparable machines. On Geekbench 5, the Elite Folio scores have been lower than half that of an M1-powered MacBook Air or Pro, and in addition misplaced to Intel techniques just like the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360. It did fare barely higher than a Core i3-powered Acer Aspire 5, however that prices a couple of third of the value.

I don’t wish to preserve beating a lifeless horse so as an alternative of ranting as soon as extra in regards to the restricted app compatibility and glitchy emulator software program of Windows on ARM, I’ll simply say this: Apple has confirmed it’s attainable to make ARM-based laptops that run extraordinarily nicely — Microsoft critically must step up its recreation.

Battery life and connectivity

One of the principle issues Snapdragon laptops have going for them is their unimaginable battery life and speedy mobile connections. HP guarantees as much as 20 hours of video playback on a cost, however the Elite Folio truly conked out after 15 hours and 14 minutes on our rundown check. At a decrease display screen brightness, the machine may probably meet HP’s estimated mark. That mentioned, the Elite Folio’s runtime already beats most ultraportables we’ve examined, just like the MacBook Air 2020 and HP’s personal Elite Dragonfly and Elitebook x360. But it fell minutes in need of the Surface Laptop 4 (15-inch) and Galaxy Book Pro 360 (15-inch).

Another factor I like about Snapdragon PCs are their dependable LTE connections. The Elite Folio helps gigabit LTE, and you will get a mannequin with 5G too, although solely sub-6 and never mmWave. Rounding out the excessive velocity wi-fi choices is WiFi 6.

Wrap up

There’s quite a bit to love in regards to the Elite Folio — its distinctive design, useful stylus, good battery life and mobile connectivity are nice. But I can not, in good conscience, let you know to shell out $1,889 for a Windows on ARM machine till Microsoft improves the system. Sure, HP isn’t precisely focusing on the typical client since this falls beneath its “Elite” line of business notebooks however on this case that principally simply means the Folio has IT deployment pleasant software program and safety. It’s nonetheless an excessive amount of cash for a laptop computer that begins out with a messy OS, and the Elite Folio doesn’t do sufficient to beat that drawback.