The HP Dragonfly Folio G3 is essentially the most enjoyable I’ve had with a laptop computer this yr

Listen. Is a $2,379 folio-style laptop computer an impractical and illogical buy for most individuals? Yes. But is it a heck of a number of enjoyable to make use of whereas coveting a extra luxurious life? Also sure.

I’m presently typing this on a prototype unit of the HP Dragonfly Folio G3, introduced right now. HP is following within the footsteps of another laptop computer producers this yr and changing the standard 2-in-1 kind issue of its high-end convertible line with one thing a bit extra (I suppose, in idea) versatile.

For those that don’t obsessively comply with the convertible laptop computer house (and initially, how might you be so ignorant? Go stand within the nook), the folio design places a flex level in the course of the G3’s display screen, which that display screen is ready to rotate backward or ahead round. It will also be pulled ahead to be angled like a tent over the keyboard, folded right into a pill, or simply used like an everyday laptop computer.

Look, that is exhausting to elucidate. Just check out the images, and also you’ll know what sort of factor I’m speaking about. If you’re acquainted with Acer’s ConceptD Ezel, it’s that kind of deal.

Now, the factor about HP doing this, particularly, is that the corporate has been attempting to make this sort of fabric-bound folio luxurious doodad a factor for years. It tried it again in 2019 with the Spectre Folio, and it did one other one final yr within the Snapdragon-powered Elite Folio. One wonders if HP’s simply bouncing this type issue round completely different flooring of the workplace so that each division will get its flip. I, for one, will welcome a leather-covered folio-style Omen 45L subsequent yr.

Regardless, right now, the folio design has come for the very costly, C-suite-targeted Dragonfly enterprise line. And you realize what? It’s an excellent time.

Using this factor (which, once more, I acknowledge is simply too costly for people to truly purchase) actually seems and appears like utilizing a Dragonfly. It’s a bit thick, together with the lovable little cowl, however doesn’t really feel thick in any respect. Sliding it right into a backpack appears like sliding a pocket book in.

The prototype’s chassis is sturdy, flex-free, and simple to fold into completely different positions. When I watched stuff, or was on a very lengthy Zoom name, I used it like a tent. When I wanted the keyboard once more, it popped proper again into laptop computer mode. I want the whole lot in life have been really easy.

While I do know higher than to count on an excessive amount of out of prototype models, I simply maintain working into stuff that’s weirdly nice about this one. The keyboard is without doubt one of the clickiest, most snug ones that I’ve used for fairly a while. The 8MP webcam is crisp and clear. The audio system sound good at nowhere close to most quantity. Even the important thing backlighting simply seems fairly stunning to me. (I used to be not, by the way in which, saying all of these things concerning the clamshell Dragonfly G3 prototype I took for a spin earlier this yr.)

I can’t communicate to this factor’s efficiency because it’s a preproduction unit. I do really feel compelled, nonetheless, to tease one factor: I’ve barely wanted to plug it in throughout my testing interval. That, to me, is an efficient signal for the form of battery life we would see from the ultimate unit.

Honestly — and this can be a factor I really feel like I’ve stated about so many wonderful machines this yr — if this factor didn’t have unfavorable seven ports (okay, that’s an exaggeration — there are Thunderbolt 4 and a headphone jack), I might be attempting to maintain it for so long as potential. Some laptops have an unspeakable high quality that makes them enjoyable to make use of, and these folio ones actually are enjoyable. I can run all of the benchmarks on the planet on a factor, after which I can even ask myself: am I unhappy that I’ve to return it? The reply, for the Folio G3, is sure. I’m going to overlook this little factor.

Photography by Monica Chin / The Verge