HP Elite Folio has folding design & faux-leather covering. It has an alluring 4G or 5G traveler & stands out from convertible laptop crowd.
The HP Elite Folio is elite not just because it’s encased in what HP calls “vegan leather.” Instead, the Elite Folio fills an intriguing niche for note-takers seeking long battery life.
Still, its variant of Windows 10 Pro may not run all the apps in your library, and it’s pricey compared to Intel- and AMD-based convertibles.
HP Elite Folio Full Specifications
| Description | Particulars |
| Brand | HP |
| Model Name | Elite Folio |
| Release Date | 11th January 2021 |
| LXBXH (mm) | 298.60 x 229.60 x 15.95 |
| Display Size | 13.50-inch |
| Colors | Shadow Black |
| Resolution | 1920×1280 pixels |
| Processor | Base Clock Speed 3150 GHz |
| Memory | RAM 16GB |
| Storage | SSD 512GB |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi standards supported 802.11 |
| Bluetooth | Version 5 |
| Web Camera | 720p |
| Ports and slots | USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Type C) 2 |
| Headphone and Mic Combo | Jack |
HP states the Elite Folio is “the world’s first pull-forward business convertible PC,” with a screen hinge. It presents it as more well-built in your lap than a tablet with a kickstand and more convenient to keep in tablet mode than a 2-in-1 that puts its keys under your fingers. But, of course, it’s not unprecedented—the Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel has the equivalent fold-forward plan for the same three workings.
The screen bezels are thin as HP maintains an 88.3% screen-to-body ratio, with a webcam including a sliding privacy shutter centered up top. There’s some flex if you seize the screen corners but none if you mash the keyboard deck. The stylus, entitled the HP Elite Slim Active Pen, rests magnetically in its charging slot or channel above the keyboard. There’s no fingerprint reader, but the webcam allows IR face recognition for Windows Hello logins.
HP maintains the backlit keyboard holds 1.3mm of travel. In addition, the cursor arrow keys are outlined in the company’s finger-cramping trademark straight-across row instead of the standard, inverted T, half-height up and down arrows stacked between full-height up and down that are hard-to-hit. They also team with the Fn key without dedicated Page Up and Page Down, Home, End keys.
The square keys have a fashionable, comfortable typing feel, with a louder tapping noise. The buttonless touchpad glides and taps evenly with a steady click.
When you are a supporter of 3:2-aspect-ratio displays because their taller view shows more word processing, spreadsheet rows, or web content with less scrolling, the Elite Folio has a valid one, with vibrant colors and adequate brightness and contrast. White backgrounds are transparent rather than dingy, and viewing angles are reasonably wide, though the touch-glass overlay makes impressions of lights and windows behind you noticeable. Delicate features are nicely sharp, and the tips of letters are crisp. The only real objection is that the screen doesn’t tilt back very far (135 degrees) if you like an extreme angle at times. Unfortunately, that’s the sort of folding cover.
It has two programmable keys on its surface and one on its head with a 5.5-inch Wacom AES 2.0 pen. It stars 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity with tilt support. It will show unique palm rejection when you rest your hand on the screen in tablet mode and follow up with your fastest swipes and scribblings. Windows Ink Workspace pops up when you lift the pen from its charging slot.
Quad speakers crank out reasonably loud, clear sound, perhaps deep but not tinny or distorted. There’s only a weak bass, but you can make out overlapping tracks. However, you may miss the music and movie modes or equalizer adjustments typically provided by audio software. The 720p webcam seizes slightly dark and soft-focus but moderately colorful and static-free images.
The Elite Folio managed a very decent place, lasting for almost 20 unplugged hours. So if you want a Microsoft Office, web surfing, and journaling machine that’s just getting started after a full day of work or school, you should check the HP out.
Suppose you don’t need 64-bit apps like the Adobe Creative Cloud suite and crave an easy-to-carry, highly pen-friendly laptop/tablet combo with 4G or 5G connectivity, sophisticated style, and excellent battery life. In that case, the HP Elite Folio will tempt you—at least until you run smack into its painful price tag.
HP maintains that fast charging will give 90% of a full charge in 90 minutes. For example, when it starts charging at 33%, it got to 50% after 15 minutes, 67% after 30 minutes, and 84% after 45 minutes.
Conclusions
HP’s Elite Folio is a 2-in-1 with a considerable quirky appeal, headed up by its exceptional battery life. Unfortunately, the vegan-leather folio-style cladding might prove a little fragile on your travels, but a protective sleeve should fix that.
However, windows on ARM might be a problem for some potential buyers due to app compatibility issues. Do check this out thoroughly if this premium 2-in-1 entices you. Bear in understanding that supplementing mobile broadband will strike the outlay.