HP is ready. Many of their business computers have been already available for new Windows 10. Business laptops are becoming increasingly slimmer and HP EliteBook Folio 1020 is not an exception to this trend. This notebook is lighter and thinner than the Apple MacBook Air, the obvious competitor. It is a model equipped with 12.5-inch screen qHD resolution, 8gb of ram, SSD hard disk drive with 256gb of memory and details such as a fingerprint reader and MIL-STD-810G certification.
HP EliteBook Folio 1020 G1 12.5" LED Ultrabook - Intel Core M 5Y71 Dual-core (2 Core) 1.20 GHz L4A51UA#ABA
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- Rugged Construction: Rugged
- Screen Size: 12.5"
- Processor Type: Core M
- Processor Speed: 1.20 GHz
- Operating System: Windows 7 Professional Upgradable to Windows 8.1 Pro
Design
Business users cannot get more elegant than this laptop. Nicely packaged in a silver casing, this laptop has a nice rounded edges and the cover made of aluminum and magnesium alloy background allow me to keep it unscratched while carrying it with me. When it comes in the dimensions of the competitors, Elitebook 1020 is significantly easier to carry. For example, the Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro is 0.12 inches thinner and 0.2 lighter that Folio 1020 but it is far from Folio for its durability.
Durability and Security
Despite its slim design, this laptop has a very sturdy workmanship and meets MIL-STD-810G durability standards. This makes happy people like me who love to travel a lot and who need resistant laptop. Folio 1020 is built to withstand dust, extreme temperatures, chills and short drops.
Keyboard and ForcePad
The folio’s keyboard is, surprisingly, very good considering the slim design. For the first time I feel as if I am typing text on a desktop computer, because the keys are huge and the space between the keys is bigger than I’m used to. The feedback of the keys is very good. I found an interesting function by pressing “Fn” keys which transform left side of the keyboard into a hidden number pad. It is a very usable thing for the accountants.
Source: www.techradar.com
Techradar.com: The MacBook of the business world
Techradar.com : modern design and unibody construction
The Folio’s touchpad named “ForcePad” is an absolutely new thing for me because it register the level of the pressure that users apply to it. When I pressed enough the touchpad I heard some low click sound that means the laptop is registered my finger’s press. Also, there is a possibility to set how much power is required to be registered as a click, but I think that the default settings are OK. It took me a little while to get used to this innovation, but it’s becoming easier and fun.
- Sturdy slim design
- Big and comfortable keyboard
- Many security options
- A lot of ports for connecting peripherals
- Weak battery
- Too expensive
- Lower processor
Performance
If you perform common everyday tasks, the HP EliteBook 1020 can be your very good friend. But still not as strong as some of its competing models. Because it is a fanless laptop, Folio runs low Intel Core M processor. In fact, I tested the model which owns 1.2-GHz Pentium M-5Y71 processor with 8GB of RAM. Folio runs smoothly YouTube videos. At the same time I was filling Excel columns and the large number of Mozilla Firefox tabs has been opened and at these heavy loads, Folio didn’t show any lag. Geekbench test shows the overall ability of the laptop and HP Folio Ellitebook 1020 showed decent results, but still lags behind from the ThinkPad Yoga and MacBook Air.
Display
Folio’s 12.5 inch display is nice and brisk. I tested the model with touch screen and with resolution 2560 x 1440 and HP also sells a model with low resolution and with no touch screen support. The text is clear and the colors are very alive, but the Folio’s screen could be much brighter. Still, it is enough bright for the indoor.
Battery Life
Battery life is definitely the biggest flaw of the HP EliteBook Folio 1020 laptop. It isn’t bad, but below the average for high-class laptops which is a little less than 8 hours. The laptop has been tested at overload and hold out almost 7 hours, but it is significantly less than the ThinkPad Yoga and MacBook Air.
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Amazon.com : HP EliteBook Folio 1020
Amazon.com : HP 12.5″ Laptop EliteBook Folio 1020 G1
HP EliteBook Folio 1020 G1 12.5" LED Ultrabook - Intel Core M...
- Rugged Construction: Rugged
- Screen Size: 12.5"
- Processor Type: Core M
- Processor Speed: 1.20 GHz
- Operating System: Windows 7 Professional Upgradable to Windows 8.1 Pro
amazon.com
- Rugged Construction: Rugged
- Screen Size: 12.5"
- Processor Type: Core M
- Processor Speed: 1.20 GHz
- Operating System: Windows 7 Professional Upgradable to Windows 8.1 Pro
Ports and connectivity options
Even on such thin laptop, the manufacturer has succeeded to incorporate a large number of ports. There are 3 ports for connecting the USB devices, HDMI input and a slot for a micro SD card wherewith can be expanded memory of the laptop.
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HP EliteBook Folio 1020 can be connected to the Ultra Slim Docking Station, which is available for 159 dollars. The dock gives you more opportunities to connect. I like that the laptop can be connected to all desktop devices with a single connection. This option is not available on the Mac Book Air.
Security and Fingerprint reader
Business customers, especially interested in the safety and security of their laptops. As expected from the business class laptop, EllitBook 1020 is equipped with some great security options, including hardware encryption. Client security application allows authorized users to restrict access to specific discs and hardware inputs. One of my favorites is the option to safely store all the passwords of the most visited sites and to sign in with one master password.
HP EliteBook Folio 1020 has another great innovation. Below the keyboard is a fingerprint reader. First, you must register your fingerprint and you can do it with all of the fingers of one hand. Then swipe with the hand over the reader and your laptop will be unlocked. Settings are easy and reader had a very good response during the period of testing.
There is another innovation that I like a lot. In fact, every time you want to log in to a new website, you will be requested to pair fingerprint to the password. This is great because typing the password every time I log in is very annoying. I was thrilled when I logged on Twitter and Linkedn with a swipe of my thumb over the reader.
Web camera and video conferencing
Although the camera is not so important for the laptop of this class, it’s still good to have communication with colleagues. Still, HP didn’t spare and installed a solid front camera which is good for videoconferencing, although the picture looks a little pale with a small amount of noise. But you’ll hear crystal clear and strong enough caller’s voice from the other side thanks to awesome speaker’s quality.
Configuration and pricing
HP sells two devices with the same name but different configuration designed for two target user groups. The cheaper model is priced at $ 1,199 and designed for the average business user with this configuration: Intel Pentium M-5Y71 processor, 8GB of RAM memory, a 128GB hard drive capacity (SSD) and a 1920 x 1080-pixel non- touch display. During the test, I used a second, stronger and more expensive model with 256GB of RAM memory, 2560 x 1440-pixel touch display and the same processor as the first model. This version costs $ 300 more.
The competition
Competing models have advantages, but also the backlog in respect of the HP EliteBook Folio 1020. Lenovo’s ThinkPad Yoga has the option of converting to tablet and has a fairly long battery life. But it is much trunks and heavier.
Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Air is a significantly stronger than Folio 1020, but has a lower resolution screen, fewer security options and less ports for connecting peripherals.
