HP Presents the Ultrathin and Ultra-portable Folio 13

There have been many entrants on the ultrathin notebook scene, but none quite as balanced as the HP Folio 13. This device offers high quality and a lot of premium features at an affordable price. If you consider the fact that the Folio has to compete with the increasing number of tablet devices flooding the market, HP has done a good job.

Technical Specifications:

• Intel Core I5 1.6 GHz processor
• 128 GB SSD
• 4 GB RAM, HD3000 graphics card
• Windows 7 Professional 64-bit platform
• 13.3 inch backlit display
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and integrated 720-pixel webcam for video conferencing
• Multi-touch features such as two-fingered scrolling and pinch zoom
• 18 mm thickness
• 6 cell battery lasts up to 9 hours

Overall Body:

They have achieved a sleek and professional look, where less is more. A brushed aluminum outer cover with a tough plastic base wrapped in soft rubber gives it minimalistic attractiveness and ensures that annoying fingerprint smudges are almost non-existent, except on the glossy surface surrounding the keypad. Despite its thinness, it has negligible flex; in fact, it is so rugged that it cannot be easily opened single-handedly. This sturdy build offers durability while on the go.

The Solid State Device (SDD) from Samsung is a unique storage component among notebooks, achieving much higher speeds than the hard drives of traditional laptops. The SDD boots and launches quickly, and an external hard drive can easily be attached if extended memory is desired.

Audio / Video Output:

The Dolby Advanced Audio speakers render premium sound performance with volume and clarity that belie the size of this device. HP has thought out their speaker positioning well; located above the keyboard and between the display hinges, the sound output directly faces the user. It’s a plus that the speakers cannot be covered by mistake while handling the notebook.

Although the HP Folio 13 is not built for gaming, its HD3000 graphics card supports games with average graphic features.

Layout:

The touchpad is one continuous unit, with the left- and right-click button areas demarcated by grey lines. The Folio 13 uses sturdy, weighted chicklet keys with optimum size and spacing. There is a good differentiation between depressed and normal keys which, along with the backlit keypad, assists extended typing. The page up/down keys are slightly crammed onto the keyboard layout, but the user gets accustomed to them quickly. There are several ports: the power jack, USB 3.0, Ethernet, HDMI and media card slot are positioned on the left of the Folio 13. The USB 3.0 port lies alongside the combination audio headphone/microphone jack. The fan exhaust is at the back, while the front remains without any ports.

Pros:

• Very solid body, yet ultrathin and light.
• Many connectivity options to satisfy business needs: one each of USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports along with an SD card slot — something other notebooks in this category lack.
• One of its strongest features, and one that boosts the Folio 13′s ultraportability, is the long battery life. It lasts 7 hours with light usage or at least 5 hours for real applications run on low-to-medium settings.

Cons:

• Its glossy display cannot achieve much brightness; the problem is worse in the dark room or dim airplane because of the reflection of the backlit keys.
• Cell battery is not replaceable.
• It is difficult to upgrade RAM and SDD, except at an HP center.
• Fan is quite noisy for high processing, but not likely to affect the average office usage.
• At just under 1.5 kilograms, it is heavier than most ultraportable notebooks, but still manageable in a backpack.
• Default settings for clicking on the touchpad are not smooth; multi-touch features like pinch zoom can be over sensitive.

The Final Verdict:

HP Folio 13 is a great buy at $900, considering its sleek body, above-average performance and portable-friendly features. There are faster ultrathin notebooks on the market, such as Lenovo IdeaPad U300s, but at much higher cost. It is targeted at the office professional; it can also be used by the home consumer, but not for hardcore gaming or HD movie viewing. Compared to ultrathin notebooks in the same price range, the HP Folio 13 has high quality build and satisfactory performance for the business user on the go.

Author’s Bio: Michelle Myers is a tech-gadget junkie; she loves exploring the latest devices, comparing their features and sharing her analysis. Her reviews also include the latest HP coupon code offers for laptops and notebook devices.

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Tags: Features, Full Specifications, HP Folio 13, HP Folio 13 Ultrabook, Pros & Cons, Ultrabook