Announced last year equally an effort to bolster notebook sales amidst tablet fever, Intel'southward ultrabook initiative is well underway with no less than a dozen machines vying to be your new companion -- some more effectively than others. Vendors such as LG take unveiled highly competent ultrathins that rival Apple's MacBook Air in terms of raw specs, but they also fail to see one of Intel's guiding tenets past exceeding the sub-$1,000 price bespeak.

At that place are just so many people willing to spend $1,300+ on a finger-thick motorcar, and many of them are already loyal Apple customers. The reality is, the average consumer wants to believe they're buying a premium production, only they don't necessarily want to pay premium prices. It's a tough nut to scissure and most PC makers have failed when it comes to ultrathin notebooks, whether by charging likewise much or cutting likewise many corners.

LG's $ane,500 10-Note Z330 is incredibly thin (0.58in/14.7mm) and light (two.67lb/ane.21kg), but its internals are identical to ultrabooks that are fifty% cheaper or more. Conversely, Acer's Aspire S3 stormed out of the gates terminal Oct with an attainable sub-$i,000 price, simply information technology was criticized for having a cheap plastic chassis, poor audio quality and viewing angles, a stiff keyboard, a curt battery life and tons of bloatware to boot.

Hitting a balance between both extremes, HP's Folio 13 kicks off at an bonny $900 while packing the aforementioned core componentry y'all'll detect in fifty-fifty the priciest of ultrabooks. The system has been available for a couple of months so our review isn't particularly timely, merely subsequently purchasing a unit a few weeks ago nosotros thought it deserved attention considering how many system makers have gotten the formula wrong, despite Intel's guidance.

HP Folio 13-1020us - $900

  • 13.3" 1366x768 LED-backlit display
  • Intel Core i5-2467M (one.vi - 2.3GHz)
  • Intel Hard disk drive Graphics 3000
  • 4GB of DDR3 RAM
  • 128GB SSD (SATA 3Gb/s)
  • one USB 2.0 (correct) + 1 USB 3.0 (left)
  • 1 HDMI v1.4 port (left)
  • SD Carte reader (left)
  • Gigabit Ethernet (left)
  • Audio-out / mic philharmonic jack (correct)
  • 802.11b/chiliad/north / Bluetooth iv.0
  • HD webcam + mic
  • Backlit chiclet keyboard
  • half-dozen-cell 59WHr battery (ix hours)
  • 12.54" (L) 10 viii.67" (W) ten 0.7" (H) / 3.3lbs

External Overview

Visually, the Page 13 is reminiscent of HP'south Envy and Elitebook lines, which also to say it's reminiscent of Apple'due south MacBook Pros. HP has done an admirable job employing a minimalist professional await on its premium notebooks. The Folio 13 has brushed aluminum on its top comprehend and around its keyboard/touchpad, while the lesser has a soft, rubbery coating. Both surfaces do an impeccable job minimizing fingerprints.

The sleeky display will inevitably attract mitt grease, but there is enough non-sleeky space around the bezel to open up and close the organisation without making frequent contact. The glossy screen is also less than desirable for use in bright environments. I tin see a partial reflection when viewing a nighttime image in my poorly lit apartment. This is compounded by the fact that the Folio'southward screen isn't peculiarly bright at its maximum setting.

While I'm on the subject area, the 1366x768 TN panel leaves a lot to be desired in the style of viewing angles and contrast, especially compared to the 13.3-inch MacBook Air'due south 1440x900 panel. I notice myself oftentimes adjusting the brandish to minimize the washed appearance and glare. To be fair, y'all could say the same about an unfortunate number of $1,000+ notebooks, and the Folio 13'due south $900 MSRP helps soften the accident.

The Page's keyboard feels ameliorate than average for an ultraportable. In that location is little to no flex when typing and the keys are well sized and spaced. The keys are backlit with white LEDs with i effulgence setting (on or off). And while the backlit keys are a prissy touch, the sleeky display tin can detract from the experience as you catch glimpses of the keyboard'south reflection (the screen is tilted downward to exaggerate this result below).

The single-piece touchpad sits affluent with the aluminum deck. It looks nifty and it works well enough, though information technology isn't perfect. The surface requires frequent cleaning because it loses its slick feel later lilliputian apply, while the mouse click buttons are stiff and imprecise (clicking toward the bottom corners doesn't register sometimes). On the bright side, multitouch gestures such as two-fingered scrolling and pinch zoom are handy.

As with its other externals, the Folio's Dolby Advanced Audio sound bar blends into the blueprint well. Information technology's placed between the brandish hinges, so you lot'll never accept to worry nearly accidentally covering a speaker. Quality-wise, the sound is flat, but it's also very loud and articulate, which is probably desirable for a business-oriented ultrabook.

Equally with all ultrabooks, connectivity is fairly limited simply the Folio affords an SD bill of fare reader which is notably absent-minded from many of its competitors. The card slot is on the left alongside a USB 3.0 port, an HDMI 1.4 port, and a gigabit Ethernet jack, while the correct is sparsely populated with a unmarried USB 2.0 port likewise as an audio-out/microphone combo jack. Naturally, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi is present, as is Bluetooth 4.0.