HP Folio 13 Ultrabook: Hands On Review
The HP Folio 13 is an excellent ultrabook and has a good balance of both features and performance with an average screen. These days you would notice that every notebook maker is introducing the best technologies inside the amazing “ultrabooks”. For those who don’t know what ultrabooks are, they are the light premium and thin notebooks that uses the latest Intel technologies. The latest entrant in the ultrabook market is HP Folio 13. This 13 inches aluminum-wrapped notebook is shipped with an Intel Core i5 processor as well as 128GB solid hard drive. The ultrabook comes with a price tag of $899 only. However the main question remains, whether HP ultrabook can give a tough competition to the higher-priced ultrabooks that are packed with higher specs? So what are you waiting for HP Folio 13 laptop review to read more about it?
HP Folio 13 Build and Design :
At the first glance, the HP Folio 13 Ultrabook looks like an average ultrabook. Thanks to the aluminum construction as well as 13 inch screen size, the build and design of the laptop offers nothing unique to its users. It is not one of the thinnest ultrabooks in the market. The maximum thickness of the notebook is 0.7 inches. On the other hand, it is not the lightest ultrabook as well, as the device weighs around 3.3 pounds. The weight of the ultrabook with its AC adapter is 4+ lbs, however HP engineers have not sacrificed on important features such as a media card reader for making the Folio 13 almost 0.1 inch thinner.
Now talking about the design of the notebook, its lid as well as top half of the chassis is made of aluminum. However, the remaining parts of the notebook are made up of tough plastics that os wrapped in soft touch rubber paint. This feature of HP Folio 13 is quite similar to a Lenovo ThinkPad. In addition to this, the entire frame of the gadget is extremely solid. Also, the chassis has no flex. It is one of the most impressive features considering the thinness of the laptop.
Also, the screen hinges are extremely strong and provides enough tension to ultrabook, thus giving you a more rugged feeling. Surprisingly you would need to use both of your hands for opening this laptop. In addition to this, the aluminum lid provides good protection for the screen; however there are some chances of screen distortion when significant pressure has been applied to the screen. We have to accept the fact that HP has worked hard enough and strike a perfect balance between the light and thin design without forfeiting the durability.
HP Folio 13 Screen :
The 13.3 inches display is lackluster; however the term is applicable to the pale colors only. The display boosts unimpressive resolution of 1366×768 (720p). On the other hand the glossy screen surface is full of luster, which would often force you to move the screen backward and forward to find a perfect viewing angle. According to HP, the Folio 13 is a hybrid of a business laptop and a premium consumer laptop for road warriors, thus ultrabook is expected to have an anti-glare or matte screen option. Considering the TN panels and the viewing angles the display of Folio 13 is pretty average. You would look the screen when viewed from modest horizontal or straight angle, however the colors appear washed out as you view it from above. On the other hand the colors look inverted as you view the screen from below.
HP Folio 13 Ports and Features :
People opt for ultrabooks as they want a light and thin laptop that provides excellent performance and has superior construction. On the other hand, one of the most important down sides of the thin and light ultrabook design is that they don’t offer various ports. Moreover, an optical drive is a complete no no. The HP Folio 13 Ultrabook offers one USB 2.0 port, one USB 3.0 port, Ethernet, HDMI, and a media card reader. Most of the leading ultrabooks sacrifice the media card reader for making the laptop thinner. The ultrabook includes a single microphone and headphone combination jack (headset jack), which is all offered in terms of audio ports.
Pros of HP Folio 13 :
The HP Folio 13 offers good backlit keyboard. The notebook boosts solid aluminum construction and is packed with plenty of ports. The gadget has good battery life as well. The gadget offers value for the money invested.
Cons of HP Folio 13 :
The HP Folio 13 has an average and overly glossy screen. The default clickpad settings of the ultrabook are horrible. In addition to this, many times the fan gets noisy. The display of the ultrabook is not-so-bright. Also, the device is a few ounces overweight.
The Verdict :
Priced at Rs.69,990 plus taxes, the HP Folio 13 Ultrabook seems to be somewhat overpriced. When compared to the offerings of various competitors, the ultrabook falls quite behind in the race. For instance, if you opt for difference in build quality you can always get the Samsung Series 5, which is priced for Rs. 54,390. The Samsung Series 5 offers a 14 inches display, 1TB storage, 6GB RAM and dedicated graphics card. The HP Folio 13 is packed with a comfortable keyboard as well as broad port selection.
Anthony Lobo
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