Challenging the Macbook Air, HP’s Elitebook Folio laptops are extremely thin, at 15.7mm and lightweight. The Elitebook 1020 weighs 1.2kg, but the Elitebook 1020 Special Edition (SE) uses a magnesium-lithium alloy and carbon fibre chassis, and weighs 1kg.
Both laptops are business models. They will run for up to nine hours on battery and are designed to pass military-grade testing (MIL-STD 810G). These tests put the laptop through drops, shocks, high pressure and extreme temperature and humidity.
HP’s Client Management Solutions are pre-installed. Users also have the option of bundling LAN Desk, for remote secure functionality and Intel vPro technology. The laptops feature a certified Trusted Platform Module, pre-boot authentication, fingerprint reader and HP’s Sure Start self-healing BIOS.
Intel’s new Core-M processors run the laptops, enabling a fanless design. The processors run Windows 8.1, Windows 7, Ubuntu or FreeDOS operating systems. Solid state storage is used (up to 256GB, with a self-encryption drive option on the Elitebook 1020), with 8GB of RAM.
The screen on both laptops is 12.5″, anti-glare and has 2560 x 1440 resolution (with touch on the Elitebook 1020). A display with 1920 x 1080 resolution can optionally be used on the Elitebook 1020. Both models feature HDMI, USB 3.0 (x2), micro-SD, WiDi and Miracast connectivity.
A February launch is scheduled for the Elitebook 1020 and April for the 1020 SE. Pricing will be announced closer to the time.
