HP Elite Dragonfly: Power And Performance Packed Into A Sub-1KG Form Factor

So HP’s newest addition to their EliteBook lineup is a gorgeous svelte laptop called the Elite Dragonfly. True to its name, the laptop weighs just under 1KG at its lightest.

This was achieved through a few ways, one being the change in materials for the chassis. Using precision cut CNC magnesium for the chassis helped keep the lightest configuration at 0.99kg. For the environmentally friendly amongst us, this is the first laptop in the world to use ocean-bound plastics in its construction, with the plastic being used mostly in the keycaps and speaker enclosures.

The speakers used are from Bang and Olufsen, making for a great experience when consuming content on the laptop. I played a few movie trailers at 50% system volume and found it more than sufficient for myself and the people seated around me.

There are multiple processor options to choose from as well, with the 8th generation Intel i3, i5 and i7 processors. Unfortunately, no information was provided on which options will be available for the Singapore market on launch.

The battery life is absolutely stunning. There are two options that can be picked from at the time of purchase, whether the buyer wants to go the lightweight route and pick the lighter 38Wh battery for 16.5 hours of battery life, or the 56.2Wh battery that can give 24.5 hours on a single charge.

HP has not confirmed the exact weight of the laptop with the bigger battery, but we hear that it’s weighing in around 1.1kg right now. HP is looking to make final tweaks to the weight, but we’re expecting it to ship around that estimate for the 56.2Wh battery option.

Designed to be lighweight for professionals on the move, there is also the option to upgrade to a 4×4 LTE antenna instead of the standard 2×2. This results in better connectivity, with less chance that signals will be blocked or dropped. There’s also WiFi 6 (802.11ax) connectivity which means a boost in speed from the older 802.11ac that most of us are used to.

The display comes with a few different options, you get the standard FHD IPS and a 4K IPS display. Then you also have the choice to get the HP Sure View integrated Privacy Screen in the FHD option. I think that might be a good choice for people who like their screens bright as it goes up to 1000 nits as opposed to the 400 and 550 nits that the standard FHD and UHD options have.

For people looking to use this laptop for photo editing, the UHD option might not be the way to go since it has 95% sRGB coverage while the FHD options cover 72% of NTSC, which is roughly 100% sRGB coverage. Unfortunately, there’s no option for a wide colour gamut so professional photographers or video editors should look elsewhere if that’s the primary use case.

The keyboard is also improved, with new rubber domes providing a travel distance of 1.3mm and 2x quieter typing so if you’re on a conference call but need to type down notes, your keys won’t be clacking away while someone else is talking.

The screen can be folded back down into tablet mode thanks to the 360 degree folding hinge. This makes it a great option for people who prefer to write notes instead of type, and HP has an optional pen that can be purchased.

Unfortunately, the laptop can only support up to 16GB of RAM, while allowing for up to 2TB of storage. This makes it a bit of a tough sell for people who are looking to edit videos or do work that’s more intensive. For the general professional who’s looking to just handle word documents, powerpoints, emails and the likes however, this is a great laptop that’s incredibly lightweight and can last more than a full day on a single charge.

Vinay Awasthi, VP & General Manager of Computing Products, APJ did mention that a consumer equivalent is in the works and will be made available when ready, so we’re definitely also excited for that, since not everybody might require the security features in this laptop.

More information about the Elite Dragonfly (S$2,699) can be found on HP’s website.