HP Folio 13 Review: The Sturdy, Affordable Ultrabook

[Julio Franco]

Read the full article at:
https://www.techspot.com/review/517-hp-folio-13/

Please leave your feedback here.

 

[Leeky]

Very good review, despite the displays shortcomings, it looks a big improvement over the HP's I've had in the past.

Having said I'd never own a HP notebook ever again, I find myself in a position where that's one model I'd be prepared to give one last chance with HP for.

 

[Archean]

I know where you are coming from Leeky. Last year I was in the same boat, and after careful analysis I ended up buying my 'would be last HP, if it didn't work out as expected'. But surprisingly this DV6 has been working as expected in almost all aspects. But in general, they are behind the times and need major rethinking on quality/design aspects of their products.

On the ultra books, if Intel persists with idea, in may be 2 years or so (with Haswell GPU improvements) they may become reasonable alternative as mobile workhorse+entertainment option, but not now.

 

[agissi]

The fact that it comes with a SandyBridge CPU rather than the new IvyBridge is a deal breaker for me. If Im going to shell out $900 for a laptop to get my little sister for college it better have the latest generation CPU in it. I want her to have the GFX power of IvyBridge incase she needs to hookup a video through HDMI for a presentation,etc at full 1080i/p.

 

[Burty117]

---agissi--- said:
The fact that it comes with a SandyBridge CPU rather than the new IvyBridge is a deal breaker for me. If Im going to shell out $900 for a laptop to get my little sister for college it better have the latest generation CPU in it. I want her to have the GFX power of IvyBridge incase she needs to hookup a video through HDMI for a presentation,etc at full 1080i/p.

But SandyBridge is currently the latest and greatest?
Also to boot, Techspot did say in the review they got this laptop a few weeks back.

If all your little sister is doing is a presentation at 1080p SandyBridge does that just as well as IvyBridge will. With this form factor, the only factor IvyBridge has over SandyBridge is lower power consumption.

If I was to follow your logic, I should never have got a laptop in the first place "because a processor that hasn't been released yet is not in it".

 

[Guest]

can it fry an egg?

 

[amstech]

I tend to agree with agissi. These ultrabooks are supposed to be so light and nimble that it makes up for the specifications being supbar, but I advise anyone who might purchase one of these to compare them to a regular laptop before dropping a G-bill.

I've used an ultrabook XPS Ultrabook 13 and held some new ultrabooks including our Toughbook here at work, and I would easily prefer my XPS 17 L702X which is only 7.4lbs while having a 192bit Nvidia GeForce GT 550M/i5-2430M with JBL speakers and a built in subwoofer.

 

[Guest]

I have the HP Folio 13-2000 (B0L93PA)

It comes with ZERO bloatware. Only the standard HP software
So I guess it depends if you buy the business model (Win 7 Pro) or the consumer model (Win 7 Prem)

I find it a very good business ultrabook.

 

[Guest]

I like how the article mentions competitors and compares them
BUT the ASUS Zenbook is missing from the lineup of competitors
There is also a 13.3'' Zenbook model for under $1000 and has a few things you mention competitors don't have. 13.3in 1600x900 screen, SD card, thin...

 

[Matthew DeCarlo]

No machines were directly compared -- at least not in a meaningful way. I mentioned the X-Note and Aspire S3 as examples of companies missing the <$1,000 price point and skimping too much on quality. The MacBook Air was mentioned as somewhat of a baseline for what ultrabooks are trying to be. I don't recall mentioning any other systems.

The Zenbook UX31E cited costs about $100-$150 more than the Folio 13-1020us and loses about two hours on battery life, so the 1600x900 display is somewhat of a wash. The Folio has a better webcam if memory serves, not to mention its backlit keyboard. It just boils down to personal preference, and you get what you pay for either way.

 

[Guest]

I got the consumer model with Win7 Prof ($150 option) back in Dec with a coupon for $800. Good review and I think the biggest drawback is the limited viewing angle of the display. Also the Intel widi feature is coming in handy for me. I got the D-link widi receiver for $100 and connected it to my HDTV. Its a solid business machine and a great value for the money.

 

[Guest]

Just bought the HP Folio 13 today after spending ALOT of time going through different reviews of different laptops and ultrabooks and this one seemed to be best value for money.
Some reviews said that the screen is too glossy but i really dont see the proplem with it. It really does not affect the performance and you can hardly notice it, if at all once you are using it.
Other reviews said that the touch pad is tempremental and yes i will agree with that but I personally think it is just something to get used to. I have had it for just over 2 hours and already I am finding the touch pad easier to use.
Still needs some time to see if there is anything I can fault but after reading the reviews and now actually having it here to use personally, I really recommend it.