HP Elite Dragonfly First Impressions

During HP’s Lightness Rising event, they introduced two new business 2-in-1 laptops: the HP Elite Dragonfly and the Spectre X360 (2020). Both of these laptops feature a thin and light design, added security features, and Intel’s U processors. Today, we’re taking a look at the HP Elite Dragonfly, HP’s lightest business laptop.

HP’s goal for the design was to keep the device simple, elegant, and light on the eyes. The body is made from Magnesium Alloy to keep the notebook lightweight while retaining durability.

On top, the HP Elite Dragonfly is void of any design, save for the HP logo.

Opening the laptop reveals the 13.3-inch IPS touch display with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for added protection. The display can be configured to have either an FHD or UHD resolution. Both configurations have a 72% NTSC gamut coverage, with either 400 nits (for the FHD model) or 1000 nits (for the UHD model) of peak brightness.

The webcam and mics can also be found sitting on top of the display. The webcam also comes with a physical privacy shutter.

On the left sits a USB3.1 Gen 1 Type-A port, the power button, lock wedge(?), and the external Nano-SIM slot.

On the right, you get two Thunderbolt 3 ports, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a full-sized HDMI port.

Sitting on the base is the HP Quiet keyboard equipped with HP’s DuraKeys that’s spill-resistant and has backlighting. The keys feel nice and tactile, with ample post-travel to allow for a comfortable typing experience.

Sitting on the bottom of the keyboard is a glass Microsoft Precision Touchpad. While it is rather small, it felt smooth and accurate in use. There are also tactile buttons underneath.

Located on the lower left-hand side is a fingerprint scanner for Windows Hello. On top of the physical security features, the HP Elite Dragonfly also comes with other security software which includes:

• HP Sure Sense, an anti-malware software using AI technology.
• HP Sure Recover, which can fully recover the HP OS image without a recovery software.
• HP Sure View Gen3, HP’s proprietary integrated privacy screen.
• And lastly, Tile, which allows users to find their lost notebooks even with the Bluetooth is turned off.

HP wanted an ultra-portable notebook that allows people to work anywhere, anytime without being eye-catching like the Spectre X360, and overall, I feel like they definitely achieved their goals. Aesthetically, nothing feels out of place and HP used every available inch to put in more hardware. Unfortunately, it only comes with 8th-generation Intel processors which could lack the GPU horsepower needed to run graphically intensive tasks in 4K. Purely as a business machine, however, the Elite Dragonfly comes with all the bells and whistles you need. It has added security features, 4G LTE and WiFi 6 connectivity, Thunderbolt 3, and most importantly a comfortable keyboard.

The HP Elite Dragonfly is now available in all HP authorized retail stores for a starting price of PHP 81,440USD 1,388INR 117,648EUR 1,322CNY 10,107. Its accessories, including the HP USB-C Mini Dock, Elite Presenter Mouse, USB-C Essential Power  Bank, 14.1-inch Tote, Rechargeable Active Pen G3, and 3-year Care Pack, are also available for purchase.

HP Elite Dragonfly specs:
13.3-inch FHD IPS, 72% NTSC, 400 nits touch display
13.3-inch UHD IPS, 72% NTSC, 1000 nits touch display
Up to an 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8665U processor
Intel UHD Graphics 620
16GB LPDDR3-2133 SDRAM (soldered)
Up to 512GB Intel PCIe NVME QLC M.2 SSD w/ 32GB Intel Optane Memory
Intel XMM 7360 4G LTE
AX200 WiFi 6 (2×2)
Bluetooth 5.0
2 x Thunderbolt 3
1 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A
HDMI 1.4
1 x External Nano SIM slot
3.5mm audio jack
4-cell 56.2Whr Li-ion polymer battery, 2-cell 38Whr Li-ion polymer battery
304.3mm x 197.5mm x 16.1mm
0.99Kg
Dragonfly Blue