HP reveals the latest addition to its EliteBook Folio 1020 family, more popularly known as the company's thinnest and lightest business-class notebooks iteration. HP says it has designed its latest laptop models to cater specifically to the business-focused users. With this in mind, the company has integrated a proprietary enterprise port and a fingerprint reader in the devices for an added security feature. It has even passed the military-grade drop and shock tests for those users who have a knack for durability and quality in their laptops.
The EliteBook Folio 1020 features 8GB of RAM and an SSD which can range from 128GB to 256GB. It promises to deliver an impressive battery life of 9 hours. Moreover, the device is said to run on an Intel Core-M processor which makes it belong to the fanless genre of laptops.
"The HP EliteBook 1020 and the HP EliteBook 1020 Special Edition (SE) are ultra-thin at 15.7 mm, and the SE takes advantage of HP's exclusive blend of magnesium-lithium alloy and reusable carbon fiber to achieve a weight of only 1kg (2.2 lbs.). Both share a tough, cutting-edge design that offers elite business-class performance," said HP in a press release.
The first version, which is a standard edition EliteBook 1020, has the same internal components of the Special Edition. Both will feature a 1080p display of 12.5 inches and comes with an option to have QHD 2560 x 1440 panel. The standard edition employs a touch screen which makes it a bit heavier than the Special Edition.
If a touch screen is not an issue but the design is something that has to be reckoned with, then the EliteBook 1020 Special Edition is the better option. It boasts of a carbon fiber and red accents that give it a stylish look, perfect for the fashion conscious business worker. It's also lighter than the MacBook Air which is said to weigh 2.9 pounds. Other laptops that it competes with when it comes to having a lighter weight include the Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro (2.6 pounds) and the Dell XPS 13 (3 pounds).
"The Folio 1020 is designed to fit into BYOD (bring your own device) programs with its security and remote manageability features," said John Groden, director of product development at Hewlett-Packard.
Pricing for the laptops are yet to be disclosed. However, it is speculated that both Folio 1020 models would be a little pricier than Apple's Macbook Air. The standard edition is slated for a release anytime from January to February 2015 while the Special Edition shall be available in April.
