Windows 8 in a business laptop? Well, it needed to happen sooner or later, but in the case of the Elitebook Folio 9470m, the execution feels premature and expensive. It’s a shame, because the 9470m is a direct descendent of last year’s HP Folio 13 ultrabook, a device I considered at the time to be among the best in its class and recommended to everybody.
A lot has changed in a year. Thin ultrabooks have given way to touch-screen, often convertible/tablet devices. And among ultrabooks, there are tons more to choose from. Touch isn’t necessary to enjoy a Windows 8, but when a laptop lacks touch altogether — as does the Elitebook Folio 9470m — it feels like an omission that has to be made up with a superlative touch pad, and this Folio doesn’t do that. Granted, this Folio came out at the end of last year, but this expensive albeit highly configurable laptop already feels a little outmoded. The HP Elitebook Revolve, coming out soon, feels like the Windows 8 business travel ultraportable of choice. This Folio is more of a workhorse ultrabook, if such a thing exists.
This 14-inch laptop is larger and thicker than you’d expect, although it does pack awfully impressive battery life. It feels constructed to be a slim road warrior, but its specs aren’t incredibly impressive. It’s an ultrabook without touch — and a thickish, expensive one at that. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a lighter, similarly outfitted business laptop, with touch, too.
That $1,349 is a lot to pay for a modern laptop. It makes the Elitebook Folio 9470 a more expensive product than the MacBook Air, and — let’s face it — most executives would prefer the Air. But it also has a lot more ports and security features, not to mention Windows 8 Pro. Think of its real competition as a machine like the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon, which bears a similar price tag and specs.
That’s not to say the Folio doesn’t have its charms. Understand, the Folio looks like a business laptop because it is one: an elegantly compact one at that. The two-tone magnesium (silver on the top, black underneath) has a soft-touch finish. Everything from the cleanly inset matte 14-inch screen to the crisp black keyboard and its small set of tiny, LED-lit buttons above it feel part of a just-this-side-of-boxy industrialized-crisp look…
Read More: cnet.com