HP Inc. recently delivered on the promise to reinvent the PC by bringing premium consumer design into a commercial-grade device with the HP EliteBook Folio – the thinnest and lightest notebook HP has ever created. Twenty-one percent slimmer and up to 15 percent lighter than the award-winning HP EliteBook 1020, the EliteBook Folio is HP’s sleekest business-class notebook to date, at only 12.4 mm – thinner than a AA-battery – and under 1 kg.

“Just because someone uses a PC at work, doesn’t mean they have to sacrifice their desire for a cool, thin and light device,” said Benoit Bonnafy, vice president, Business Personal Systems EMEA, HP Inc.  “That’s why we designed the HP EliteBook Folio – the world’s thinnest and lightest business-class notebook^[ii] – which offers users the best of both worlds: a premium design that consumers want while elevating business-critical security and manageability to delight the needs of IT.”

New Level of Premium Design and Performance

The EliteBook Folio is a 12.5-inch (31.75cm) diagonal notebook, featuring premium craftsmanship with a polished diamond-cut CNC aluminum body to deliver an ultra-thin design that provides strength and durability. Like the Elite family of devices, the EliteBook Folio is designed to pass MIL-STD tests, undergoing 120,000 hours of HP’s Total Test Process^[iii].

As work becomes something that you do in different locations throughout the day, the 145-degree angle of a typical notebook can be restrictive to productivity. To address this, the EliteBook Folio has a 180-degree piano hinge, allowing the device to open completely flat, giving users greater flexibility and the ability to easily share and collaborate with others around them. The device also comes with the full-size, highly acclaimed HP Premium Keyboard, a Windows 10 gesture-enabled clickpad, and two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 3 for fast data transfers and 4K displays. Users can ditch the dongles with the optional HP USB-C Travel Dock.

The edge-to-edge glass display of the EliteBook Folio also has an optional Ultra HD (UHD) 4K display, which provides a paper-like display with stunning detail, made possible by an incredible pixel density of 352 pixels per inch. The UHD panel enables 95 percent of the Adobe RGB gamut to make images more vivid and life-like.

For people who require all-day productivity and performance, HP worked with Microsoft  Corp. and Intel on the development of the EliteBook Folio, tuning device drivers and the design to optimize performance and battery life. The device includes Windows 10 Pro and is built with 6th generation Intel Core M vPro processor^[iv],[v] optimized for high performance and efficiency. This gives the EliteBook Folio the optimal blend of beauty, power, fanless operation and up to 10 hours of battery life^[vi]. The design and materials of the device also allowed HP engineers to maximize space for an HP Long Life Battery, built to last more than three years^[vii].

Built to Connect with Others

People are using their notebooks to connect with colleagues, friends and family more than ever before. Customers have shared that using their notebook for calling and conferencing with others still has its challenges. That’s why HP and Microsoft’s Skype for Business team worked closely on the development of the EliteBook Folio to create the first notebook purpose-built for collaboration^[viii].

“Microsoft and HP engineers worked closely on the development of the EliteBook Folio for more than a year to deliver the best Skype for Business experience,” said Eric Wilfrid, director of product, Skype for Business, Microsoft. “The result is a device that offers a premium collaboration experience when speaking or listening to calls using Skype for Business.”

HP also partnered with Bang & Olufsen acoustical engineers to custom-tune the audio for a precise sound experience for personal and business use. The quality of components and emphasis on surrounding engineering of the notebook helped achieve a 40 percent increase in loudness compared to previous HP devices so the Folio can be used as a phone. The four speakers on the device are optimized from sound to size for the spoken word but are providing an equally superb experience when listening to music or watching videos.

Juggling between windows to end or mute a call is no longer an issue with new collaboration keys on the keyboard to more easily manage calls, and a calendar key allows users to quickly jump to a Skype for Business calendar rather than navigating from the desktop.

A Full Family of Premium Business Devices

Joining the full line-up of Elite premium desktops, notebooks and the recently announced Elite x2, HP today also unveiled the world’s thinnest 14” (35.56cm) business-class notebook^[ix] – the HP EliteBook 1040 G3 – and the new HP EliteBook 800 G3 series – the next generation of HP’s best-selling business-class notebooks. To achieve its thin and light style, the EliteBook 1040 uses the same all-aluminum diamond cut design as the new EliteBook Folio. HP is taking its premium design and innovation to its EliteBook 800 series, with an all-new silver magnesium and aluminum body to achieve a thinner, lighter and durable design.

The EliteBook 1040 and the EliteBook 800 series offer Windows 10 Pro, 6th generation Intel® Core vPro processors, PCIe Gen3 SSD^[x], and DDR4 memory. All the devices come with Audio by Bang & Olufsen, HP Noise Reduction Software and HP Clear Sound Amp to provide a rich collaboration experience for applications like Skype for Business. The EliteBook 800 series is available in 12.5-inch, 14.0-inch or 15.6-inch diagonal HD, FHD, QHD or UHD screens^[xi]; the EliteBook 1040 offers a choice of either FHD or QHD screens^[xii].

For customers who need additional power, HP is introducing the new optional HP Notebook Power Bank for the HP Pro and Elite series, which charges an HP notebook and one additional mobile device at the same time, such as a smartphone or tablet. HP also has several optional accessories designed for a premium experience, including newly designed carrying cases and several docking options, like theHP UltraSlim Docking Station and travel docks.

Premium Security and Manageability

IT no longer has to trade off form for function or introduce potential risks into their corporate environment with HP’s new Elite family of premium laptops, desktops and tablets including the new EliteBook Folio – devices that are more secure and more manageable than previous generations. These devices are designed to delight IT professionals tasked with managing and securing their company’s fleet of devices with built-in, not bolted on security including: HP Client Security Software Suite, certified TPM, enhanced BIOS-level protection with HP Sure Start with Dynamic Protection^[xiii], and an optional hardened fingerprint reader^[xiv].

For additional manageability support, HP also offers customers additional manageability tools like HP Touchpoint Manager^[xv], HPImage Assistant and an optional Intel® Core vPro processor so IT can remotely manage the device over wired and wireless networks.HP Touchpoint Manager now features software inventory and deployment, as well patch management, and support for BYOD devices, expanding the IT admin’s ability to secure and optimize devices from a single dashboard. And the new HP Image Assistant is the first custom image diagnostics tool for commercial PCs, with a self-help dashboard^[xvi]  to help enterprises reduce IT costs and protect sensitive company data.

Pricing and availability

• The HP EliteBook Folio is expected to be available in South Africa from May.
• The HP EliteBook 1040 G3 is expected to be available in South Africa in April.
• The HP EliteBook 800 G3 series is expected to be available in Africa in April.
• Pricing information for the HP USB Travel Dock and HP USB-C Travel Dock for the HP EliteBook Folio will be announced closer to availability.
• Pricing information for the HP Notebook Power Bank will be announced closer to availability.

For more information on HP’s premium line of devices and accessories, visit: www.hp.com/go/newstyleIT.