HP Elitebook x360 G2
A ‘foldable’ laptop
Two-in-one tablets like Microsoft’s Surface Pro give you Windows 10 in an exceptionally slim and light case, but their floppy clip-on keyboards just aren’t the same as a proper laptop. The alternative is a convertible – a laptop that can be folded back on itself.
It’s a format that sounds logical, but never quite seems to work: if the case is made so that it closes neatly when it’s folded up the normal way, it doesn’t when it’s reversed with the screen and keyboard outwards, and you’re left clutching what feels like an awkwardly thick and heavy tablet that’s got slightly broken. That’s not entirely untrue of this latest effort from HP’S Elitebook range, which is aimed at IT managers and anyone else who wants a sturdy laptop for work rather than play.
The model we tested had an Intel i5-7200u processor, 8GB of memory and a 256GB SSD, making Windows 10 run smoothly. If £1,379 sounds a lot of money, well, it is – but a Surface Pro with these specifications, including a keyboard, would cost you £1,504. Then again, the Surface Pro would only give you 1.06kg to cart around, versus 1.28kg for the Elitebook x360 G2. That’s a difference you’ll feel even more when you detach the Surface tablet to use by itself, leaving just 770g in your hand. Fold back the Elitebook keyboard to use the touchscreen, and you’re still carrying the full 1.28kg.
In short, this is not a good choice if you mainly want a Windows 10 touchscreen and only occasionally need to type. It’s definitely a laptop that you should only occasionally use as a tablet. In return, you get the kind of high-quality full-size keyboard you’d expect from HP, backlit and with a satisfying clicky travel. It’s set in a diamond-cut aluminium unibody case that’s much more durable than cheaper laptops.
The Elitebook is more future-proof in other ways, too: besides two USB 3.1 ports, there’s a USB Type-c socket that supports Thunderbolt 3 for ultra-fast storage, and a full-size HDMI port for external monitors. Its own 13.3in screen reflects its business focus, with a basic Full HD resolution and colour reproduction that covers only 82 per cent of the SRGB spectrum. That’s fine for staring at spreadsheets, but not good enough for photo editing and a bit of video, which the i5 processor could handle.
In touchscreen mode, it would make sense to use the Elitebook x360 G2 with a stylus. HP’S Active Pen isn’t included, but can be added for £50; the only annoyance is that nowhere is provided to stow it.
The features HP has chosen to build in may be of less interest to most users, but will appeal to the security-conscious: besides a smart card reader for businesses, you get a fingerprint reader and Windows Hello facial recognition, and the BIOS includes HP’S Sure Start technology to prevent malware taking over your system at startup. Rather than the usual Windows 10 Home, the Pro version is installed, adding features such as Bitlocker file and drive encryption.
Where the Elitebook x360 G2 really scores, though, is in battery life. It lasted 10 hours and 46 minutes in our video playback test, nearly four hours longer than Dell’s similarly priced XPS 13 2-in-1 (see Issue 500, page 23).
With good security features, battery and performance, it’s an impressive machine
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