HP EliteBook Folio 1040 G1 review

Smartly Designed , Well Constructed , Premium Feel.

Hardware and Design

The EliteBook Folio 1040 G1 gets a chassis made of brushed metal and sturdy plastic, with a magnesium alloy lid and aluminum surfacing when you open it up. It comes in at 13.5 x 9.25 x 0.63 inches and tips the scales at 3.34 pounds, meaning it’s not quite the lightest 14-inch notebook out there, but neither is it unduly heavy. The Folio 1040 G1's thin profile means that the edges are not particularly deep, which affects the range of ports and connectors on offer. Indeed what's missing in this respect might be enough to put some business users off: there's no VGA-out and no Ethernet either.

You're not abandoned entirely here, though, as both Ethernet and VGA are catered for via a single dongle that's provided with the notebook. This connects to a slim port on the back of the right short edge, and provides full-size connectors. It's good that HP provides the dongle, but it's not a very elegant solution for anyone who needs VGA or Ethernet on a regular basis — and of course, you'll have to remember to put the dongle in your bag 'just in case'.

You may also struggle if you are a fan of SD cards. There is a MicroSD card slot on the chassis, but if you're using a camera or some other external device that relies on the larger SD format, you'll need another dongle.

The remaining connectors include two USB 3.0 ports (one with charging), a full-size DisplayPort and a headset/microphone combo jack. We'd have liked to see more USB ports in the mix. There's also a MicroSIM card slot on the right edge for the integrated LTE mobile broadband. 

Features

With a 2.1GHz (3.3GHz with Turbo Boost) Intel Core i7-4600U processor and 8GB of RAM, the EliteBook Folio 1040 G1 is responsive and speedy. Intel's integrated HD Graphics 4400 GPU is perfectly capable of handling mainstream business workloads, and while the 256GB of SSD storage might seem on the sparse side, it's not out of line for a business ultrabook. Windows 7 Professional was installed on our review unit, but you get a license and media to upgrade to Windows 8.1 Pro if you prefer.

Wi-fi (dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n) and Bluetooth (4.0) are both present, along with NFC. More interestingly, HP includes its Mobile Connect service. This provides contract free, pay-as-you-go LTE mobile broadband throughout Europe. Plans on offer include the ability to pay for mobile broadband in chunks of three hours if that's what you need, or by the day, week or month. Full pricing is available onHP's UK website.

We noted earlier that the MicroSIM card slot is on one edge of the chassis. The normal location is inside the battery tray, but the battery here is not removable (this is an ultrabook, remember). The slot is not protected by a cover, and is, as is usual, spring loaded. Consequently, the MicroSIM is really quite vulnerable. The same criticism can be levelled at the MicroSD card slot which is similarly unprotected.

Performance

This is the base configuration for the Folio 1040; higher-priced pre-configured models can approach $2,000 and include the aforementioned FHD (1920×1080 pixels) display; a faster Core i7 processor; up to 8GB of RAM; a 256GB SSD; and up to a three-year warranty.

The performance of the base configuration is perfectly adequate for everyday activities and even more demanding tasks such as code compilation and photo editing. Consider that the fourth-gen Intel Core i5 processor is roughly twice as fast as any dual-core offered a couple years ago. 4GB of RAM is sufficient for most programs and the 128GB SSD is quite fast. The Folio 1040 as mentioned earlier isn’t designed for upgradeability; you’re best off getting it as you want from the factory.

We’d suggest one of the models that include the FHD display if display quality is important; the base display isn’t bad, but the FHD panel is an upgrade in every way.

Conclusion

HP's EliteBook Folio 1040 G1 looks every inch a business executive's ultrabook, while its MIL-STD 810G rating means it should stand up to the rigours of life on the road. The high-resolution 14-inch screen is a pleasure to use, and the integrated mobile broadband will appeal to some.

The lack of touchscreen functionality probably won't be a deal-breaker for many business users — particularly for those who are happy to continue working with Windows 7. However, the absence of integrated VGA and Ethernet ports might be more significant. You'll pay a premium price too.
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