HP Elitebook Folio 1040 G1
The unibody aluminum design of the HP
Elitebook Folio 1040 G1 is a sight to behold. Similar to the Dell Latitude
E7440, the top lid repels fingerprints except for the mirror-like finish on the
HP logo. When you open the lid, you’ll meet an anti-glare matte display and a
black chiclet-style keyboard.
The Elitebook Folio 1040 G1 is the only
Ultrabook in our comparison with front facing speakers, great for conference
calls or showing marketing videos to clients. The display is crisp in Full HD
resolution (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) with great viewing angles, but is not quite
as impressive as the Lenovo X1 Carbon’s WQHD display.
Another unique feature on the Elitebook is
its large pressure-sensitve trackpad, called the ForcePad. Designed to mimic
usage on a smartphone touch screen, it does not provide tactile feedback when
you execute a click, but instead plays a sound effect as an indication (all
loud and clear on the front facing speakers). This certainly takes some getting
used to, with drag-and-drop being the most difficult to master.
Navigation-wise, the softtouch surface is pretty smooth and there’s plenty of
room to maneuver.
The keyboard on the Elitebook feels shallow
though. If you’re used to a more firm response from your keystrokes, you might
be inclined to hit the keys harder than usual in an attempt to replicate the
tactile feedback you’ve come to expect. The Elitebook is also the only
Ultrabook here without a pointing stick among the keys, something that may or
may not make a difference depending on your preferred method of cursor control.
The
keyboard on the Elitebook feels shallow though. If you’re used to a more firm
response from your keystrokes, you might be inclined to hit the keys harder
than usual in an attempt to replicate the tactile feedback you’ve come to
expect.
Weirdly, the Elitebook Folio 1040 G1 comes
with a microSD card slot instead of a full-sized one. Sure, it might be more
convenient for transferring files to and from smartphones and tablets, but you’re
going to need a card reader for standard SD cards or direct USB connection to
devices. This means additional peripherals you’ll need to pack rather than just
a simple SD converter.
Security features on the Elitebook include
a Smart Card Reader and a fingerprint reader for identity authentication. On
top of a TPM chip for encryption, HP also bundles a range of software designed
to increase data protection.
