The thing is: a 1300 usd ultrabook with that screen? go home hp. People, please, refuse to buy this, refuse to review it, sent this company back to the design board, this cant posible, c'mon, a thinkpad t60 from something like 8 years ago had a 1400x1050 display on 14" and this "premium enterprise laptop" just hd and 1600x900 as an option... goddamit
It's also kinda big and heavy to be a proper "ultra"book.
At first, I thought the photo was badly done, but I guess that's how crappy the screen really is on this thing.
Did HP throw in the towel? They seem to not care that the competition, like asus, dell, MS offering some pretty damn good ultrabooks and convertibles for $900~1300?
$1300 for a crappy 768p TN and a measly 1 year warranty.
And Intel wonders why their darling isn't selling. Besides do people even want to pay premium prices for premium PCs to begin with? The ASP of ~$400 suggests not.
PC manufacturers cry themselves to sleep over low demand and tight margins and market shares lost to tablet but after years of crisis they are still incapable of assembling a decent PC, still thinking that choosing super bad parts such as panels of outdated TN technology with ultra low resolution crappy colors and brightness is just the right thing to put in an overpriced "enterprise" super premium priced notebook.
I wouldn't put all the blame on the OEMs, the whole industry is to blame for its own undoing. They thought they were innovating with oh-so-many Core whatever SKUs when in reality they are only selling Internet and Excel appliances that people only bought because there was no alternative.
Your typical enterprise notebook is docked and using external displays 95% of the time; while still annoying when unlocked this is less of a problem than with a similar consumer model.
On the price front, the docking port itself probably has at least $100 of soak the businessmen surcharge.
I disagree. Put a 1080p (or higher) IPS display on this thing and it would be a dream.
Well, it IS exceptionally loud. I've got one next to my mammoth Latitude e6510. I literally can't hear my typing over the scream of its turbines. I think the laptop is about to begin hovering, in fact.
Agreed. I paid under $1000 for basically the same spec'd Samsung Series 9 (smaller hard drive, only 128gb) and it has a fantastic 1600x900 screen that is quite bright and the light is well distributed with good viewing angles plus its thinner than a razor's edge.
Ah yes I was in the same situation... and I bought the 9470m... second hand admittedly and upgraded it. My HP has the following benefits over a series 9 (which I was otherwise going to buy) 8GB ram, 256 SSD, 1600x900 display, 1TB hdd, loads of ports and other features the series 9 does not have. Screen is larger at 14",( is it a pro is it a con???) If I bought a series 9 I would be lugging around an external HDD and dongles which kills the whole size difference IMHO.
+1 Shame that anandtech spent so much time reviewing this. I never got beyond the screen spec.. in fact I skipped as much of the article as possible to get to screen spec first.
+1 Now that you can fly replace a desktop computer with a laptop/notebook computer and not compromise on performance, storage, memory or GPU, the only real differentiator is screen quality and build quality.
Whenever I see a laptop review here the first thing I look for its the screen resolution and type. This means that this HP will never be considered for my next laptop replacement due in 4 months.
This is a beautiful laptop with every other feature you would want. To scimp so badly on the literally feature which integrates the user with the computer (The flipping screen!!) is penny-pinching shortsightedness as bad as I've ever seen.
This thing looks wonderful and exudes desirability. Until you turn it on. Ten seconds with the screen and you know it was hamstrung by someone's red ink.
I wish! Maybe in the Haswell (3rd Gen Ultrabook) we can get that? Doubtful, though -- and really, I'm not sure we'd even see it in the generation after that. Honestly, until Windows can handle DPI scaling perfectly, I don't see it happening. Windows 8 skirts the issue by doing well on the new Windows 8 UI and Apps, but not on desktop apps.
No, Intel's new requirement is that Ultrabooks have touchscreens. Nothing about resolution sadly. Also, as a side rant: Why can we get 1080p panels on 13" laptops, and 15" laptops, but 14" laptops only come with 1600x900 as the max resolution?
Windows 7 already does DPI scaling quite well. Some apps do manage to screw it up, but that's really unavoidable unless you are going to force a walled garden. All the normal stuff that people use on a regular basis works fine at high DPI settings.
Actually, after the price drop to $1499 ($1399 with student discount) the rMBP13 is a pretty decent value - an equivalent MBA13 costs $1299, you pay $200 more for the rMBP13 and get a vastly better screen, more ports, and faster CPU/IGP. The only ultrabook I could even think about recommending over it is the Zenbook Prime and ZBP Touch, because they play in lower price ranges.
Personally I think samsung series 9 is the best ultrabook out there, which is 1/2lbs lighter than other ultrabooks, looks gorgeous and packs a good matte PLS display. It's quite affordable too (I remember $800-900 deal for sandy bridge models... which are still pretty good)
That said, I just found out that one reseller now sells 13" rMBP at $1299!! This makes the 13" rMBP ironically the best value ultraportable (including ultrabooks) out there. :[
Vivek...the rmbp13" does not have vPro, nor any other mac. That's before we get into the fact that it also lags under normal usage. You also forgot to add the Windows8 Pro cost, which is almost 300$; Windows8 Pro and Intel vPro are pretty standard requirements in this sector.
I just grabbed 3 Vizio CT15s for $600. I think that is better value than anything you mentioned including the MBP. Even at regular price <$900 this thing is a still. 15.6" 1080p IPS is just gorgeous. It has its shortcomings and the connectivity sucks, but with all the money saved I can purchase Bluetooth peripherals and call it the day.
So it supports 2 SODIMMs in dual-channel, HD+ screen as well as mSATA SSDs and docking station? It shouldn't be so lackluster but HP's always seem a bit tricky to get customized. Might not be an issue if your an large customer though, but for everyone else it might be difficult.
One question though, does it support two screens / monitors using the two DP-outputs that the combination with the ultraslim dock gives you?
HP has Probooks and Elitebooks for business. If their naming scheme should make any sense, probooks should be average consumer notebook with business build and support. The Elitebooks should be the best money can buy, no compromises. When HP dropped the IPS screen on the Elitebooks, they stopped being Elitebooks.
I stopped reading at 1366x768. Only while at the comments did I notice "Thankfully the 9470m can be ordered with a 1600x900 panel" You *really* need to include things like this in the specs, even if just in brackets saying option, otherwise people will just keep ignoring the reviews like this one.
The thing is the guys at Anand know how most of us feel about crappy screens yet they still keep reviewing them, knowing that 99% of us wouldn't buy it even if the rest of the machine is great.
It really is time to start pushing those review units back to the manufacturers telling them "Sorry, it's just not good enough! Try harder!"
Sure you might have a few less laptops to review but there are other things I'm sure. They also might start to get the message and send some quality gear.
The other thing is that blue or that stock Windows 8 purple just looks so crap on Windows 8. I change all my Windows 8 machines to dark grey and it looks so much better.
"people want quality, and they're willing to pay for it." - Fair enough but 'most' users don't even know that they've got a 1366x768 screen.
"Because despite the fact that the MacBook Pro offers virtually no allowances for business class use, it's still gaining a foothold." - The ONLY reason why this is, is due to marketing and name ONLY.
I strongly disagree. It may be that way at first in some cases, but people will see the display and they'll want it. Likewise, that display continues to make the MBP a superior choice for any kind of visual work that doesn't involve throwing FCPX out the window.
Most users may not be able to specify what resolution their laptop is running at, but they can clearly see that the rMBP has far sharper text and images and better color reproduction than cheap PC displays. It just plain looks better, by a significant margin.
The display is somewhat disappointing in both the resolution and quality regard, but as someone who has been using a corporate issued laptop in a variety of brands for the past 15 years, this laptop is by far the best laptop I've ever had issued to me. I travel a fair bit and it's lightness, very respectable battery life, reasonable speed, port options, docking station, backlit keyboard... Oh, I LOVE this laptop. Would I buy it if I had control over what I get for work? No. One has to understand what this laptop if for and for whom by whom it is purchased. As such, it is by far the best machine that I've ever used for work. It isn't perfect, but it's great mobile option that even conservative IT departments will accept.
I should add, my employer REQUIRES smartcard capability and it takes a phone call to security to gain temporary login credentials if we don't have our company pass on us (smartcard pass) to logon to the machine. There just aren't a huge variety of machines that have smartcard slots in them. That doesn't excuse the base display option, but given the options, it does it's job and does it well.
Does anyone actually pay list price for this stuff? When I was last involved in IT budgets, Dell used to give us pretty steep discounts on everything and we were a relatively small company. I'd guess that loyal HP customers pay $1000 or less for this $1300 laptop, or more likely, right around $1300 with all the upgrades you'd expect (screen, RAM, etc.)
338mm x 231mm x 18.9 is not groundbreaking compared to 329mm x 226mm x 23.8-27.8mm, found on the LG P430 released 2 years ago with a Sandy Bridge CPU. sure it thinner, but it is not smaller in any other dimension. I guess the wheight would be more of an advance. It is a nice evolution though, it just has to happen to ALL notebooks, including the cheaper ones.
It is ridiculous and ignorant to say Apple inflates their prices. Thats the sort of linkbait and immature comment I would expect to see on Engadget, not Anandtech. They have some custom components, much higher quality panels that they actually calibrate, and far superior service and support and quality control which costs money. You can buy a 13-inch retina display Macbook for as little as $1299. Show me a PC laptop that remotely approaches that. Plus you still have to use Microsoft's latest mediocrity of an OS.
Apple's margins are much higher than the industry norm. It costs them less to make their devices than they sell them for compared to other manufacturers. What else would you call it?
As a business consultant I've been a road warrior for the past 16 years or so and a good dependable laptop is key. I have had a couple of iterations of the HP EliteBook for the past two years and they are rock solid. Quiet, light, sturdy, reliable and with good battery life. I'd take a thinkpad over this if the option was there but compared to the lucklustre offerings of Dell this is a good work machine.
As with most, I dock and use a large bright LCD panel at work. In meetings it's connected to a 1080p conference room projector. The built in panel only gets used if I am working remote or using it in transit.
Specs don't tell you the full story and you don't really think a customer buying 1000 units pays full retail do you ?
My previous Fujitsu NOTEBOOK is lighter, cheaper, have a bigger volume of hard drive and not the less battery life than this "Ultrabook". What's wrong with hp's engineering?
I agree with the other readers. Why waste our time and bandwidth reviewing a laptop with 768P screen? Sorry, Dustin, but I skipped this article. Thanks for your time.
I have sold a handful of these to our business customers over the last 6 months and I completely agree with the review, the laptop is well put together and being an ultrabook with a dock is the main reason why we sell them. The feature I like the most is that they actually have buttons for the touchpads which actually work unlike the horrible clickpads most companies seem to use in Ultrabooks - maybe due to the overall depth of the notebook?
We have just sold a 9470m with a 1600x900 screen, the 1366x768 screen is complete crap and when I saw the higher res panel get launched a few weeks ago I got quite excited. This one will be about the highest spec one can buy, an i7 3687u, 8gb ram, 256gb ssd (I assume it will be a micron) and of course the 1600x900 screen.
The 1600x900 screen still has crappy viewing angles according to HP's specification sheet, so I don't expect I'll be amazed by it, but at least it will have a larger resolution
Can't agree with you and others more on this subject. It's depressing and ludicrous to see laptops like these. This unit is 3.5+lbs, that's not an ultrabook. The screen is a real shame and anyone in their right mind shouldn't be buying this at all. This is one where I will agree to some boycotting via your wallet :)
Speaking of chiclet keyboards, I just took a look at Lenovo's website and... when did they roll out chiclets across all their model lines? Time ones was, only the near-consumer Edges and sub 12" ultraportables had them, but it looks like its standard now, even on their W-class mobile workstations
about a year ago when all their older models were retired.
Chiclet keys or not are really minor points compared to layout. Left side getting full keys or right side having an easy to hit enter and shift is way more important than chiclet or not.
Agree with everyone else - at this price point, 1366x768 TN is an absolute deal-breaker, completely inexcusable. The *minimum* acceptable standard should be 1080p IPS. You can get away with a cheap panel on a $299 bargain-basement special, but they have no place in Ultrabooks.
I work inside a certain company that uses exclusively HP notebooks for the employees. It amazes me how many people will, as the first thing they do on a new computer, drop the resolution down to ridiculously low levels with badly distorted text. They don't seem to be able to read larger text, and have grown used to the distortion. I cringe every time I see someone with a nice high res IPS screen on their mobile workstation running down at these resolutions.
We all here agree that this screen is crap and worthless, but I know there are a surprisingly large number of workers in the enterprise market that look at a higher res screen as a downside... :-(
That's why bargain basement laptops keep selling, most users simply don't care and won't pay for quality.
The real joke however is Intel thinks they can take those, put in a smaller form factor then jack up the price so much and expect to sell crazy numbers like iPhone 4 did.
Let's leave the crappy display alone, no one caring about the productivity of their workers will buy such when better are available.
But one other thing continues to amaze me -- the obsession of those PC makers with proprietary docking solutions. Not only are they vendor proprietary, but they also change from model to model, even in the same generation! What is wrong with those people? Why not just stick to something like Thunderbolt and be done???
No Thunderbolt docks available? Then, why wait? Just build ONE Thunderbolt dock for all of your notebooks and have the market.
Here's how you can tell most of those commenting do not work in an enterprise environment, much less any sort of IT. Every time a business laptop is reviewed, they immediately focus on screen resolution and never let go of it.
Do you suggest that those who work for "enterprises" should suffer from low screen resolution? So that they cannot see more on the screen and be more productive? Only "toys" should have quality screens?
HP used to have better displays. My 8 years old 15" HP laptop has 1920x1200 display. Why this crap now? Why an "elite" business laptop has to have such mediocre display?
It could be $500 and people would still whine about the resolution. It happens everytime for every laptop or tablet. I have 20 of these issued and they have been a huge hit. Now I agree that except for the Dreamcolor series, HP screens could be better. And I agree these should be priced lower. But your average corporate/enterprise user won't notice or care about anything beyond the size of the screen itself and how heavy or light the laptop is.
for $500? 1366x768 is fine, as long as the viewing angles and colours are acceptable. This is the case with Asus X202E. X202E uses a semi decent TN panel, unlike this $1300 garbage from HP.
I wish you could get 1920x1200 on ANY laptop now. As far as I know there aren't any newish ones with that resolution. =( The last were a 17" HP Elitebook with Dreamcolour display and the 17" MBP if I recall correctly.
Lets take a piece of serious business software like MS Dynamics AX. I watch people all day fighting with low res screens constantly scrolling around instead of being productive. Then they see me using my high res screen(on a engineering laptop) and are amazed that I don't have to do that.
Just because people have never known any different doesn't mean it's unimportant. It is the result of companies like HP pushing required IT features (like smart card readers) and low cost at the expense of productivity and the IT departments not caring. It is not the users, it is the IT department who should be pushing back on this.
The average user doesn't know or need to know the resolution spec, but they should know that the person who did spec the machine cared, which I find is often not the case.
I was very disappointed in this article. It's obvious Dustin is reviewing this device from a consumer oriented device perspective. All of the objections mentioned are valid more for a laptop you'd find in best buy, the one your considering your corporation. Take for example the screen. I'm not a fan of the 1366x768 res, and I'd opt for a 1600x900 screen for myself if it were available. That being said, the primary reason you'd choose this laptop over a standard ultrabook would be its docking station (something only briefly touched on in the article). If your using a docking station, then your most likely using external monitors. Users will opt for larger, easier to read monitors, if available/practical. This means that the built in monitor really will only see light use, since users will use there docked displays most of the time. If you also include the fact that its not uncommon for corporate apps to be built to run in 1024x768, it becomes apparent that a 1366x768 screen is adequate for those few times a 'mobile' user will be away from his desk, but still need his laptop. The second point I take contention at is the 4 gig of ram. Again, it's fairly common for a corporate app to still be 32bit. Some major apps will still not run on 64bit windows. Even with the ones that are, it's very rare for an office worker or exec to need more than 4 gig to run there corporate apps. In these cases, the 4 gig is a waste. Also, by going with one chip, it's very easy to bump it to 8 if the need arises. As to the price, its competitive with other business class ultra books. Service and build quality are usually better on business class items, so there not priced in the same category.
In short, again, your applying the rules we'd use when buying a personal laptop to a laptop that was never intended for that market. You should be looking at it from the perspective of laptop that could easily see deployments in the thousands for an organization. In this context your points of 'rage' hold less validity.
I'm a network admin and I use a 9470m as my primary machine.
Being thin (as in Ultrabook-thin) does almost nothing for an "Enterprise". However, being expensive, having a screen unsuitable for real work and only a 17 W CPU do hurt. Looks like a really unbalanced product.
I'm an enterprise user and I couldn't disagree more. I travel. A lot. I love the thinness and this alternative hit the spot. The screen is useable for mobile computing and when I'm in my office, I have two 22+" monitors that fit the bill. This computer is a mobile *option* within our company. More desk-bound employees do not and are not recommended to choose it; we have other options for those folks.
The HD+ screen is released. This is the hold back for this form. The device is as thin as it can be while including VGA so if they drop that it can go thinner. Still limited with RJ45 but could be thinner than a Mac Air.
I just ordered a C6Z63UT from BB. While the specifications indicate it is a 1366x768 display, it says that it is an HD Active Matrix TFT Color Backlit LED LCD. Is this the same display as tested in this review?
Can't decide between 2 HP laptops that you reviewed here on that site last year. HP EliteBook 2170p and HP Folio 9470m. Our IT department at work is offering either one of these and I don't know which one to choose. The are no other choices. Which one to choose among these two? Which one is better ultimately?
I am in the market looking for a skinny companion to my luggable HP EliteBook 8560w Dreamcolor. HP pre-sales directed my attention to the EliteBook Folio, which is a waste of my time! HP is surely falling behind here, which disappoints me when I have been an HP fan since the HP35 calculator. HP shall strive with implementing the leading edge technologies above milking the customer with incrimental improvements. Only then will HP beat Apple and the like gaga evangelistas.
I received one hp 9470m laptop for Work but with a 1600x900 screen resolución, a 256gb SSD, and 8gb of ram. This Computer is super fast, and it's very light compared with the normal bussines Computers I used to have. I will recommend it for Work; turning it on and off is fast. I used to avoid using My Work Computers at home because the customised OS windows My company uses take a lot of time to boots up, and power off. But not with this laptop. Now I'm ready to Work in less than a minute. I really recommend the HP 9470m for Work . I'm really Happy with this Computer.
I tell you guys i recommend to you when you buy some hardware should be branded. My loptops and other gadgets as of now they are good in performance. I used them everyday. thanks for this good site. <a href="http://tigerdirect.bluepromocode.com/tigerdirect-p... direct coupons</a>
Hey guys what kind of battery life do you get with this? Im on Power saver with screen brightness pretty low and only get about 4-4.5h of use(browsing, youtube, wifi) nowhere near the 7:30 h that this article says. Suggestions will be appreciated !
Yes that is right I run linux mint and battery power usage minimum is 8.8W on minimum brightness doing nothing. 52Wh/8.8 = 5.9h Realistically I have the brightness on full or near full most of the time and power consumption is around 10-14W. Say 12w - 52wH/12 = 4.3h sounds about right.
I bought this HP Folio 9470m with i5-3427U @1.8GHz w 8GB RAM 180 SSD from Newegg. This is a fast booting Win 7 machine (about 12 sec) versatile business grade laptop that you can use it around at home due to its relatively light weight (compared to average laptops). While the dual-channel 8GB RAM somewhat boosts up the HD4000 graphics capability so that we can still play some graphic games, and also a spare room for a second mSATA drive to install large games. At native resolution 1368 x 768, the native font (without distortion) is just the right size. A second large 1080p extra monitor can be attached to the slim docking station for graphic and serious business work. Why would anyone need a 1080p resolution crammed into a 14 inch laptop monitor (the native size fonts will be so small).
Laptop HP EliteBook 9480m - is a beast. http://topchoice.best/main-review/best-ultrabooks Yes, of course the price exceeds the limit. But the laptop very cool. Design excellent. It works like a clock, do not hang. The speakers are loud, even at full volume include, neighbors regret. The video quality is very good, my favorite movies pleased to review on this Toshiba, get aesthetic pleasure. The battery holds 4-5 hours, for such a machine, which is very good
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juampavalverde - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
The thing is: a 1300 usd ultrabook with that screen? go home hp. People, please, refuse to buy this, refuse to review it, sent this company back to the design board, this cant posible, c'mon, a thinkpad t60 from something like 8 years ago had a 1400x1050 display on 14" and this "premium enterprise laptop" just hd and 1600x900 as an option... goddamitmeacupla - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
It's also kinda big and heavy to be a proper "ultra"book.At first, I thought the photo was badly done, but I guess that's how crappy the screen really is on this thing.
Did HP throw in the towel? They seem to not care that the competition, like asus, dell, MS offering some pretty damn good ultrabooks and convertibles for $900~1300?
StrangerGuy - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
$1300 for a crappy 768p TN and a measly 1 year warranty.And Intel wonders why their darling isn't selling. Besides do people even want to pay premium prices for premium PCs to begin with? The ASP of ~$400 suggests not.
Silma - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
PC manufacturers cry themselves to sleep over low demand and tight margins and market shares lost to tablet but after years of crisis they are still incapable of assembling a decent PC, still thinking that choosing super bad parts such as panels of outdated TN technology with ultra low resolution crappy colors and brightness is just the right thing to put in an overpriced "enterprise" super premium priced notebook.No Wonder customers are loosing faith.
StrangerGuy - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
I wouldn't put all the blame on the OEMs, the whole industry is to blame for its own undoing. They thought they were innovating with oh-so-many Core whatever SKUs when in reality they are only selling Internet and Excel appliances that people only bought because there was no alternative.Then smartphones and tablets happened.
DanNeely - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
Your typical enterprise notebook is docked and using external displays 95% of the time; while still annoying when unlocked this is less of a problem than with a similar consumer model.On the price front, the docking port itself probably has at least $100 of soak the businessmen surcharge.
cknobman - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
This laptop is a f_cking joke and disgrace. And Intel wonders why people are not jumping on the "ultrabook" bandwagon.Only thing ultra about this laptop is ultra"sh!tty".
Stephen Owen - Tuesday, September 17, 2013 - link
I disagree. Put a 1080p (or higher) IPS display on this thing and it would be a dream.Well, it IS exceptionally loud. I've got one next to my mammoth Latitude e6510. I literally can't hear my typing over the scream of its turbines. I think the laptop is about to begin hovering, in fact.
bhima - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
Agreed. I paid under $1000 for basically the same spec'd Samsung Series 9 (smaller hard drive, only 128gb) and it has a fantastic 1600x900 screen that is quite bright and the light is well distributed with good viewing angles plus its thinner than a razor's edge.tomrocksalot - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link
Ah yes I was in the same situation... and I bought the 9470m... second hand admittedly and upgraded it.My HP has the following benefits over a series 9 (which I was otherwise going to buy)
8GB ram, 256 SSD, 1600x900 display, 1TB hdd, loads of ports and other features the series 9 does not have. Screen is larger at 14",( is it a pro is it a con???)
If I bought a series 9 I would be lugging around an external HDD and dongles which kills the whole size difference IMHO.
Voldenuit - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
I stopped reading right there. Can we put sentences like these in the first line or title of all future mobile reviews?
speculatrix - Sunday, March 31, 2013 - link
+1Shame that anandtech spent so much time reviewing this. I never got beyond the screen spec.. in fact I skipped as much of the article as possible to get to screen spec first.
Mumrik - Sunday, March 31, 2013 - link
Yup. I noticed the trackpoint and got interested. The I saw the resolution and just jumped, and skimmed, the conclusion.speculatrix - Sunday, March 31, 2013 - link
+1Now that you can fly replace a desktop computer with a laptop/notebook computer and not compromise on performance, storage, memory or GPU, the only real differentiator is screen quality and build quality.
Whenever I see a laptop review here the first thing I look for its the screen resolution and type. This means that this HP will never be considered for my next laptop replacement due in 4 months.
Stephen Owen - Tuesday, September 17, 2013 - link
This is a beautiful laptop with every other feature you would want. To scimp so badly on the literally feature which integrates the user with the computer (The flipping screen!!) is penny-pinching shortsightedness as bad as I've ever seen.This thing looks wonderful and exudes desirability. Until you turn it on. Ten seconds with the screen and you know it was hamstrung by someone's red ink.
frostyfiredude - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
1300$ for a 1366x768 TN with 159:1 contrast ratio. That's embarrassing. Does HP no long have standards? 199$ netbooks had better displays.mayankleoboy1 - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
Didnt Intel specify that for a Notebook to be labelled as an Ultrabook, it had to have 1080P display ?JarredWalton - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
I wish! Maybe in the Haswell (3rd Gen Ultrabook) we can get that? Doubtful, though -- and really, I'm not sure we'd even see it in the generation after that. Honestly, until Windows can handle DPI scaling perfectly, I don't see it happening. Windows 8 skirts the issue by doing well on the new Windows 8 UI and Apps, but not on desktop apps.jabber - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
Time to just send those poor screen machines straight back Jarred.James5mith - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
No, Intel's new requirement is that Ultrabooks have touchscreens. Nothing about resolution sadly. Also, as a side rant: Why can we get 1080p panels on 13" laptops, and 15" laptops, but 14" laptops only come with 1600x900 as the max resolution?JDG1980 - Saturday, March 30, 2013 - link
Windows 7 already does DPI scaling quite well. Some apps do manage to screw it up, but that's really unavoidable unless you are going to force a walled garden. All the normal stuff that people use on a regular basis works fine at high DPI settings.nerd1 - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
$1349, 1.63kg and 1366*768 screen?I always thought rMBP 13" are overpriced, but it seems to have better value than this one...
VivekGowri - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
Actually, after the price drop to $1499 ($1399 with student discount) the rMBP13 is a pretty decent value - an equivalent MBA13 costs $1299, you pay $200 more for the rMBP13 and get a vastly better screen, more ports, and faster CPU/IGP. The only ultrabook I could even think about recommending over it is the Zenbook Prime and ZBP Touch, because they play in lower price ranges.nerd1 - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
Personally I think samsung series 9 is the best ultrabook out there, which is 1/2lbs lighter than other ultrabooks, looks gorgeous and packs a good matte PLS display. It's quite affordable too (I remember $800-900 deal for sandy bridge models... which are still pretty good)That said, I just found out that one reseller now sells 13" rMBP at $1299!! This makes the 13" rMBP ironically the best value ultraportable (including ultrabooks) out there. :[
meacupla - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
Or how about a surface pro 128GB ($1000) with wedge keyboard ($50) and razer orochi mouse ($60)?ananduser - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
Vivek...the rmbp13" does not have vPro, nor any other mac. That's before we get into the fact that it also lags under normal usage. You also forgot to add the Windows8 Pro cost, which is almost 300$; Windows8 Pro and Intel vPro are pretty standard requirements in this sector.Penti - Saturday, March 30, 2013 - link
Nah, volume license upgrade covers the mac. vPro/AMT is obviously why we have machines like this HP.jonup - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
I just grabbed 3 Vizio CT15s for $600. I think that is better value than anything you mentioned including the MBP. Even at regular price <$900 this thing is a still. 15.6" 1080p IPS is just gorgeous. It has its shortcomings and the connectivity sucks, but with all the money saved I can purchase Bluetooth peripherals and call it the day.Penti - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
So it supports 2 SODIMMs in dual-channel, HD+ screen as well as mSATA SSDs and docking station? It shouldn't be so lackluster but HP's always seem a bit tricky to get customized. Might not be an issue if your an large customer though, but for everyone else it might be difficult.One question though, does it support two screens / monitors using the two DP-outputs that the combination with the ultraslim dock gives you?
biostud - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
HP has Probooks and Elitebooks for business. If their naming scheme should make any sense, probooks should be average consumer notebook with business build and support. The Elitebooks should be the best money can buy, no compromises. When HP dropped the IPS screen on the Elitebooks, they stopped being Elitebooks.-written on a hp probook 6360b
tds456 - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
I stopped reading at 1366x768. Only while at the comments did I notice "Thankfully the 9470m can be ordered with a 1600x900 panel" You *really* need to include things like this in the specs, even if just in brackets saying option, otherwise people will just keep ignoring the reviews like this one.jabber - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
The thing is the guys at Anand know how most of us feel about crappy screens yet they still keep reviewing them, knowing that 99% of us wouldn't buy it even if the rest of the machine is great.It really is time to start pushing those review units back to the manufacturers telling them "Sorry, it's just not good enough! Try harder!"
Sure you might have a few less laptops to review but there are other things I'm sure. They also might start to get the message and send some quality gear.
The other thing is that blue or that stock Windows 8 purple just looks so crap on Windows 8. I change all my Windows 8 machines to dark grey and it looks so much better.
A5 - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
Public humiliation will do more than just pushing the units back to the PR team. They'd rather have no review than a bad review.damianrobertjones - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
"people want quality, and they're willing to pay for it." - Fair enough but 'most' users don't even know that they've got a 1366x768 screen."Because despite the fact that the MacBook Pro offers virtually no allowances for business class use, it's still gaining a foothold." - The ONLY reason why this is, is due to marketing and name ONLY.
Dustin Sklavos - Saturday, March 30, 2013 - link
I strongly disagree. It may be that way at first in some cases, but people will see the display and they'll want it. Likewise, that display continues to make the MBP a superior choice for any kind of visual work that doesn't involve throwing FCPX out the window.JDG1980 - Saturday, March 30, 2013 - link
Most users may not be able to specify what resolution their laptop is running at, but they can clearly see that the rMBP has far sharper text and images and better color reproduction than cheap PC displays. It just plain looks better, by a significant margin.nerd1 - Sunday, March 31, 2013 - link
Non retina MBPs are still being sold, and they have class tailing 1280 800 resolution display. Yes it is TN too.sperho - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
The display is somewhat disappointing in both the resolution and quality regard, but as someone who has been using a corporate issued laptop in a variety of brands for the past 15 years, this laptop is by far the best laptop I've ever had issued to me. I travel a fair bit and it's lightness, very respectable battery life, reasonable speed, port options, docking station, backlit keyboard... Oh, I LOVE this laptop. Would I buy it if I had control over what I get for work? No. One has to understand what this laptop if for and for whom by whom it is purchased. As such, it is by far the best machine that I've ever used for work. It isn't perfect, but it's great mobile option that even conservative IT departments will accept.sperho - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
I should add, my employer REQUIRES smartcard capability and it takes a phone call to security to gain temporary login credentials if we don't have our company pass on us (smartcard pass) to logon to the machine. There just aren't a huge variety of machines that have smartcard slots in them. That doesn't excuse the base display option, but given the options, it does it's job and does it well.crimson117 - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
This would be fine as long as it's in a docking station attached to a large external monitor.1366x768 is not usable even for business email, let alone productivity apps.
And then to offer crappy quality 1366x768 put the nail in the coffin.
Colin1497 - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
Does anyone actually pay list price for this stuff? When I was last involved in IT budgets, Dell used to give us pretty steep discounts on everything and we were a relatively small company. I'd guess that loyal HP customers pay $1000 or less for this $1300 laptop, or more likely, right around $1300 with all the upgrades you'd expect (screen, RAM, etc.)gostan - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
So, the razer edge with a 13x7 display @ 2k is an interesting beginning. the elitebook folio with a 13x7 display at 1.4k is not ok?marc1000 - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
338mm x 231mm x 18.9 is not groundbreaking compared to 329mm x 226mm x 23.8-27.8mm, found on the LG P430 released 2 years ago with a Sandy Bridge CPU. sure it thinner, but it is not smaller in any other dimension. I guess the wheight would be more of an advance. It is a nice evolution though, it just has to happen to ALL notebooks, including the cheaper ones.darwinosx - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
It is ridiculous and ignorant to say Apple inflates their prices. Thats the sort of linkbait and immature comment I would expect to see on Engadget, not Anandtech. They have some custom components, much higher quality panels that they actually calibrate, and far superior service and support and quality control which costs money.You can buy a 13-inch retina display Macbook for as little as $1299. Show me a PC laptop that remotely approaches that. Plus you still have to use Microsoft's latest mediocrity of an OS.
Asmodian - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
Apple's margins are much higher than the industry norm. It costs them less to make their devices than they sell them for compared to other manufacturers. What else would you call it?scottish_usa - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
As a business consultant I've been a road warrior for the past 16 years or so and a good dependable laptop is key. I have had a couple of iterations of the HP EliteBook for the past two years and they are rock solid. Quiet, light, sturdy, reliable and with good battery life. I'd take a thinkpad over this if the option was there but compared to the lucklustre offerings of Dell this is a good work machine.As with most, I dock and use a large bright LCD panel at work. In meetings it's connected to a 1080p conference room projector. The built in panel only gets used if I am working remote or using it in transit.
Specs don't tell you the full story and you don't really think a customer buying 1000 units pays full retail do you ?
Little Elephant - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
My previous Fujitsu NOTEBOOK is lighter, cheaper, have a bigger volume of hard drive and not the less battery life than this "Ultrabook". What's wrong with hp's engineering?gamoniac - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
I agree with the other readers. Why waste our time and bandwidth reviewing a laptop with 768P screen? Sorry, Dustin, but I skipped this article. Thanks for your time.bradcollins - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
I have sold a handful of these to our business customers over the last 6 months and I completely agree with the review, the laptop is well put together and being an ultrabook with a dock is the main reason why we sell them. The feature I like the most is that they actually have buttons for the touchpads which actually work unlike the horrible clickpads most companies seem to use in Ultrabooks - maybe due to the overall depth of the notebook?We have just sold a 9470m with a 1600x900 screen, the 1366x768 screen is complete crap and when I saw the higher res panel get launched a few weeks ago I got quite excited. This one will be about the highest spec one can buy, an i7 3687u, 8gb ram, 256gb ssd (I assume it will be a micron) and of course the 1600x900 screen.
The 1600x900 screen still has crappy viewing angles according to HP's specification sheet, so I don't expect I'll be amazed by it, but at least it will have a larger resolution
The0ne - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
Can't agree with you and others more on this subject. It's depressing and ludicrous to see laptops like these. This unit is 3.5+lbs, that's not an ultrabook. The screen is a real shame and anyone in their right mind shouldn't be buying this at all. This is one where I will agree to some boycotting via your wallet :)B3an - Friday, March 29, 2013 - link
Don't bother reviewing this junk in the future. It don't deserve the publicity.chanman - Saturday, March 30, 2013 - link
Speaking of chiclet keyboards, I just took a look at Lenovo's website and... when did they roll out chiclets across all their model lines? Time ones was, only the near-consumer Edges and sub 12" ultraportables had them, but it looks like its standard now, even on their W-class mobile workstationsmeacupla - Sunday, March 31, 2013 - link
about a year ago when all their older models were retired.Chiclet keys or not are really minor points compared to layout. Left side getting full keys or right side having an easy to hit enter and shift is way more important than chiclet or not.
JDG1980 - Saturday, March 30, 2013 - link
Agree with everyone else - at this price point, 1366x768 TN is an absolute deal-breaker, completely inexcusable. The *minimum* acceptable standard should be 1080p IPS. You can get away with a cheap panel on a $299 bargain-basement special, but they have no place in Ultrabooks.lo2dk - Saturday, March 30, 2013 - link
useless display resolution is useless display resolutionantiocles - Saturday, March 30, 2013 - link
I work inside a certain company that uses exclusively HP notebooks for the employees. It amazes me how many people will, as the first thing they do on a new computer, drop the resolution down to ridiculously low levels with badly distorted text. They don't seem to be able to read larger text, and have grown used to the distortion. I cringe every time I see someone with a nice high res IPS screen on their mobile workstation running down at these resolutions.We all here agree that this screen is crap and worthless, but I know there are a surprisingly large number of workers in the enterprise market that look at a higher res screen as a downside... :-(
StrangerGuy - Sunday, March 31, 2013 - link
That's why bargain basement laptops keep selling, most users simply don't care and won't pay for quality.The real joke however is Intel thinks they can take those, put in a smaller form factor then jack up the price so much and expect to sell crazy numbers like iPhone 4 did.
danbi - Sunday, March 31, 2013 - link
Let's leave the crappy display alone, no one caring about the productivity of their workers will buy such when better are available.But one other thing continues to amaze me -- the obsession of those PC makers with proprietary docking solutions. Not only are they vendor proprietary, but they also change from model to model, even in the same generation! What is wrong with those people? Why not just stick to something like Thunderbolt and be done???
No Thunderbolt docks available? Then, why wait? Just build ONE Thunderbolt dock for all of your notebooks and have the market.
abrar - Sunday, March 31, 2013 - link
is it possible to use a pen on this device ? (the display is touchable, right ?)SteveLord - Sunday, March 31, 2013 - link
Here's how you can tell most of those commenting do not work in an enterprise environment, much less any sort of IT. Every time a business laptop is reviewed, they immediately focus on screen resolution and never let go of it.danbi - Sunday, March 31, 2013 - link
Do you suggest that those who work for "enterprises" should suffer from low screen resolution? So that they cannot see more on the screen and be more productive? Only "toys" should have quality screens?HP used to have better displays. My 8 years old 15" HP laptop has 1920x1200 display. Why this crap now? Why an "elite" business laptop has to have such mediocre display?
SteveLord - Sunday, March 31, 2013 - link
It could be $500 and people would still whine about the resolution. It happens everytime for every laptop or tablet. I have 20 of these issued and they have been a huge hit. Now I agree that except for the Dreamcolor series, HP screens could be better. And I agree these should be priced lower. But your average corporate/enterprise user won't notice or care about anything beyond the size of the screen itself and how heavy or light the laptop is.meacupla - Sunday, March 31, 2013 - link
for $500? 1366x768 is fine, as long as the viewing angles and colours are acceptable. This is the case with Asus X202E. X202E uses a semi decent TN panel, unlike this $1300 garbage from HP.Tams80 - Tuesday, April 2, 2013 - link
I wish you could get 1920x1200 on ANY laptop now. As far as I know there aren't any newish ones with that resolution. =( The last were a 17" HP Elitebook with Dreamcolour display and the 17" MBP if I recall correctly.Grennum - Monday, April 1, 2013 - link
Lets take a piece of serious business software like MS Dynamics AX. I watch people all day fighting with low res screens constantly scrolling around instead of being productive. Then they see me using my high res screen(on a engineering laptop) and are amazed that I don't have to do that.Just because people have never known any different doesn't mean it's unimportant. It is the result of companies like HP pushing required IT features (like smart card readers) and low cost at the expense of productivity and the IT departments not caring. It is not the users, it is the IT department who should be pushing back on this.
The average user doesn't know or need to know the resolution spec, but they should know that the person who did spec the machine cared, which I find is often not the case.
hrrmph - Sunday, March 31, 2013 - link
The reviewer nailed it on this one.HP got credit where credit was due (SSD, USB 3.0, etc.). But, he rightly scorched them on the display and keyboard.
We shouldn't have to turn in our classics for equipment that is inferior, even if it is thinner.
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blazeoptimus - Saturday, April 6, 2013 - link
I was very disappointed in this article. It's obvious Dustin is reviewing this device from a consumer oriented device perspective. All of the objections mentioned are valid more for a laptop you'd find in best buy, the one your considering your corporation. Take for example the screen. I'm not a fan of the 1366x768 res, and I'd opt for a 1600x900 screen for myself if it were available. That being said, the primary reason you'd choose this laptop over a standard ultrabook would be its docking station (something only briefly touched on in the article). If your using a docking station, then your most likely using external monitors. Users will opt for larger, easier to read monitors, if available/practical. This means that the built in monitor really will only see light use, since users will use there docked displays most of the time. If you also include the fact that its not uncommon for corporate apps to be built to run in 1024x768, it becomes apparent that a 1366x768 screen is adequate for those few times a 'mobile' user will be away from his desk, but still need his laptop. The second point I take contention at is the 4 gig of ram. Again, it's fairly common for a corporate app to still be 32bit. Some major apps will still not run on 64bit windows. Even with the ones that are, it's very rare for an office worker or exec to need more than 4 gig to run there corporate apps. In these cases, the 4 gig is a waste. Also, by going with one chip, it's very easy to bump it to 8 if the need arises. As to the price, its competitive with other business class ultra books. Service and build quality are usually better on business class items, so there not priced in the same category.In short, again, your applying the rules we'd use when buying a personal laptop to a laptop that was never intended for that market. You should be looking at it from the perspective of laptop that could easily see deployments in the thousands for an organization. In this context your points of 'rage' hold less validity.
I'm a network admin and I use a 9470m as my primary machine.
MrSpadge - Sunday, April 7, 2013 - link
Being thin (as in Ultrabook-thin) does almost nothing for an "Enterprise". However, being expensive, having a screen unsuitable for real work and only a 17 W CPU do hurt. Looks like a really unbalanced product.sperho - Thursday, May 2, 2013 - link
I'm an enterprise user and I couldn't disagree more. I travel. A lot. I love the thinness and this alternative hit the spot. The screen is useable for mobile computing and when I'm in my office, I have two 22+" monitors that fit the bill. This computer is a mobile *option* within our company. More desk-bound employees do not and are not recommended to choose it; we have other options for those folks.Wolfehosue - Tuesday, April 9, 2013 - link
The HD+ screen is released. This is the hold back for this form. The device is as thin as it can be while including VGA so if they drop that it can go thinner. Still limited with RJ45 but could be thinner than a Mac Air.Tipsy McStagger - Monday, May 6, 2013 - link
I just ordered a C6Z63UT from BB. While the specifications indicate it is a 1366x768 display, it says that it is an HD Active Matrix TFT Color Backlit LED LCD. Is this the same display as tested in this review?john12345p - Monday, October 14, 2013 - link
Can't decide between 2 HP laptops that you reviewed here on that site last year. HP EliteBook 2170p and HP Folio 9470m.Our IT department at work is offering either one of these and I don't know which one to choose. The are no other choices. Which one to choose among these two? Which one is better ultimately?
john12345p - Monday, October 14, 2013 - link
Basically, which one of the two sucks less? 2170p or 9470m?CTIBWI - Friday, October 25, 2013 - link
I am in the market looking for a skinny companion to my luggable HP EliteBook 8560w Dreamcolor. HP pre-sales directed my attention to the EliteBook Folio, which is a waste of my time! HP is surely falling behind here, which disappoints me when I have been an HP fan since the HP35 calculator. HP shall strive with implementing the leading edge technologies above milking the customer with incrimental improvements. Only then will HP beat Apple and the like gaga evangelistas.Davbaster - Thursday, October 31, 2013 - link
I received one hp 9470m laptop for Work but with a 1600x900 screen resolución, a 256gb SSD, and 8gb of ram. This Computer is super fast, and it's very light compared with the normal bussines Computers I used to have. I will recommend it for Work; turning it on and off is fast. I used to avoid using My Work Computers at home because the customised OS windows My company uses take a lot of time to boots up, and power off. But not with this laptop. Now I'm ready to Work in less than a minute. I really recommend the HP 9470m for Work . I'm really Happy with this Computer.lbluepromo01 - Sunday, December 29, 2013 - link
I tell you guys i recommend to you when you buy some hardware should be branded. My loptops and other gadgets as of now they are good in performance. I used them everyday. thanks for this good site. <a href="http://tigerdirect.bluepromocode.com/tigerdirect-p... direct coupons</a>daNY_b - Thursday, January 16, 2014 - link
Hey guys what kind of battery life do you get with this? Im on Power saver with screen brightness pretty low and only get about 4-4.5h of use(browsing, youtube, wifi) nowhere near the 7:30 h that this article says. Suggestions will be appreciated !tomrocksalot - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link
Yes that is right I run linux mint and battery power usage minimum is 8.8W on minimum brightness doing nothing. 52Wh/8.8 = 5.9hRealistically I have the brightness on full or near full most of the time and power consumption is around 10-14W. Say 12w - 52wH/12 = 4.3h sounds about right.
linopks - Friday, March 7, 2014 - link
I bought this HP Folio 9470m with i5-3427U @1.8GHz w 8GB RAM 180 SSD from Newegg. This is a fast booting Win 7 machine (about 12 sec) versatile business grade laptop that you can use it around at home due to its relatively light weight (compared to average laptops). While the dual-channel 8GB RAM somewhat boosts up the HD4000 graphics capability so that we can still play some graphic games, and also a spare room for a second mSATA drive to install large games. At native resolution 1368 x 768, the native font (without distortion) is just the right size. A second large 1080p extra monitor can be attached to the slim docking station for graphic and serious business work. Why would anyone need a 1080p resolution crammed into a 14 inch laptop monitor (the native size fonts will be so small).WalkInTheGlow - Wednesday, December 16, 2015 - link
Laptop HP EliteBook 9480m - is a beast. http://topchoice.best/main-review/best-ultrabooks Yes, of course the price exceeds the limit. But the laptop very cool. Design excellent. It works like a clock, do not hang. The speakers are loud, even at full volume include, neighbors regret. The video quality is very good, my favorite movies pleased to review on this Toshiba, get aesthetic pleasure. The battery holds 4-5 hours, for such a machine, which is very good