HP EliteBook Folio 9470m Pro Reviews

If you can get the Folio 9470m with the 900p panel, the unit will undoubtedly be vastly improved from a productivity standpoint. Unfortunately HP's enterprise site leaves an awful lot to be desired as far as even finding that model, and it skirts the real point here: aren't we done compromising?

The HP EliteBook Folio 9470m, like the Folio 13 before it, offers a nice balance of portability and power with long battery life. There are some significant drawbacks, the biggest one being the display. Our $1,349 base configuration isn’t the only one available. HP also offers the same internals, plus a 1600 x 900 display, for $1,549. That’s still more expensive than the non-touch ThinkPad Carbon X1, which has a better overall display and keyboard. It does not have near the same number of ports, and that’s a big consideration, especially for business users. As is the ability to connect to a dock, something else the Carbon X1 lacks. Ultimately, whichever aspects are more important to you will determine if the EliteBook Folio 9470m is the better choice. If ports and a removable battery are high on your list, you should definitely consider HP’s offering.

Pleasingly thin and light, the HP Elitebook Folio 9470m delivers several business-friendly extras, and its solid-state drive makes it speedy on many tasks. But it's a bit short on storage and system memory, and it's pricey for a 14-inch laptop.

HP's EliteBook Folio 9470m smartly fills a gap in the EliteBook line. Like Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Carbon, it brings elegant engineering and IT-friendly manageability to the ultrabook segment; even more than the Lenovo, it'll appeal to companies that use docking stations and laptops as desktop solutions. While users appreciate its sleek styling, comfortable keyboard, and soft-touch paint, IT managers will applaud its battery flexibility and the option to downgrade to Windows 7. If you're not opting for the downgrade, however, the 9470m loses some appeal (unless perhaps yours is an all-HP shop). Particularly at $1,349, buying a Windows 8 system with a non-touch screen smacks of short-term thinking. True, a lot of companies are taking it slow when it comes to evaluating and adopting the new operating system. And maybe your IT department can't invest in training everyone for touch and Windows 8 right now. But with the near-ubiquity of touch-enabled displays—from smartphones to tablets, kiosks, and the flood of touch-screen laptops coming out—you or your users will soon crave touch controls, and touch pad gestures are no substitute.

On paper the 14-inch EliteBook Folio 9470m offers a lot of notebook for a lot of money. With the case, input devices, ports, performance and runtime HP fulfills the high expectations that come with a price of 1,550 Euros. For this money you can almost get a X1 Carbon (1,740 Euros). The Dell Latitude E6430s with similar specs is less expensive (~ 1,200 Euros), a ThinkPad T430u is less than 1,050 Euros and the T430s charges 1,500 Euros with similar specs. The performance of the Intel 520 SSD (180 GB) and the Core i5 is without doubt very good, but it does not justify the high price. Zenbook UX31A, Dell XPS 13 and Apple MacBook Pro 13 offer the same for less or similar money. The EliteBook can stand out from the crowd with numerous ports: a SmartCard reader, docking port, battery-slice port and DisplayPort next to VGA are the highlights. Unfortunately the 3G-modem does not come standard, our review sample only has the preparation (antennas, SIM card slot, mini PCI Express slot). Maintenance and replacement of components is unrivaled for ultrabooks. The battery can be removed and the empty mSATA slot can be upgraded with a second SSD. The fan can easily be cleaned. Only the bigger and heavier Latitude E6430s with Expresscard34 and eSATA can surpass this port variety.

The Elitebook Folio 9470m is a light, full-featured variation on the business ultrabook, with all the security extras, ports, and solid construction you’d want and a killer battery life. It lacks originality, and has a high price tag. The lower-res screen lacks touch, and the entire laptop feels too traditional for its own good. Traditionalists may love it, but keep in mind that more flexible computers are available, including forthcoming models from HP; the Elitebook Revolve bears serious consideration.

With the HP EliteBook Folio 9470m Ultrabook you’re getting one of the nicest business-minded computers on the market today. Priced at $1,349.00 USD straight from HP, you’re going to get what you paid for. This is a machine you’re going to be able to use for years to come, and with the hardware this Ultrabook comes with right out of the box, it’s unlikely you’ll need to update your innards any time soon.

IT folks are just starting to evaluate Windows 8 for use in business, whether they support a 20-person shop or a 20,000-employee enterprise behemoth. The HP Elitebook Folio 9470m ($1,349 direct) is aimed at the corporate shop, where tens or thousands of identical laptops are rolled out to users en masse. The HP Folio 9470m ($1,349 list) is one of the first business laptops we're seen with Windows 8 installed. It maintains a link to your company's Windows 7 past with driver and downgrade support in case you don't think your mainline workers are ready for Windows 8. Good thing, as the Folio 9470m has problems with the touch-optimized Windows 8 operating system, problems that need some ironing out before your users are ready for a non-touch Win 8 system.