At this year’s Computex 2019 in Taiwan, HP presented the Elite x2 G4, a notebook that will compete with the Microsoft Surface Pro 6. The components of the device, which weighs only 830 grams, are located completely behind the screen. Due to the removable keyboard it can also be used as a tablet.
Compared to its predecessor, the clearly brighter display, whose brightness HP was able to increase by 42 percent to 1000 nits, is noticeable at first glance. This is about twice the brightness of the display installed in the Microsoft Surface Pro 6.
The HP Elite x2 G4 is available in 12.3″ and 13″. The aspect ratio of the display is 3:2. The resolution of the 12.3-inch device is 1,920 x 1,280 pixels, the 13-inch display even offers 3,000 x 2,000 pixels. In addition, both displays convince with their high touch sensitivity. Entries with the HP Rechargeable Active Pen G3 can be recognized from a print of 5 grams. The pen’s built-in rechargeable battery charges in just 15 seconds for 1.5 hours of use. Similar to the iPad Pro, the pen is magnetically fixed to the side of the laptop.
LTE and other equipment features
The HP Elite x2 G4 is equipped with an LTE modem so that it is well networked on the go. External devices can be connected by cable via two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) and one USB-C (3.1, Gen 1) ports. There is no separate connection for the power supply unit; instead, the battery is filled with electricity via USB-C with a maximum of 65 watts.
To protect the display from annoying glances while on the move, HP has installed the privacy screen Sure View 3. In addition, to protect privacy, there are physical covers for the main camera on the back (8 megapixel resolution) and the Full HD webcam, as well as HP Sure Sense, an AI-based malware protection.
According to HP, the maximum service life of the 47 Wh battery is 10 hours. HP points out that the notebook got 9 out of 10 points despite the compact case of iFixit. In most cases, any repairs can be carried out by experienced users themselves. Microsoft Surface Pro 6 received only 6 out of 10 points from iFixit.
HP uses an Intel Core i7-8665U with Intel UDH 620 at maximum. There is no dedicated graphics card, so the performance is only sufficient for office applications. The main memory offers up to 16 GB capacity and is unfortunately firmly soldered. The PCIe NMVe M.2 SSD offers up to 2 TB capacity.
The HP Elite x2 G4 will be available in August. In the USA, the basic version costs 1,499 dollars. The prices for the European market are not yet known. Buyers can choose between a dark leather-covered keyboard and an aluminum keyboard.
