HP Elite Dragonfly, Analysis and Opinion

It is our review of the HP Elite Dragonfly, a premium convertible hp laptop that came with hardware from two generations ago.

Still, it stands out for allowing a very smooth workflow thanks to Optane technology and a minimalist design that calls for a lot of attention.

When you see the box, you know you are facing something special. How a device is “wrapped” gives us many clues about what is inside, and the HP laptop Elite Dragonfly is not misleading.

We are looking at the company’s new convertible, an extremely light and fast laptop with a design that undeniably attracts attention.

Throughout the year, many teams go through our test bench, but few manage to captivate us from the beginning, something that the Dragonfly does.

Everything is cautious: from the joints to an oleophobic material that prevents traces from permeating the entire casing, of course, through performance.

It’s one of those cases where performance matters more than the hardware it mounts. That is something that we will see throughout this analysis of the HP laptop Elite Dragonfly, but before, we present the model that we have received:

Table of Contents

HP Elite Dragonfly Specs

Dimensions	30.43 x 19.75 x 1.61 cm
Total weight	0.99 kg
Operating system	Windows 10 Pro
Processor	Intel Core i7-8565U
GPU	Integrated Intel HD 620
RAM	16 GB LPDDR3 2.133 MHz
HDD	Intel Optane 32GB 512GB M.2 PCIe SSD
Screen type	13.3 “IPS 400 nits brightness Tactile 72% NTSC
Screen resolution	1,920 x 1,080 pixels
Wireless connectivity	IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / ac
A / V data connectors	2 x USB Type-C USB Type-A 3.1 HDMI Headphone Minijack
Battery	38 Wh version Two cells 65 W USB Type-C charger
Price	2,599 euros on Amazon

Analysis of the HP Elite Dragonfly by sections:

Design: one of the most premium in recent months
Screen: bright, for good and bad
Performance: two-generation Intel Core powered by Optane
Cooling: small but excellent thanks to an extensive cooling system
Keyboard and touchpad: perfect and accompanied by a stylus
Sound: speakers that do not give much of themselves
Software: Windows 10 Pro with tons of HP software
Autonomy: battery works without being stuck to a plug
Conclusions: a 2-in-1 top laptop, although not for everyone

HP design attracts attention like few others

We start the review of the HP Elite Dragonfly by talking about the plan.

Of course, we will break down every millimeter of the laptop, but we are facing one of the most premium equipment in its class that has passed through our test bench.

HP bets on a magnesium alloy to create the chassis of the convertible. This material does not seem as premium as aluminum, but the truth is that it allows you to develop shock-resistant laptops that dissipate heat well and weigh very little.

The Dragonfly weighs 999 grams, and it is a pleasure, with its size of 30 centimeters wide and 1.6 cm thick, to carry both in hand and in any backpack. It is no bulkier than any A4 notebook.

There are other tasteful details on the case. For example, we can use the laptop as a conventional laptop or as a “tablet.”

Still, we can also support the keyboard on the table to have only the screen in front, and, for that, there are some tiny rubber bands on the case that make the keyboard not rub against the table.

When we opened the screen (it cannot do with one hand due to the low weight of the base), we found a keyboard with speakers on the sides, a large touchpad, a screen with (thin) black edges, and the HP logo on the bottom of the panel.

HP knows that many users place a sticker on the camera to avoid possible espionage cases.

Since this equipment is focused on the professional sector, they have included a small sliding tab that covers the camera. It is another example of the care for detail when creating a laptop.

Finally, to end this section, we have the security port, the SIM slot, the power button, and a USB 3.1 Type-A on the left side.

A Full HD Touch Screen That Leaves Good Feelings

And let’s talk about the screen. Several configurations of the HP Elite Dragonfly take us to 4K resolution and even Full HD with a brightness of 1,000 nits.

We have analyzed the most modest version of the screen, but except in a specific use case, we have not missed those levels of extreme brightness.

The side frames of the HP laptops are four millimeters thick, and the sensation is that of being in front of a very well-used show.

Then, of course, at the top, we have a frame that increases to twelve millimeters that house LTE antennas (in the compatible version), the light sensor for automatic brightness, two microphones, and the camera.

An Intel Core From Two Generations Ago

If we talk about the guts of the HP laptop Elite Dragonfly, we do not have as much good news when talking about the screen, the design, or the battery (which we will see later).

And it is that we are facing a laptop of more than 2,000 euros that mounts an Intel Core processor from two generations ago.

The Intel Core i7-8565U, a third-quarter 2018 processor, has four cores and eight threads at a frequency of 1.8 GHz with a 4.6 GHz turbo.

It is built on a 14-nanometer lithograph, and the TDP is 15 W (configurable to 25 W or 10 W, depending on whether we want more power or battery).

In a laptop of this range, it would have been nice to have a tenth-generation processor and low consumption.

Both for their strength and, above all, for the use and the supported RAM. And it is that the Dragonfly analyzed has 16 GB of RAM (well for this part) LPDDR3 at a frequency of 2,133 MHz (here, it leaves to desired)

Optane, on the other hand, “only” is 32 GB and is responsible for working by accelerating applications intelligently and, besides, supporting RAM when it needs it.

It is an invisible work that shows daily when you see that everything opens instantly, that the laptop does not drown in demanding tasks, and everything goes. Well, how should it go?

Disperse Without a Problem Whatever We Do, Despite The Size

A perfect point of the laptop is that, despite not having the most energy-efficient processors and having a very, very small dissipation base, it remains below 50º at all times.

If we are working on the web, the measured temperature is between 37º and 40º. But when we upload the workload a little and start to retouch images, convert files, and open more than ten tabs, the temperature sticks in the 43-45º.

Only with extreme use (batches of Capture One files saved to .png) the temperature goes over 50º.

Keyboard, Touchpad, And Stylus of The Best We Have Tried

There are several laptops, and the same components can be more or less critical, depending on the equipment.

When we analyze a gaming laptop, for example, we do not give so much weight to the keyboard and touchpad. They are essential because we will spend time with them, but not as much as on a laptop created to write.

In the case of the HP laptop Elite Dragonfly, we find a great keyboard and a generous touchpad in size and perfect in its response. The keycaps do not have any shape; they are flat.

Although I like those with a concave surface, I have not missed it. A nice touch is that they do not easily catch the fingers’ greasiness, and it is also a keyboard with protection against splashes. To round off, we have a white backlight.

Each manufacturer customizes how they want their function keys. In this case, we have the on-hook / off-hook keys if we have an Android paired with Windows 10, a shortcut to the calendars, a.

A key to put the laptop in airplane mode and the microphone lock are integrated. As well as the volume, brightness, and keyboard backlight keys.

Speakers on Top, But Very Fair

We always talk about speakers when we talk about laptops to consume content or gaming laptops.

It may not make much sense on this computer for its intended use, but we want to pay attention to this section’s review of the HP laptop Elite Dragonfly.

We will listen to music, videos, video calls, or a sporadic movie on this equipment, and, to be honest, it is appreciated that the sound comes as clean as possible.

It does not bounce off a surface, and the truth is that the volume they give is high, but the quality of it is already something else.

Any range, from 1% to 100% volume, is from a canned sound to which the treble fails, the mids have no consistency and the basses.

Well, there isn’t. It is still expected, but some mobile speakers sound better. And for quite a bit. At least we have the 3.5mm mini-jack port.

Windows 10 Pro flies despite all HP laptop software.

As for the software, there are no surprises in the operating system section. Windows 10 Pro is responsible for giving life to the PC, and the truth is that it is appreciated that the installed Pro version comes and not the Home.

There are differences (maybe not at an ordinary user level), which shows on a laptop like this. Another thing is the installed software.

We have the Optane software, and although it is already preconfigured to accelerate the equipment, it is there for an advanced user to use and create new units, activate or deactivate acceleration, etc.

Battery for a day with a powerful and compact charger

Where there is no complaint in the cell. There are two 38 Wh and 52 Wh configurations. We have a miniature version, but we can still work a day demanding the team without going through a socket.

Note that it is a laptop created for mobility, and the fans do not start when we are in wireless mode, only activating when we are connected to the power.

It is an intelligent solution to limit the elements that consume the battery.

With Wi-Fi and 70% brightness, office tasks, Photoshop, and Spotify, the laptop can last about six hours without needing a plug. However, it goes up to eight if we remove Spotify and Photoshop from the equation.

Still, it’s not worth saving the battery in an office environment if we have a plug nearby. The charger (with a very contained size and braided cable) gives us a full charge in about one hour.

It may sound like a joke, but one of the things I liked the most is that the charger weighs very little and is beautiful.

Above all, it takes up very little in the backpack. It has a capacity of 65 W, and, obviously being Type-C, it is valid for other devices; ah! Speaking of different methods, the pen can be loaded directly into a USB Type-C laptop (with cable included) as it sheds a power of 15 W.

A very premium team that shines despite its shortcomings

We come to the end of the review of the HP laptop Elite Dragonfly with a clear idea. It is not as spectacular or powerful as other laptops on our review table lately. But we have tested a few such round types of equipment in recent months.

It does not mount the best or newest components (that eighth-generation Intel or LPDDR3 memory, for example). And the speakers are far from being an option to enjoy music. Still, otherwise, it lives up to expectations.
An SSD that works very efficiently, Optane speeds up the computer, and Windows 10 is increasingly optimized. Allows all tasks to fly on this device.