Today, HP is taking the wraps off their latest high-end, flagship Chromebook for both consumers and enterprise users in the HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook. We’ll get into the specs and features this one brings to the table in just a moment, but I think it is safe to say at this point that the Dragonfly Chromebook is easily one of the most impressive, most feature-rich Chromebooks we’ve ever seen. There are new, cool features onboard, but there are also tweaks to old issues HP has had in the past on their more-expensive Chromebooks, and the combination is impressive and exciting.
• HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook Key Specs
• 12th-gen Intel Alder Lake processors with Iris Xe GPU
• Certified Intel Evo and vPro
• 13.5-inch 1920×1280 or 2256×1504 3:2 display
• 400 or 1000 nits of brightness
• Sure View Reflect screen security optional
• Corning Gorilla Glass 3
• 128GB/256GB/512GB SSD
• Up to 32GB of LPDDR4x RAM
• Backlit keyboard with a global mute key
• Haptic trackpad
• 2x USB Type C (Thunderbolt 4)
• 1x USB Type Type A (3.2 Gen 2)
• Full-size HDMI port
• microSD card slot
• 5G capable w/sim slot
• Wi-Fi 6e
• Bluetooth 5
• 51Wh battery with fast charge (90% in 90 minutes)
• Quad speakers
• Magnetically attached, wireless charge USI pen
• Passes 19 MIL-STD tests
• 294.5 x 221.85 x 16.6 mm
• 88.37% screen-to-body ratio
• 2.83 pounds
Packing in every feature you could ask forThat’s a dizzying array of features, for sure, but we can tell you that they all fit together in a tight, aluminum/magnesium hybrid chassis that screams premium. We’ll have a hands-on video in the next few days, but trust me when I tell you that the fit and finish on this pre-production model is fantastic. The color (Dragonfly Blue) is gorgeous, the texture is matte finished and classy, and the end result is simply beautiful without looking gaudy or overly luxurious.
It just looks classic, classy, and premium all around.
Looking at that spec list, there are a few things that stand out. First, the 12th-gen Intel processors are expected, but nice to see alongside the massive RAM options (up to 32GB??) and solid storage choices. Paired up with some great screen options, 400 nits of brightness, and a higher resolution than the Elite c1030, we already have a nice combo going. But it doesn’t stop there.
The keyboard on this one is as good as it gets and it sits above the
world’s first in the haptic trackpad to be employed on a Chromebook. If you aren’t familiar, this is the same tech Apple uses in Macbooks and
with the Magic Trackpad 2, allowing for the feeling of a click with no actually moving parts. It means you can get a satisfying, solid click on any part of the trackpad surface and there’s no concern that you may get a unit with a slightly-unseated trackpad. While this is a first on the Dragonfly, I hope this becomes the standard on all Chromebooks above $400 in the future. I love this feature so, so much.
The port selection is solid for a device this svelte and I love seeing the full-sized HDMI port on here. With a couple of USB Type C ports with Thunderbolt 4 and a USB Type-A, there’s all the connection power you’d want in a travel laptop like this.
The other ports worth mentioning here are the speakers, and HP has really upped the game here, too. This time around, we have a quad-speaker setup with two speakers above the keyboard and two right on the front of the device. We’ll get into the sound in our hands-on video later, but it is vastly improved over any previous HP Chromebook.
Other notable features include the magnetically-attaching USI pen (just like what we saw in the HP x2 11) that charges itself up while in place, the inclusion of a system-wide mute toggle right on the keyboard, a fingerprint scanner, and a vastly-improved 5MP camera that HP is tuning to be much better for more-difficult lighting situations. Along with those additions, the Dragonfly Chromebook also meets Intel’s Evo spec and on the enterprise side of things can be outfitted to even come certified with
Intel’s vPro seal of approval, making it the world’s first Chromebook with that distinction.
There actually isn’t anything else we could ask for in this Chromebook from a spec or feature perspective. Every wish and want is addressed and with a starting price of $999, we’re looking very forward to seeing what this Chromebook will be capable of in Q2 when it is set to launch. HP has taken notes, made some changes, and delivered what already looks like a sure bet to be in the conversation of the best Chromebook of 2022 with the Dragonfly.
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