HP Dragonfly G4 review: What else could you want?

The HP Dragonfly G4 is not the best business laptop. It’s good for everyone

HP’s Dragonfly series consistently appears on our best laptops list, and for good reason. It’s hard to find fault with them, and this continues with the addition of the Dragonfly G4. It’s very bright, has a 3:2 OLED display, and the keyboard is the best in its class. The webcam is great, too, which is nice to have if you work from home, and HP added some new features, like being able to switch between cameras while you’re using them.

Sure, there are a few problems. The FHD+ panel included in the unit that HP sent us is nothing to write home about, and while I admire HP’s software efforts on its business laptops, it’s starting to feel bloated, which is where you should turn. items are removed for regular operation.

In addition, I would like to point out that the HP Dragonfly is not a business laptop, despite the fact that the company has a lot of distractions. This thing is good for everyone.

About this review: HP sent us a Dragonfly G4 for this review, and had no input on its contents.

HP Dragonfly G4 One of our favorites9 / 10 $1274 $2548 Save $1274

The HP Dragonfly G4 is a sleek and light business laptop that looks great in any situation, even if it’s a little boring. It has a wide 3:2 aspect ratio and one of the best cameras you can find on a laptop.

CPU 13th Gen Intel Core U-series GPU Intel Iris Xe (integrated) Dimension 11.71 x 8.68 x 0.65 inches (297.4mm x 220.4mm x 16.4mm) Display (Size, Resolution) 13.5 inches, 3:19 aspect ratio 2F+2F HD ), 3000×2000 (3K2K) OLED Storage Up to 2TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD Memory Up to 32GB LPDDR5 Ports Two Thunderbolt 4, USB-A, HDMI 2.0, 3.5mm audio, nano SIM slot (optional) Battery 68Wh System Ope Kamera 5MP MIPI webcam + IR speaker Quad B&O speaker, discrete amplifiers Color Natural Silver, Slate Blue Network Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, Optional 4G LTE/5G Weight From 2.2 pounds (.999 kg) Form Clamshell Finish Aluminum and magnesium Pros

  • It weighs under a kilogram while feeling premium
  • The OLED display is great
  • The keyboard is hard to beat
  • 5G connection
  • Great website

evil

  • They are expensive
  • The software is very limited
  • The show is average

$1274 at HP $1769 at B&H $2158 at Amazon

HP Dragonfly G4: Price and availability

Announced in early 2023, the HP Dragonfly G4 is now available. At the time of writing, it starts at $1,274 on HP.com, and this unit comes with a Core i5, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, and a 1920×1280 display.

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There are several upgrades you can get, including Core i7, up to 32GB RAM, up to 2TB SSD, and a 3000×2000 OLED display. 5G is an option, too, that was included in the unit that HP sent.

Creation

Magnesium, but premium

Originally called the Elite Dragonfly, one thing the Dragonfly brand already stands for is its ultra-bright design. These are made of magnesium-aluminum alloy, which allows them to weigh under a kilogram. Most magnesium laptops, however, feel cheap and plasticky, and luckily, this one doesn’t. HP always uses a CNC process for the Dragonfly, so you might think it’s aluminum if you don’t know better. But you’re reading this review, so the rogue HP engineers can’t find you.

The design hasn’t changed at all since the previous generation, although it was a big departure from the first few. The original HP Elite Dragonfly, Dragonfly G2, and Dragonfly Max were all convertibles with 16:9 displays. This is a 3:2 mask.

It comes in two colors: Natural Silver and Slate Blue. HP sent me the latter, which is great because I hate silver laptops. (Just call the silver ones boring boringtops.) Blue is where it’s at. The shade of blue is much more vibrant than the Dragonfly Blue we’ve seen in previous generations of the product, which is probably a good idea for a business device that’s meant to be compatible with professionals.

Close it

As for ports, there are many. Again, this is something you’d expect from a business-focused laptop, which has a lot of peripherals to use. On the left, there’s a Thunderbolt 4 port, HDMI, and a nano-SIM slot. On the right, there’s another Thunderbolt 4 port, USB Type-A, and a headphone jack. HP gets bonuses by putting a Thunderbolt port on each side, admitting that sometimes it’s not ideal to stick things on one side all the time. It is very common for laptops to put them all on the same side, and the only reason for this is because they are cheap.

Overall, I like the design of the HP Dragonfly G4. It feels great and comes in a stylish but not flashy design like its consumer counterpart, the HP Specter x360, does.

Show it

3 requirements: 2 clamshell

The HP Dragonfly G4 comes with a 13.5-inch 3:2 display, which is rare for a clamshell laptop. Outside of this and a High-end Laptop, 3:2 displays are often seen in the edit because the tall screen makes it feel better when you turn it sideways into a screen. What you like is personal, but considering it’s 13.5 inches measured diagonally, I’d prefer it to be a little bigger.

There are three display options: 1920×1280, 1920×1280 with Sure View Reflect, and 3000×2000 OLED. HP sent me the old 1920×1280 version, so I don’t have anything good (or bad) to say about it. It’s a regular FHD screen.

Based on my testing, it supports 99% sRGB, 71% NTSC, 76% Adobe RGB, and 76% P3. I would describe those numbers as fair, just one step short. I have no doubt that you will see better results from OLED, but obviously I can’t promise without trying. In fact, HP included this panel when I reviewed the Dragonfly G3, so I have nothing to write off when it comes to other options.

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Brightness increased to 417.3, which exceeds the promised 400 nits. The contrast ratio reaches 1,640:1, which is good. Again, this show is nothing to write home about.

The web and something to write home about

Now, the webcam is very interesting. It comes with a 5MP sensor, which has always been one of the best desktop cameras since its debut on the HP Elite Dragonfly Max. You get FHD recording while still having room to refocus if you’re on the move. HP has added support for multiple cameras, however, which use whatever you’re looking for. It’s pretty cool, even if it’s not perfect. It takes a few seconds to switch between different cameras, but I think this is something that makes sense for working at home. If you’re using an external monitor, you may be reading on another screen and need a webcam there.

The new web camera allows you to switch between two different cameras, which makes sense for working at home.

It also works in any app that uses the camera. In the MyHP app, the system creates a third camera that switches between the two. So when you’re in an app that uses a camera, you’ll see three options: all webcams and one. Unfortunately, this means that one of the two cameras has to be a laptop. If you’re using a dock with dual monitors, you still can’t place the cameras on top of both and use them.

Keyboard

It’s best-in-classTop view of blue laptop keyboard

Not much to say about the keyboard. It’s really good. The best keyboards are what Lenovo had with its ThinkPads, but HP has come into its own in the last three or four years. The keys are shallower than you’d find on a ThinkPad, but they’re comfortable with the same amount of force needed to type.

Unlike vertical keyboards, laptops have a lower bar due to more space under the hood. With HP’s premium keyboards, you can really raise the bar. The touchpad is very large, it uses most of the available space.

That’s it, though, since nothing has changed over the past few years, except for the addition of a shutter button for the camera (not unusual for this model). What you need to know is that if you type for money, like I do, you’ll be happy (with the keyboard; we’re not making any other promises).

Procedure

It’s not a dramatic change from the old version

The Dragonfly G4 that HP sent me includes a Core i7-1365U, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD, and it checks all the right boxes. The CPU is 15W, so you get better battery life than you would with the 28W P-series processors you’ll find in competing Lenovo ThinkPads. You don’t get the functionality, though.

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However, performance is good, and when you compare it to benchmarks of previous generations, you get the usual boost of a few hundred here and there. The Dragonfly G3 scored 5,094 on PCMark 10, and this unit scored 5,480. It’s an improvement, but still not better than the 12th generation P-series chip. The truth is that the processor is good for the workflow, but I would suggest something more for image editing.

HP Dragonfly G4 Core i7-1365U

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 11 Core i7-1360P

Dell Latitude 9440 Core i7-1365U

Picture of PC10

5,480

5,768

5,920

Geekbench 6 (single/multiple)

2,530 / 9,108

2,370 / 8,687

2,383/8,860

Cinebench R23 (single/multiple)

1,734 / 6,477

1,634 / 6,779

1,863/8,035

As mentioned, the battery life is good. What I got out of it was 584 minutes of regular use, and the second highest was 518 minutes. That’s wild. The lowest was exactly 300 minutes, but that was a problem because the average was around 500 minutes. Alternatively, you can expect more than eight hours. the real world productivity, and that’s something I can’t say about any laptop.

You can expect more than eight hours the real world productivity, and that’s something I can’t say about any laptop.

There is another thing. HP shipped a model with 5G, and I highly recommend getting that. My favorite parts are the ones with cellular modems because they have to come with me through the airport, to other countries, and everywhere. The best part is that I didn’t have to think about connecting to Wi-Fi at all.

Should you buy the HP Dragonfly G4?

You should buy the HP Dragonfly G4 if:

  • You want a business laptop that stands out from the rest
  • You travel a lot
  • You write a lot

You should not buy the HP Dragonfly G4 if:

  • You edit photos or videos
  • You play a lot of games

The HP Dragonfly G4 is one of the best laptops on the market. If you’re on the move a lot, you can benefit from high-quality features, great battery life, and 5G connectivity. Of course, you don’t get the ability to play or edit videos, and, if you want a more accurate display of the color, you can choose something with a screen with a larger color.

HP Dragonfly G4 One of our favorites9 / 10 $1274 $2548 Save $1274

The HP Dragonfly G4 is a sleek and light business laptop that looks great in any situation, even if it’s a little boring. It has a wide 3:2 aspect ratio and one of the best cameras you can find on a laptop.

$1274 at HP $1769 at B&H $2158 at Amazon

Categories: Reviews
Source: thptvinhthang.edu.vn