HP Dragonfly G4 Assessment

I reviewed the HP Elite Dragonfly G3 in October 2022, praising it as an almost good ultralight laptop computer with a sexy and trendy design, the perfect typing expertise I’d ever encountered, terrific battery life, and different benefits. For 2023, HP has developed this PC, dropping the Elite moniker, preserving every little thing that was nice in regards to the G3, and including a number of small however significant inside enhancements, most intriguingly to its energy administration and hybrid work capabilities.

Design

The Dragonfly G4 is bodily an identical to the Elite Dragonfly G3, sharing its 3:2 clamshell design and light-weight, sturdy, and premium magnesium/aluminum physique. The entire thing is great, from the texture of the supplies to the curved “pillow corners” on the show lid and base outer edges.

It additionally shares the magically svelte 2.2-pound beginning weight of its predecessor, its Slate Blue and Pure Silver coloration choices, and extremely inflexible development: along with passing MIL-STD 810H exams for shock, vibration, and excessive temperatures, there is no such thing as a flex within the physique in any respect, irrespective of how onerous I press down on the keyboard. That’s all the time spectacular, however in a tool this skinny, it appears inconceivable.

HP’s delicate {and professional} branding continues ahead, too. I’ve little question that Dragonfly homeowners will likely be requested about this attractive PC each time they’re out on the planet.

Show

As with its predecessor, the Dragonfly G4 provides a number of show choices, all of that are 13.5-inch panels with a tall 3:2 side ratio and ultra-wide viewing angles. The assessment unit shipped with a non-touch BrightView WLED WUXGA+ (1920 x 1280) panel with low blue gentle capabilities that emits 400 nits of brightness, and I discovered it to be precisely proper for my wants, which quantities to working indoors on normal PC productiveness duties.

There are different selections, a few of which embrace multitouch, anti-glare, and/or HP’s vaunted Positive View Mirror privateness protect (which amps the brightness as much as 1000 nits) options. And what I’m positive is a shocking OLED UWVA panel with a 3K2K (3000 x 2000) decision that emits 400 nits of brightness. However given the display dimension, type issue, and possible use circumstances, I’d virtually actually select the panel that got here with the assessment unit.

The G4’s show lays flat, as earlier than, which is a pleasant if not often wanted improve.

Inner elements

Right here, we lastly get to the primary distinction between the Dragonfly G4 and its predecessor, because it in fact ships with a alternative of newer thirteenth Gen Intel Core U-series processors. You’ll be able to select between Core i5-1335U, i5-1345U, i7-1355U, and the i7-1365U that got here with the assessment unit, in vPro and non-vPro configurations, and every supplies built-in Intel Iris Xe graphics. There are 16 GB and 32 GB LPDDR5 RAM configurations, although the latter is just accessible paired with a Core i7-1365U vPro processor. And a number of storage selections, starting from a 256 GB PCIe NVMe SSD to a mammoth 2TB PCIe-4×4 NVMe TLC SSD. The assessment unit contains 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of SSD storage, which meets my wants precisely.

The improve to the most recent Intel Core chipsets was not surprising. However with the Dragonfly G4, HP has labored among the energy administration/efficiency magic that it beforehand delivered in partnership with AMD within the HP Dragonfly Professional. To be clear, I imply that at a excessive stage, not that that is someway the identical implementation. AMD and Intel use totally different system architectures, in spite of everything.

However the person expertise impression is analogous: relatively than require an individual to search out or perceive the system’s energy administration settings (most depart it within the default setting), the Dragonfly G4 options an clever and adaptable energy administration system that someway delivers terrific efficiency and cool, quiet operation with virtually actually no fan noise, all on this ultra-thin bundle.

It sounds too good to be true. However it works. I spend a superb chunk of time every day utilizing laptops whereas mendacity down on a mattress, and this utilization state of affairs can wreak havoc with energy administration as a result of the delicate floor blocks the exhaust vents, resulting in warmth and fan noise. However this doesn’t occur with the Dragonfly G4: even after hours on the mattress, the system stays each silent, with simply the slightest heat on its backside, and I’ve repeatedly pressed my ear in opposition to the keyboard, straining to listen to a fan noise that simply isn’t there.

To realize this, HP has developed a system known as Good Sense that robotically optimizes the PC’s energy and thermal efficiency on the fly and, in a brand new twist, based mostly in your utilization state of affairs. And in line with my observations on the mattress, a type of situations is “utilizing your PC on a delicate floor,” the place preserving the system cool takes priority. This technique may also flip down the fan in quiet environments and amp up the ability when extra efficiency is required.

Good Sense is configured within the HP Energy Supervisor app, the place you possibly can override its magic and select between Cool, Quiet, and Efficiency modes if desired. I by no means did that, as I by no means encountered the necessity to query its automated configuration. It is a good set-it-and-forget-it characteristic. And I’ve by no means skilled any efficiency, fan noise, or warmth points in any respect.

Connectivity

The Dragonfly G4 ships with dual-band Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, each of that are essentially the most trendy choices. And you may configure the PC with Close to Subject Communication (NFC) and broadband wi-fi (4G/LTE Cat 16 or 5G) if required with each eSIM and nano-SIM selections. That is an identical to the alternatives we received within the G3, and is clearly ideally suited.

Ports and enlargement

Little has modified from an enlargement perspective, because the Dragonfly G4 ships with the identical primary assortment of recent and legacy ports as its predecessor. And that implies that there’s a USB/C port on all sides of the PC, too, one in all my routine requests with assessment PCs. Glorious.

On the left facet, you’ll discover one full-sized HDMI 2.1 port (up from 2.0 final 12 months), a nano-SIM card slot (if configured), and a single Thunderbolt 4/USB-C port with 40 Gbps of information switch efficiency, USB Energy Supply, and DisplayPort 1.4 capabilities.

And on the appropriate, there’s a 3.5-mm mixture headphone/microphone jack, a full-sized USB-A 3.1 charging port with 5 Gbps of information switch and a drop-jaw, a single Thunderbolt 4/USB-C port with the identical capabilities as above, and a nano lock slot.

It is a good choice of choices, particularly given how skinny and light-weight the PC is.

Audio and video

These wishing to get pleasure from multimedia on the Dragonfly G4 will get the identical glorious audio expertise supplied by its predecessor, through the identical 4 Bang & Olufsen-tuned stereo speaker system with top-firing tweeters, bottom-firing woofers, and 4 discrete good amplifiers. And whereas the bundled HP Audio app can’t duplicate the immersive energy of Dolby Atmos, it does a minimum of supplies an “auto” setting that may tune the output in line with the content material you’re having fun with.

That each one works properly sufficient. As do the 2 edge microphones, the 2-way AI-based noise cancelation (inbound and outbound), and the HP Dynamic Voice Leveling, every of which likewise appeared within the G3.

However don’t skim by this, as among the largest advances within the Dragonfly G4 come through new video controls that dramatically enhance its hybrid work performance when in comparison with the Elite Dragonfly G3. These embrace multi-camera help, auto digital camera choose, and keystone correction. So let’s dive into all that and see what it means.

Multi-camera help could seem easy, however it’s truly far more highly effective than that, although maybe this characteristic must be known as dual-camera help, because it solely helps two cameras, one in all which should be the webcam constructed into the G4. (That is glorious, so no worries there.) At its most elementary stage, this characteristic permits you to select between your two cameras, clearly, however it additionally permits you to select a 3rd digital digital camera known as HP Enhanced Digital camera which helps you to use each cameras directly. You’ll be able to configure the view as anticipated, and since this occurs on the system stage, the digital digital camera is offered in any app—Groups, Zoom, and so forth—that may use a webcam.

This and the opposite new camera-based options are configured through an app known as Video management that’s curiously solely accessible through the myHP app and never within the Begin menu. It should ask you which of them digital camera you want to use, and if you choose HP Enhanced Digital camera, you possibly can then configure both or each bodily cameras to a really granular diploma. Which options you possibly can configure will differ by digital camera, however I see Auto body, backlight adjustment, low gentle adjustment, pure tone, an look filter, backgrounds, and determination (as much as 4K!) on the interior digital camera.

All which will appear fairly widespread, however issues get fascinating if you use two cameras directly. If you choose the Mixer button on the high of this app, you’ll see each digital camera views within the preview with the second digital camera in a picture-in-picture (PiP) window by default.

From right here, you possibly can place or rotate the PiP show or, even higher, select between totally different layouts that additionally embrace a number of side-by-side views.

That’s clearly extraordinarily helpful, whether or not you’re in a room with different individuals, demonstrating one thing close by (as a YouTuber may with a bodily product), or no matter. However you too can use one other new characteristic known as auto digital camera choose to maneuver round bodily in entrance of your PC and, as you do, have the system robotically change cameras so that you simply’re all the time in view. Right here, I’ve moved out of place for the principle digital camera and into the view of the second digital camera, so it has auto-selected the latter. (Forgive my unprofessional environment.)

In case it’s not apparent, in every of those situations—two cameras directly, auto digital camera choose—the entire Video control-based configuration options nonetheless work. So when you’ve enabled auto body on a digital camera, it’s going to auto body you when that digital camera is used.

However there’s extra: Video management additionally options guide and automated keystone correction performance that means that you can show a doc or whiteboard through one in all your cameras to the opposite events with whom you’re assembly on-line. And it robotically crops and flattens the doc or whiteboard in order that it seems non-skewed to viewers. For instance, right here’s what a doc seems to be like with out this characteristic enabled.

And here’s what it seems to be like once I enabled automated keystone. Good!

This performance is just wonderful, and for many who want some or all of those extra video options, the Dragonfly G4—and presumably the opposite HP PCs that do or will quickly help this—a no brainer.

Keyboard and touchpad

Final 12 months, I described the Elite Dragonfly G3’s keyboard as practically good, with a heavenly key really feel, good key journey, and no rattles or wobbles. The G4’s keyboard is an identical, and simply pretty much as good, and I’m as struck as ever by the elegant high quality of the typing expertise.

The keyboard structure can be an identical, with an influence button within the high proper (and to the left of Delete, the place it belongs), a fingerprint reader button to the left of the arrow keys, and devoted webcam and microphone toggles.

I nonetheless have the identical quibbles too. It doesn’t have that proper column of Residence, Pg Up, Pg Dn, and Finish keys that I really like a lot, however that is more and more uncommon. And the arrow key structure is hard, making for frequent misfires by my massive fingers. Nothing vital although.

I will even add yet another quibble: because of my messy typing, I typically faucet the person programmable key within the operate row by mistake, which launches the myHP app so I can configure it. I don’t wish to use this key, however there’s no “Do nothing” possibility. So myHP retains launching.

The big glass touchpad is once more unchanged, and it was completely correct after I disabled three- and four-finger gestures (as I often do). No points right here.

Safety

The Dragonfly G4 helps Home windows Good day facial recognition and fingerprint recognition, which is my most popular configuration. I principally follow fingerprint readers, and the unit within the keyboard was quick and dependable.

As with its predecessor, the G4 additionally comes with Auto Lock and Awake performance that senses if you method the PC and wakes it up proactively, permitting facial recognition (when configured) to do its factor as rapidly as attainable. The same characteristic dims the show if you stroll away, preserving battery life. That is helpful performance, and these options make for a extra seamless expertise.

Lastly, HP supplies its Wolf Safety answer for anti-malware, menace containment, and different security-related performance. That is a part of a managed system that HP IT outlets will love, however it is perhaps overkill for some people.

Sustainability

As with its predecessor, the Dragonfly G4’s exterior chassis is made with a minimum of 90 p.c recycled magnesium, its keycaps comprise 50 p.c recycled plastic from DVDs, its speaker enclosures comprise a minimum of 5 p.c ocean-bound plastic, and its outer field and packaging is one hundred pc sustainably sourced. Additionally, the G4’s chassis may be simply opened through 4 Torx screws, and the SSD is person replaceable (however not the RAM).

However there are some sustainability advances within the G4, too. New to this mannequin, the show incorporates greater than 35 p.c iridium, and the show bezels incorporate bio-circular resins partially derived from bio-waste materials like used cooking oil to assist decrease CO2 emissions.

Portability

With its 2.2-pound beginning weight and small 11.7 x 8.67 x 0.64-inch dimensions, an identical to these of its predecessor, the Dragonfly G4 is each bit as moveable, and it simply disappeared into my HP Renew backpack for the flight to Mexico and into my spouse’s smaller backpack someday after we had been heading out into the town.

The G4 additionally nearly matched its predecessor’s stellar battery life efficiency, delivering a median of 8 hours and quarter-hour on a cost. You’ll be able to handle and monitor the battery’s efficiency and well being within the HP Energy Supervisor app, however I let HP handle these issues robotically and it’s clearly doing an ideal job.

The Dragonfly ships with a 6-cell 68-watt-hour battery and a normal HP 65-watt USB-C energy adapter. A 100-watt charger is non-obligatory.

Software program

The HP Dragonfly G4 is configured with Home windows 11 Professional, as one ought to count on, and comes with 11 HP-branded utilities and 4 Intel utilities, one in all which, Unison, pairs with each Android telephones and iPhones and provides file switch, telephone name, messaging, and notification capabilities much like Microsoft’s Telephone Hyperlink. Appears redundant.

I’ve inexplicably misplaced the screenshots I all the time take to doc crapware, however Vitality Star was in there and I imagine that Adobe Presents was there initially too. (Sorry.) Tile, alas, isn’t on the assessment PC and it’s not clear if that monitoring performance is on provide with the G4. (I don’t see it within the configurator.)

Pricing and configurations

The HP Dragonfly is a premium PC and thus has a price ticket to match, beginning at about $2560. However as I write this, HP is having an unimaginable sale, with a base unit (Core i5, 16 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, and the wonderful base show within the assessment unit) beginning at simply over $1300. Of us, that may be a steal.

The worth goes up as you tack on options, in fact. The assessment unit configuration—Core i7, 16 GB, 512 GB, base show, 5G—usually prices about $3390 (yikes), however may be had proper now for $1763.

Suggestions and conclusions

What can I say? The HP Dragonfly G4 is the practically good ultralight laptop computer. It someway magically blends glorious efficiency and battery life into a skinny and light-weight chassis that is still inexplicably cool and quiet irrespective of the use case. The enhancements over its predecessor appear minor, however they’re all helpful and appreciated, from the Good Sense energy and thermal efficiency optimizations to the terrific hybrid work enhancements. The typing expertise is one of the best I’ve ever had, the connectivity and enlargement choices are top-notch, and it’s much more sustainable than earlier fashions. I can’t determine any main faults, leaving solely its deservedly excessive asking value within the “cons” column.

The HP Dragonfly G4 is extremely beneficial. If you may get one on sale as of the time of this writing, ensure to take action.

At-a-glance

Professionals

• Skinny and light-weight
• Beautiful design, sturdy chassis
• Glorious efficiency for productiveness work
• Twin digital camera help, different video management enhancements are spectacular
• Practically good typing expertise
• Terrific port choice, with one USB-C port on all sides
• Lengthy-lasting battery life

Cons