Hardware

Review: HP EliteBook Folio 9480m Ultrabook Performs Like a Desktop

HP’s Ultrabook packs numerous useful features into a slim, light design.

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John Breeden II is an award-winning reviewer and public speaker with 20 years of experience covering technology.

Ultrabooks, streamlined devices that typically weigh 3.5 pounds or less, are good for travelers because they slip into almost any carrying case or bag without adding much weight. But they come with limitations too, such as small screens, reduced performance and no expansion ports. The HP EliteBook Folio 9480m Ultrabook changes all that.

Sitting right at the 3.5-pound line for Ultrabooks, the Folio packs plenty of features into its thin, light form factor. Longtime Ultrabook users will be surprised to find a full 14-inch LED screen protected by a glare-resistant coating for use in different lighting environments. With a native resolution of 1366x768 pixels, the Folio can display Full HD graphics without error or delay, even when pushed through the punishing DisplayMate visual benchmark.

The Folio’s fully backlit keyboard makes it easy to work in dim light — even in total darkness if needed. Backlit keys are almost unheard of in Ultrabooks because of the battery drain they can cause, but the Folio does not seem to suffer from this problem. With a movie on continuous play and the backlit keys illuminated, the Folio I reviewed was able to maintain power for 11 hours and three minutes before the warning alarm sounded. More reasonable use would extend that time even further.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Processor: 2GHz Intel Core i5 4310U
Memory: 4GB DDR3 SDRAM
Storage: 256GB SATA
Dimensions: 9.1x13.3x0.7 inches
Weight: 3.56 pounds

Powerful Performance and Strong Security

The Intel Core chipset has delivered powerful processing capabilities to notebooks, and the Folio takes advantage of this with a robust Core i5 processor running at 2 gigahertz. Helped by 4 gigabytes of DDR3 memory, the Folio performs like a desktop, opening large Excel files and even Photoshop documents typically in less than a second.

HP has included a suite of security programs in addition to the standard security tools that come with Microsoft Windows. This includes HP Drive Encryption, SureStart and File Sanitizer. Federal users who need two-factor authentication should consider the optional fingerprint reader.

The HP EliteBook Folio 9480m Ultrabook provides all of the advantages of a highly portable computer while mitigating the usual disadvantages.

Cutting the Cord with a Cellular Modem

Our test unit came with the modem installed, so we compared the notebook’s performance on a cellular network with an 802.11ac Wi-Fi connection. Before we conducted the test, we had to connect the modem to a cellular carrier. The notebook’s performance on a cellular connection may differ depending on which carrier an agency uses. Further, most of our testing took place while roaming around Montgomery County, Md., just north of Washington, D.C. Cellular signals may fluctuate, but we had mostly full-strength connections during our testing.

In head-to-head tests under optimal conditions, wireless 802.11ac connections deliver superior performance. It took up to 25 seconds longer to download a large file using the cellular network compared with an 802.11ac signal. But normal tasks such as browsing web pages didn’t show much difference — perhaps a second or two longer for the cellular network to load a page.

The Wi-Fi advantage diminished when the test involved a shared wireless network. At a crowded coffee shop in the middle of the day, loading a file using Wi-Fi was sometimes a bit slower than when using the dedicated cellular connection. And when we moved out to the parking lot, the cellular connection continued to work while the wireless connection dropped off.

The bottom line: We were never without a signal while using the cellular modem. Wi-Fi was generally faster, but only when it was available. For less than $250, federal users can greatly increase their ability to remain in contact with their agencies — a great advantage for users who travel to areas where the availability of a Wi-Fi hotspot isn’t a certainty.