CES 2016 | HP unveils EliteBook Folio G1 as world's lightest and thinnest business notebook

The 12.5-inch notebook will lack USB ports in favor of dual USB Type-C Gen. 2 ports with Thunderbolt 3.

Allen Ngo, 01/01/2015

The EliteBook Folio G1 will likely be the hottest portable item out of HP once CES is said and done. In a nutshell, this super-thin and light EliteBook sacrifices almost every connectivity port imaginable for a single 3.5 mm audio jack and two USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 2. ports each with support for Thunderbolt 3. Preliminary core specifications include:

12.5-inch FHD or UHD touchscreen
Intel Skylake Core processors
PCIe 4x SSD
8 GB RAM
Bang & Olufsen speakers

A few staple features of the EliteBook series remain, such as TPM, optional fingerprint reader and smart card reader, CNC aluminum with MIL-STD 810G4 certification, and the new HP Sure Start for reverting the BIOS in case of corruption. Docking ports will also be supported via Thunderbolt 3 or the HP Executive Travel Dock.

From our short time with the device, the Folio G1 looks to be a thinner version of the EliteBook 1020 with design influences from the attractive Spectre x360 series. The narrow-bezel display reminds us of the XPS 13 InfinityEdge while the chrome hinges allow for a 180-degree angle opening. We pondered why the display cannot open all the way to 360 degrees since the form factor and screen size would be a perfect match, but HP tells us that the overall thickness and weight would both have to go up to accommodate a hypothetical tablet mode.

The EliteBook Folio G1 will be available this coming March starting at just under $1100. We will update this post with more specifications and dimensions as we move closer to its launch.