HP Folio 13-1020US 13.3-Inch Ultrabook (Steel Gray)

by HP

• Intel Core™ i5-2467M (1.60 GHz, 3 MB L3 cache)
• 4 GB 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM (1 SODIMM slot)
• 128 GB Solid State Drive
• 13.3" diagonal LED-backlit HD BrightView (1366 x 768), Intel HD Graphics 3000
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, 9 hours Battery Life

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Count on the ultra-portable HP Folio 13-1020us, an Ultrabook with HP CoolSense technology and integrated Bluetooth.^® You can also chat, record short videos and take still photos in dimly lit environments using the HP TrueVision HD webcam and microphone. This laptop also has a full-size backlit keyboard that makes it easy to find the right keys, even in the dark.

IDEAL FOR

Ultra portability and comfort. Count on the slim HP Folio 13-1020us Ultrabook for high performance without the heavy weight. Transfer photos from memory cards directly to your notebook PC and save them on the solid-state hard drive designed for mobility. With Bluetooth,^® Wi-Fi and Dolby Advanced Audio, this stylish laptop helps you boost productivity and have fun on the go.

THIS PRODUCT HAS

HP COOLSENSE TECHNOLOGY

Stay more comfortable as heat is directed away from your lap

SPECIFICATIONS

Processor 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i5-2467M Processor 1.60GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 2.30GHz Operating System Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit) Display 13.3-inch diagonal HD BrightView LED-backlit display (1366 x 768) Memory (RAM) 4GB DDR3 Hard Drive 128GB solid-state drive flash module Weight & Dimensions (w x d x h) 3.30 lbs; 12.54" x 8.67" x 0.7" Battery Life Up to 9 hours Wireless 802.11b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth® Video Graphics Intel HD Graphics 3000 with up to 1696MB total graphics memory Finish Brushed aluminum in steel gray

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FEATURES

Built-in Webcam Video chat in low-light environments using your HP Folio 13-1020us Digital Media Reader Transfer photos from a digital camera to your laptop PC without using cables Bluetooth® Save time with wireless synching and printing INCLUDED

EXCLUSIVE HP SOFTWARE

HP QuickWeb Access your favorite websites fast

ACCESSORIES

HP Notebook 90W Slim Adapter Keep this compact adapter in your laptop bag so you’re always ready to power up. Plus, use the integrated USB port to charge your smartphone or MP3 player at the same time.

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HP 2.4GHz Wireless Optical Mobile Mouse - Gray Click and scroll from farther away using this mouse with one AA battery. You can also program two of the buttons to open applications, control volume, zoom and more.

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HP Notebook Sleeve (14" Stream pattern) Hold onto your laptop using this stylish sleeve, which has a convenient retractable handle. With durable neoprene on the outside and faux fur inside, carry your laptop safely on the go.

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HP 2.0 Compact Speakers Enjoy crisp, clear sound on the go with speakers that fit in the palm of your hand. Simply connect these to an available USB port and audio port on your laptop.

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HP Wireless TV Connect Wirelessly stream music, photos and videos from your laptop to an HD TV, external monitor or projector with an HDMI port. It’s simple without using audio/video cables or software.

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MORE INFORMATION

Datasheet (PDF)

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Product Description

Stay more comfortable with HP CoolSense technology on the HP Folio 13-1020us. You control the cooling so heat is directed away from your lap. At less than 1-inch slim and under 4 pounds, this ultra-thin and ultra-fast notebook is designed to help you do everything without weighing you down. Integrated Bluetooth® helps you sync your HP laptop to other digital devices, like your smartphone or desktop PC, without using cables. Plus, print, e-mail and browse the web wirelessly using built-in Wi-Fi. Edit documents and watch videos on the 13.3-inch diagonal high-definition LED-backlit display. The HP Folio 13-1020us Ultrabook has plenty of style with the brushed aluminum finish in steel gray. You can also video chat in low-light environments using the integrated HP TrueVision HD webcam. Plus, transfer photos from a memory card to your notebook using the digital media reader. And if you want to watch DVDs, pair your HP laptop with an external optical drive (sold separately) that can be plugged one of the USB ports.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

218 of 228 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What A Great Professional-Level Ultrabook! March 24, 2012

By D. Bitz

Amazon Verified Purchase

I am an experienced graphic designer (Photoshop / Dreamweaver / In Design) and full-time internet retailer shipping about 100 $200+ orders daily, so I guess you could say I am a power-consumer from both sides of the curtain. I am on my machine(s) at least 8-12 work related hours / day updating my web site(s), communicating with customers and vendors and researching a wide variety of products and issues related to my business. Additionally, I get about all my news online and spend more time than average in social networking media promoting my business.

I own several (currently HP) desktop machines, as a small business owner with a handful of employees I am also my own IT guy, chief cook and bottle-washer, and have been so since 1996. I compare / purchase several computers annually as I personally like everyone to have the latest and greatest, not only is it fun but I can rationalize it as giving my company the edge over my competitors, and can also depreciate it on my taxes so it costs me a lot less to upgrade than the home user. Besides, communication is the key to a successful dot-com, we answer our inquiries and other customer service communications darn near real-time. I'm on my third or fourth Android device having migrated from Blackberry a few years back. I mention all this so you know where I'm coming from ...

This whole thing started when I got frustrated with my Kindle Fire's virtual keyboard, surfing and replying to emails. I have been doing a lot of that on my Samsung Stratosphere but being an old fart my vision isn't what it used to be and wanted a bigger screen. I mean, you can't communicate if you don't have a device with you, opening a 17" laptop in a vehicle or on the tarmac is doable but cumbersome because of its size; the phone is great for a quick note in the grocery store or waiting room - but locating a URL, cutting and pasting it into your response can be challenging on any smart phone and is far from ideal - this, I reasoned, is where the tablet will rule. This goes also for the sofa, bed, and yes, the commode. I am dead serious when I told you I'm always online and confess I even have a small computer table in the john. (Great place to read the news.) But one of the road blocks to handiness is the infamous power cord, I have always required several so I can avoid hauling it, and the computer, hither and yon. Sucks to be me.

So I've been patiently waiting for the Android 4.0 OS (Ice Cream) before handing the Fire over to the wife (I have a standard Kindle for e-books) when I saw that HP battery-in-the-airport ad ... bingo! The light bulb went on and I was on a mission.

I shopped hard before deciding on the Folio 13, studied, watched the videos, compared tech specs and did some power tab-clicking with all the customer reviews of the ultrabooks and 14" notebooks, factory web sites and other professional review sites like CNet, PC World, liliputing and/or whatever else is to be found in a Google search. I looked at the Samsung Series 9, the Acer Aspire S3 and the Asus Zenbook on-the-hoof at Best Buy before purchasing the HP on Amazon (these were the only ones on the shelf in my area). I buy a lot of stuff on Amazon and really enjoy shopping here.

What I was to learn is that you basically have many pretty good choices, but must make your decision based on anticipated usage and what size you are willing to put up with. Then there's the puny little solid state drives, long on performance (I upgraded my laptop to an expensive hybrid drive last year) but short on capacity. i looked on my 500 Gig VAIO and discovered I was only using about 250 (I keep most lesser-used photo and video files on a big external Seagate drive), and that's with a good deal of incidental duplication from the last upgrade. Still, the 70 gigs or so you have left on the ultrabook after loading the OS would fall quite a bit short eventually I reasoned, as I'd like to be able do an ad or site update should the need arise and would therefore require current photography and more recent ad files, in addition to the core Adobe CS4 software I swear by, loaded on the machine. Plus I am a part-time rocket scientist (hobby-level) so needed some of that stuff on it also.

I have been threatening to make the move back to Mac since abandoning that platform for price in 2004, so I did consider the Airbook. One chat session with Adobe however nuked that idea - I'd have to abandon my PC software if I were to get new OSX licenses, or spend another $1400 on CS5 for the Mac. That's right, Adobe wanted $1400 in fees if I wanted to run their design suite on a $999 Airbook. Adobe sucks.

This should give one some clarity - obviously I couldn't do all that with a Galaxy Tablet even though Adobe does now have Photoshop and such for tablets now so it is a possibility, but I'd have to fork out more cash for that as well. Rocksim however is Windows only (rocket design software). Be sure to consider these little whoppers or suffer the consequences!

So if you're deciding between a tablet or an ultrabook, whether or not you want your core productivity software on the little machine comes first. With these babies you can run most Windows software, unlike tablets, so they are far more flexible and for this reason may eventually emerge to dominate the tablet-portable category.

Now there's the issue of storage capacity. Few ultras have 256 gb of storage (see the Dell XPS), those that do are 25-40% more ($1299 Dell), although that is likely to change as the category evolves. If you go over 256 you are in hard drive (HDD) versus solid state drive (SSD) territory so performance would suffer somewhat, that's kind of heretical anyway. What to do?

Then I discovered the new Lexar 128 GB SDXC Flash Memory Card LSD128CRBNA133. Viola! For $175, considerably less than the $300 Dell wants on the upgraded drive XPS 13 ... problem solved as long as the ultra I chose has an SD slot! (Optionally, the 64gb card is $100)

Decisions, decisions .... The XPS 13 and Samsung Series 9 sure are sexy, I would have loved having one of those on my flight's drop-tray, why didn't I go with one of them? Almost did, oh man they look good! Then it dawned on me - my #1 requirement, the starting point of this whole endeavor, was not style, it was battery life. Ah, battery life, everything I can find on the black-boxed beauties indicated they were far from ideal in this regard. Then there was the issue of the SD card, no slot at all on the Dell, Micro SD on the Samsung so capacity would suffer immensely. Practicality has to preside as much as I wish it not be so.

By the way, the read-speed of the Lexar is FASTER than the onboard SSD drive, though the write is much slower, so you're not giving up much and have the additional benefit of reading your camera cards.

Now my requirements were taking shape, and there is a HUGE variety of I/O port availability on these various and sundry ultrabooks, but currently the market requires you to choose between a selection of I/O schemes and design. I went for the 'book with the most options and that meant the Folio 13:

- USB 3.0 Port (much faster for devices that support it)
- USB 2.0 Port (most USB devices)
- Bluetooth 3.0 (excellent way to connect headphones, mouse and other peripherals)
- Ethernet RJ 45 Jack (I shy from those public hotel networks)
- SD Card Slot - greatly expanded storage options
- Full HDMI jack (Dell has a mini)(I use these often for larger monitors and TV viewing)
- Backlit keyboard (careful with this one, many ultrabooks don't)
- Headphone / speaker / mic jack (this should be handy for VOIP apps like Skype and Google Phone)
- Battery Life (Folio allegedly has an hour lead over the Dell)

Sure, there's sexier 'books out there but sensibility won out. If you, however, don't need all that and are simply looking for a stylin' communication and Microsoft Office system, I'd take a hard look at the Dell. Now there's a CNet review comparing them. They agree - advantage HP (but no one could blame you for getting the Dell.) [...]

Here's my impressions on Day Three of Folio 13 ownership ....

As usual my Amazon shopping experience was flawless. I don't sell on Amazon or Ebay anymore because they take too large of a percentage off the top, but I have in the past so understand the entire fulfillment process well. Amazon is the best especially when you purchase from Amazon as opposed to a third-party vendor so I generally pay attention to who is doing the selling for best results. This was another flawless Amazon Prime transaction, I highly recommend it.

The Good:
It took me about 2 minutes to set up the machine when it was unboxed. No challenges whatsoever. Basically name it, enter your wireless router info in the step-by-step wizard and you're live. Loading the Adobe suite and copying files from the main machine was a breeze with the hi-cap SD card. I put the software on the built-in solid state drive and the graphic files and other documents on the Lexar SD card. Let's see how long it stays that way ....

I would describe the HP Folio 13 as a professional's ultra-portable machine. The outside top cover and the case surrounding the keyboard is brushed aluminum; strong, clean and neat but otherwise unremarkable. The "soft-touch" surrounding the screen and on the bottom gives the entire package a very inviting, user-friendly feel one will likely notice immediately and surely will outlast the machine unless I do something stupid.

It boots at a blazing-fast speed, you will be amazed. Restarts will no longer be coffee breaks however, so take your java to your desk on the way in. Read more ›

104 of 107 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Best ultrabook available (early 2012) February 4, 2012

By Digital Bacon

Pros: It's very light compared to the normal 6+ lb laptops I usually use, traveling with it is a pleasure! Performance is decent considering its size and it has so many ports compared to other ultrabooks. It has an Ethernet port! That's a big deal for me as hotel wi-fi networks are usually really bad. Almost no other ultrabook has that, same with a regular sized HDMI port. Sure you could get a different computer and carry ethernet/hdmi adapters with you but carrying around adapters defeats the purpose of having an ultrabook!

Cons: The screen's color contrast is a bit washed out and can not be adjusted. However this is only a minor annoyance to me and the screen is plenty bright.

Overall: I bought this and the Toshiba Portege Z835 at the same time and used both side by side for a few days. The HP won hands down. There are other ultrabooks but they all are missing something; ethernet, hdmi, backlit keyboard... As of early 2012 this is the best ultrabook on the market.

52 of 54 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Good ultraportable laptop January 26, 2012

By jgrove64

I have had this laptop for about one month and so far so good. I use it for college and it is great for portability and its battery lasts all day. I have gotten 8.0 hours on the battery with brightness fairly low using wifi (Netflix and browsing). I like the USB 3.0 with an external HDD because it is really fast transfer. The only thing with it is that the SSD is only 128gb but with the recovery partition plus operating system there is only about 70 gigs for the user. I got a 32 gig class 10 SD card to get some extra space. Some people have tons of music and videos on their computer so this laptop may not be for you but I have very little media on mine and doubt that it will be a problem. The SSD makes booting, loading, copying and installing programs really fast. The computer boots up to a usable state in about 18 seconds and all hardware is very good. Keyboard and trackpad are very good. Backlight on the keyboard is awesome however not as cool in the white color than my previous HP ENVY with a red backlit keyboard.