Notebook Hunter

Prices on Ultrabooks continue to drop, and Officeworks has now reduced their sale price on the 13.3in entry-level HP Folio 13-1016tu to a low $861. A low-voltage 2nd Gen Intel Core i3 and 4GB of RAM are plenty for productivity applications, and the 128GB solid state drive ensures the Folio 13 switches on fast and opens programs quickly.

The exterior of the Folio 13 is one of the best bits though: the metal keyboard deck and screen backing both feel great, while the soft-touch plastic underside makes gripping it easier. At 1.5kg it’s one of the heavier 13.3in Ultrabooks available, but the sturdy construction is a direct result. It’s also got better connectivity than average, including Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, SD card reader and an audio jack.

This notebook is only available online via Officeworks.

See Officeworks’ store page here.

See a summary of the specs below.

Processor
The Folio 13 features a low-voltage 2nd Gen Intel Core i3-2367M (1.4GHz), a decent entry-level processor that can fluidly run productivity applications and some more intensive software.

Graphics
It comes with an integrated graphics solution called Intel HD Graphics 3000. It’s on par with a low-end dedicated graphics card, and is sufficient for modern games at the lowest settings.

RAM
4GB of RAM is enough to run several programs at once smoothly. It’s more than enough to ensure fluid overall system performance with Windows 7 Home Premium.

Storage
A 128GB solid state drive is about average by SSD standards, and it has very rapid response for both reading and writing data.

Screen
The Folio 13 sports a 13.3in (1,366 x 768 resolution) gloss screen. It has average viewing angles and good colour vibrancy.

Portability
The Folio 13 has exceptional portability, because it weighs 1.5kg and is 18mm thick.  It’s more than light enough to be taken anywhere without any problems whatsoever.