Notebook Hunter

For $1,247 at Officeworks the 13.3in HP Folio 13-1008tu Ultrabook provides good value for money, with a low-voltage 2nd Gen Intel Core i5, 4GB of RAM and a small but speedy 128GB solid state drive. It may weigh 1.5kg, but the wide array of ports and its solid build quality are more than adequate compensation. The Folio 13 has a USB 3.0 port, USB 2.0 port, HDMI port, Gigabit Ethernet port and audio jack along with an SD card reader. This is an impressive variety  for an Ultrabook and ensures that you won’t need to worry about dongles of any kind. While it isn’t necessarily as sleek as some Ultrabook alternatives, the metal screen backing and keyboard deck are reassuringly firm to the touch. Although the underside is plastic, it has a rubberised feel to it that does greatly help holding the Folio 13.

Processor
The Folio 13 has a 2nd Gen Intel Core i5-2467M (1.6GHz), a mid-range low-voltage processor that can run productivity applications and some intensive software. It can burst up to 2.3GHz using Turbo Boost 2.0 Technology if a particularly demanding program is running.

Graphics
It has 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 on the small side - but the tradeoff, of course, is that you get rapid boot and application load times, which contribute to the system's excellent performance.

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

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.

See the HP Folio 13-1008tu in the Notebook Hunter database here.

See the special online here.

See the ad below.