HP EliteBook Folio 9470m Ultrabook Review: Ultrabooks in Enterprise
by Dustin Sklavos on March 29, 2013 12:01 AM ESTConclusion: This Just Isn't Okay Anymore
Whenever I ask a vendor what the resolution of the notebook they're releasing is, the reply of "1366x768" is always tinged with either sheepishness or defiance. I'm reasonably certain that somewhere in the bowels of the HPs and Dells of the world there's a product designer who just knows that some bean counter is going to hamstring his or her beautiful design with a dismally low quality display just to save a few bucks per unit. The race to the bottom was good for democratizing technology, but that time has passed, and Apple's success should be ringing a clear indicator to these vendors: people want quality, and they're willing to pay for it. You won't ever be able to compete with Apple at their price points (as the first generation of Android tablets proved), but if you can deliver something comparable with a good display at a lower price (not hard given how much Apple inflates their prices), people will go for it.
How is this relevant to enterprise? Because despite the fact that the MacBook Pro offers virtually no allowances for business class use, it's still gaining a foothold. People are taking hits to serviceability and ease of administration solely to get a better product, and when you look at a unit like the HP EliteBook Folio 9470m, it's not too difficult to see how such a thing might happen.
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The price tag for the 9470m isn't that bad for an enterprise notebook. $1,349 should get you more than 4GB of RAM, but HP did at least spring for a high quality SSD in the Intel 520. You get vPro, you get near-total user serviceability, you get a Smart Card reader, you get USB 3.0, you get docking capability, you get a fingerprint reader...really you get a heck of a lot from HP's EliteBook. As far as value goes, in the enterprise the 9470m really isn't that bad, and the potential for twelve hours of battery life is nothing to sneeze at.
It's probably not fair then that the EliteBook Folio 9470m is essentially becoming a whipping boy for problems pervasive within the industry, but despite some fantastic advances forward when it comes to the internal design and bringing useful enterprise features to the market, it's also indicative of a lackadaisical attitude possessed by both HP and by the industry at large. This chassis design is attractive, but I'm less and less enamored with it in this form factor. Like the dire panel it comes with standard, I feel like the chiclet keyboard's time has really passed.
If you can get the Folio 9470m with the 900p panel, the unit will undoubtedly be vastly improved from a productivity standpoint. Unfortunately HP's enterprise site leaves an awful lot to be desired as far as even finding that model, and it skirts the real point here: aren't we done compromising?
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Tipsy McStagger - Monday, May 6, 2013 - link
I just ordered a C6Z63UT from BB. While the specifications indicate it is a 1366x768 display, it says that it is an HD Active Matrix TFT Color Backlit LED LCD. Is this the same display as tested in this review?john12345p - Monday, October 14, 2013 - link
Can't decide between 2 HP laptops that you reviewed here on that site last year. HP EliteBook 2170p and HP Folio 9470m.Our IT department at work is offering either one of these and I don't know which one to choose. The are no other choices. Which one to choose among these two? Which one is better ultimately?
john12345p - Monday, October 14, 2013 - link
Basically, which one of the two sucks less? 2170p or 9470m?CTIBWI - Friday, October 25, 2013 - link
I am in the market looking for a skinny companion to my luggable HP EliteBook 8560w Dreamcolor. HP pre-sales directed my attention to the EliteBook Folio, which is a waste of my time! HP is surely falling behind here, which disappoints me when I have been an HP fan since the HP35 calculator. HP shall strive with implementing the leading edge technologies above milking the customer with incrimental improvements. Only then will HP beat Apple and the like gaga evangelistas.Davbaster - Thursday, October 31, 2013 - link
I received one hp 9470m laptop for Work but with a 1600x900 screen resolución, a 256gb SSD, and 8gb of ram. This Computer is super fast, and it's very light compared with the normal bussines Computers I used to have. I will recommend it for Work; turning it on and off is fast. I used to avoid using My Work Computers at home because the customised OS windows My company uses take a lot of time to boots up, and power off. But not with this laptop. Now I'm ready to Work in less than a minute. I really recommend the HP 9470m for Work . I'm really Happy with this Computer.lbluepromo01 - Sunday, December 29, 2013 - link
I tell you guys i recommend to you when you buy some hardware should be branded. My loptops and other gadgets as of now they are good in performance. I used them everyday. thanks for this good site. <a href="http://tigerdirect.bluepromocode.com/tigerdirect-p... direct coupons</a>daNY_b - Thursday, January 16, 2014 - link
Hey guys what kind of battery life do you get with this? Im on Power saver with screen brightness pretty low and only get about 4-4.5h of use(browsing, youtube, wifi) nowhere near the 7:30 h that this article says. Suggestions will be appreciated !tomrocksalot - Friday, February 21, 2014 - link
Yes that is right I run linux mint and battery power usage minimum is 8.8W on minimum brightness doing nothing. 52Wh/8.8 = 5.9hRealistically I have the brightness on full or near full most of the time and power consumption is around 10-14W. Say 12w - 52wH/12 = 4.3h sounds about right.
linopks - Friday, March 7, 2014 - link
I bought this HP Folio 9470m with i5-3427U @1.8GHz w 8GB RAM 180 SSD from Newegg. This is a fast booting Win 7 machine (about 12 sec) versatile business grade laptop that you can use it around at home due to its relatively light weight (compared to average laptops). While the dual-channel 8GB RAM somewhat boosts up the HD4000 graphics capability so that we can still play some graphic games, and also a spare room for a second mSATA drive to install large games. At native resolution 1368 x 768, the native font (without distortion) is just the right size. A second large 1080p extra monitor can be attached to the slim docking station for graphic and serious business work. Why would anyone need a 1080p resolution crammed into a 14 inch laptop monitor (the native size fonts will be so small).WalkInTheGlow - Wednesday, December 16, 2015 - link
Laptop HP EliteBook 9480m - is a beast. http://topchoice.best/main-review/best-ultrabooks Yes, of course the price exceeds the limit. But the laptop very cool. Design excellent. It works like a clock, do not hang. The speakers are loud, even at full volume include, neighbors regret. The video quality is very good, my favorite movies pleased to review on this Toshiba, get aesthetic pleasure. The battery holds 4-5 hours, for such a machine, which is very good