Review: The HP Dragonfly Folio G3 stays cool and quiet in faux leather

HP’s Dragonfly Folio G3 sports a unique hardware with a high price tag to match (starting at $2,379 as of press time). Like other Dragonfly laptops, including the HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook and Elite Dragonfly G3, the Folio G3 is largely aimed at business users. But this isn’t the kind of 2-in-1 that IT managers would hand out companywide.

Instead, the Folio G3 will land in the hands of executives and power users willing to splurge for a premium look and feel—and way more resilient than almost any convertible PC can boast. With its current generation CPU, this device is an interesting alternative to the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, which has a screen with a pull-forward design allowing it to be propped up on a deck or placed above the keyboard to work like a tablet.

HP’s Folio G3 is meticulously engineered, remains cool and quiet, and commanding to view. But if you prioritize performance over things like pen input and an adaptive screen, there are ultralight laptops that are more suitable.

Synthetic leather, real elasticity

Few things feel more unnatural than accidentally hitting the keys on a convertible laptop when its screen is folded back into tablet mode. This is very hard to avoid, since most 2-in-1s rely on a 360-degree hinge that makes the underside of the lid and the underside of the deck meet. So as tedious as it may seem at times to flip the Folio G3’s cover over, the PC’s retractable design makes using the device much more pleasant.

Pressing hard on a backwards-open laptop lid disengages the screen from the strong magnet that attaches it to the surface. You can then easily and reliably pull the screen forward and prop it up on the deck, covering the keyboard but leaving the wonderfully deep and smooth touchpad available. Or you can pull the screen down further so that the bottom side of it touches the top of the keyboard, creating a tablet-like experience.

PCs like the Surface Laptop Studio and Acer’s ConceptD Ezel 7 and 3 have worked to make this form factor a thing. Historically, HP’s design comes with a touch of luxury: leather-like materials.

HP first tried to woo us with leather-covered laptops when it unveiled the Specter Folio in 2018, but it’s switched to faux leather with its follow-ups, the 2021 Elite Folio and Folio G3. HP is apparently trying to find a home for its leather-like, ultra-flexible convertible design. But how hard is it really going to be for HP to hold on to this leather-turned-leather dream?