Hp Dragonfly Pro Review: You Better Watch Your Back, Apple

By Author: firenews feed
Total Articles: 13
Comment this article

Best Prices Today: HP Dragonfly Pro
Retailer
Price
HP
$1399.99
View Deal

Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide
We’ve all been there—chilling at the local café, minding our own business, when some hip remote worker comes in with a MacBook Pro and starts working away. No judgement from me—I use Macs, Windows PCs, and Linux devices on the regular. But since Apple went with its own custom processors, those machines have proven hard for the PC industry to match. Not only are the latest MacBooks attractive, they boast surprising power and incredible efficiency, too.

That’s why HP partnered with AMD to create the new HP Dragonfly Pro. This slim laptop packs the latest Ryzen processor, with 8 high-performance cores and powerful graphics, to take on the Mac. While you’ll need to decide for yourself if you’d rather have this over a MacBook, we found that this is a computer worth considering.

HP Dragonfly Pro: Specs and features
Our review unit came with the following specifications and features:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7736U (8 core, 16 threads)
...
... Memory: 16 GB LPDDR5 6400 MHz RAM soldered (up to 32 GB available at purchase)
Graphics/GPU: AMD Radeon 680M (12 graphics cores)
Display: 14-inch 1920×1200 16:10 IPS touchscreen, 400 nits
Storage: 512 GB PCIe NVMe solid state drive (soldered)
Webcam: 5MP IR camera
Connectivity: 2x USB 4 Type-C (40 Gbps, Thunderbolt 3 compatible), 1x USB-C 3.2 10 Gbps
Networking: Qualcomm WCN685x with Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
Biometrics: Windows Hello facial recognition and fingerprint reader
Battery capacity: 86Wh
Dimensions: 12.4 W x 8.7 L x 0.7 H inches
Weight: 3.33 pounds, 3.95 pounds with AC adapter
Price as Reviewed: $1,399
HP Dragonfly Pro:: Design and build quality
HP Dragonfly Pro design
IDG / Brendan Nystedt

If HP was targeting Apple’s quality, I’ve got to hand it to them—the Dragonfly Pro gets close by most measures. This thin laptop feels high quality from the moment you tear off its recycled paper covering. Although you don’t get a lot in the box, you get a high-powered 96 watt power brick and a braided USB-C charging cable. The power brick and laptop both sport the sleek, angular HP logo, which sets them apart from lower-end laptops offered by the company.

The laptop on its own has a nice shape, with high-quality materials like polycarbonate and aluminum used in its construction, some of which are post-consumer recycled. The black color I sampled has a slight fleck to its color, lending it a spacy sheen in the right light. That said, it’s not glossy and the only portions that picked up any fingerprints were on the keycaps and the glass touchpad surface. Underneath, you’ll find a pair of raised rubber strips that slightly raises the angle of the keyboard while giving the cooling vent ample access to air. And, when under load, it’ll need all the air it can get, as the fans spin up and can be easily heard, albeit with a consistent whoosh and not an annoying whine.
For more technology news visit us