HP Elite Dragonfly Max review

Our Verdict

HP improves on the previous iteration of its Elite Dragonfly 2-in-ane with a superior processor and some solid quality-of-life improvements — just the price tag is hefty.

For

Lightweight
Whisper-quiet
Impressive battery life
Cracking webcam

Against

Pricey
Unimpressive operation
Can get a bit hot nether heavy loads

Tom'southward Guide Verdict

HP improves on the previous iteration of its Elite Dragonfly 2-in-ane with a superior processor and some solid quality-of-life improvements — but the toll tag is hefty.

Pros

+
Lightweight
+
Whisper-quiet
+
Impressive battery life
+
Bang-up webcam

Cons

-
Pricey
-
Unimpressive operation
-
Tin get a bit hot nether heavy loads

HP Elite Dragonfly Max specs

Toll: $2,940 (equally tested)
Display: 13.3-inch FHD IPS (1920 x 1080)
CPU: 11th Gen Intel Core i7
GPU: Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics
Memory: 16 GB
Storage: 512 GB
Ports: (2) USB-C, (1) USB-A, (one) Nano Sim, (one) HDMI 2.0, (1) 3.5mm headphone jack
Dimensions: 11.98 ten seven.78 ten 0.63 inches
Weight: 2.v pounds

HP is no stranger to the concern of ultrabooks, and that expertise is front end and center with the HP Aristocracy Dragonfly Max. This premium ultraportable packs serious 11th gen Intel power and over 13 hours of battery life in a svelte bundle that weighs only ii.five pounds.

This HP Aristocracy Dragonfly Max (from $ii,409, $2,950 as tested) brings a number of improvements to the atomic ii-in-1 that will benefit anyone who needs to have care of business outside of the office or boardroom. Namely, an improved webcam and front end-facing microphone, as well as a built-in privacy screen and 5G eSIM support that allows you to remain connected without a network or external hotspot.

This makes the HP Elite Dragonfly Max an ideal selection for someone who values mobility, discretion and versatility.

The Dragonfly Max is the pricier sibling of the Elite Dragonfly G2 that was also fabricated bachelor back in Jan. Both models bring some excellent quality-of-life features for business professionals, also every bit improvements to battery life. However, the toll may show a flake prohibitive for the average user. If you're on the fence, read on for our full HP Elite Dragonfly Max review.

HP Elite Dragonfly Max review: Price and configurations

The HP Aristocracy Dragonfly Max costs at to the lowest degree $ii,400
5G option costs $440

Every bit of this writing the HP Elite Dragonfly Max starts at $2,409 with an 11th gen Core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, Intel Iris Xe graphics and 512GB of NVMe SSD storage.

The model we tested will set you back a cool $two,950, making it ane of the more expensive configurations bachelor. This means the Dragonfly Max costs roughly $i,000 more comparable HP 2-in-1s like the HP Spectre x360 14, and $500 more than the G2 version of the Dragonfly. But that extra cash gets you a 5MP webcam and an extra mic, as well as a beefier CPU and mobile broadband capability. While the usefulness of these actress benefits volition get largely unnoticed by most users, they can show invaluable to anyone that spends an excessive amount of time in Zoom meetings or abroad from a trusted Wi-Fi network.

The HP Aristocracy Dragonfly Max is available for purchase via HP's website or select third-political party retailers. There are a scattering of alternate configurations available for the Dragonfly Max; they offer many of the same features, but allow you to upgrade the default 16 GB of RAM to 32 GB, and supervene upon the i7-1165G7 CPU with the more powerful i7-1185G7 instead. Of course, there are configurations that permit y'all to aggrandize the onboard storage as well, up to a 2TB SSD, provided you're willing to vanquish out an actress $865.

If you need your laptop to exist capable of connecting to a cellular network in the absence of Wi-Fi, exist prepared to pay a minimum of $155 for a mobile broadband carte du jour — or $440 for a 5G LTE mobile broadband card.

HP Aristocracy Dragonfly Max review: Design

Svelte and like shooting fish in a barrel to carry at simply 2.5 pounds
Matte black cease is stylish simply picks up fingerprints easily

While information technology can certainly handle working from domicile, the Dragonfly Max is a laptop that hates existence tied downward. This laptop shines every bit an ultraportable platform for handling whatever business organization you have to carry, no matter where information technology takes you lot. The featherweight ultrabook doesn't have up much infinite, but takes reward of every square inch of its diminutive footprint.

HP Elite Dragonfly Max review — (Image credit: Future)

A large consideration in the development of the Dragonfly line of laptops is weight. Designed to follow yous everywhere without weighing yous downwards, the Dragonfly Max has managed to keep its weight on par with the original HP Dragonfly at only 2.5 pounds (nearly a pound lighter than the Samsung Galaxy Book Flex 2-in-1) even with the considerable functioning improvements.

The overall pattern doesn't draw too much attention only remains elegant, both in terms of its aesthetics and engineering. The Dragonfly Max is currently only available in matte black, making it both a powerful argument equally an accessory and ultraportable. The matte black finish is definitely stylish, but information technology doesn't do much to resist fingerprints. It was hard to handle the laptop or blazon for extended periods without leaving backside a visible wealth of forensic bear witness.

HP Elite Dragonfly Max review: Ports

Well-rounded port selection enough for nigh apply cases
USB-A port for older USB accessories

The HP Elite Dragonfly Max doesn't have a ton of actress ports, but information technology has enough connectivity options that you should be able to get things washed without obsessing over what to plug in where.

A pair of USB-C Thunderbolt iv ports means you tin can remain docked with a hub while charging a device at the same fourth dimension. There'due south a unmarried USB-A port for flash drives or a wireless adapter.

The Dragonfly Max too sports a 3.5mm audio jack, in case you've forgotten to charge your headphones, and an HDMI two.0 port for presenting or hooking up to an external monitor.

HP Elite Dragonfly Max review: Brandish

1080p xiii-inch touchscreen is bright with vibrant colors
HP SureView privacy screen is handy

The Dragonfly Max makes the most of its limited screen real estate with a clean slim-bezel design, simply the resolution of the thirteen.3-inch touchscreen is restricted to FHD.

The Dragonfly Max's IPS console offers superb color reproduction. When put to the exam with our colorimeter, the Dragonfly Max produced 115.iii% of the sRGB colour gamut. For comparison, the Dell XPS xiii with OLED produced 117.3% and the MacBook Air with M1 managed to hitting 114.3%. This makes the Dragonfly Max display a brilliant selection for streaming content and providing a rich image, but it probably won't be the kickoff option for photo editing or graphic design.

The screen managed to maintain an average of 706.6 nits of brightness in our testing, which feels a bit excessive when compared to the panels on the ThinkPad X1 Yoga (402 nits), or the Dell XPS xiii (516 nits). Cranking up the brightness to maximum, I was only able to look at my screen for short periods before I felt similar I was placing undue stress on my optics. The utility of this wasn't clear to me until I took the laptop exterior, at which point I appreciated the fact that the screen is clearly legible, even under direct sunlight.

The display also includes HP's Middle Ease filter, which helps go on blueish light to a minimum, and while about blue light filters have the unwanted upshot of giving your screen a chocolate-brown-ish tint, I didn't notice any discernable tint on the Dragonfly Max — in fact, I but noticed the filter was on after checking to encounter that it was enabled.

One very absurd feature that might get overlooked is the HP SureView integrated privacy screen. At the press of a button, the screen dims and becomes invisible when viewing at a 45-degree angle. While inappreciably this laptop's nigh exciting characteristic, it'south sure to be a welcome add-on for anyone that values discretion.

HP Elite Dragonfly Max review: Audio

Speakers deliver slap-up sound quality
No tinniness or distortion, even at max volume

Again HP has brought in the audio experts at Bang & Olufsen to mankind out the design for their ultraportable speakers. It would be easy to dismiss this every bit a pedigree in name simply, only subsequently some thorough testing, I tin assure you that the speakers on the Dragonfly Max deliver.

Cranking up the volume on laptop speakers typically makes things sound tinny like they're rattling effectually in the chassis. Merely I experienced no distortion with the speakers, even while listening to my embarrassing pop-punk playlist at max volume.

HP Elite Dragonfly Max review: Webcam

5MP webcam delivers high-quality video
Extra set of mics assist you sound your best during video calls

HP has likewise upped the game in regards to its microphone and webcam, and the Dragonfly Max offers improvements here that you won't find on any of HP'south comparable laptops or even Apple tree's vaunted new M1 MacBook.

Namely, an extra pair of microphones that provide exceptional clarity even with multiple presenters, and a high-resolution 5MP webcam which definitely gives the Dragonfly Max bragging rights as 1 of the best laptops for the work-from-home era.

HP Elite Dragonfly Max review: Keyboard, touchpad, and touchscreen

Touchscreen works well but Wacom stylus sold separately
Great touchpad feels clicky, in a good mode

The HP Elite Dragonfly Max touchscreen works well in emulating a tablet experience with precision but unfortunately isn't compatible with other HP smartpens, and instead requires a dedicated Wacom stylus that's sold separately from the base model.

I experimented with ii divide pens that were packaged with other HP ultrabooks and constitute them incompatible. This feels like a curious oversight at best, and forced obsolescence at worst, especially when you consider that the stylus will set up you lot dorsum roughly $70.

The Aristocracy Dragonfly Max keyboard is dense but not crowded. It is restricted to a tenkeyless format due to the laptop'south diminutive size, only I never felt equally though I would trip over my own hands while typing and never found myself hit ane central when I meant to printing another. A welcome addition to the keyboard is a number pad that's laid over the correct side of the keyboard and enabled with a dedicated num lock central.

When using the keyboard with the 10fastfingers typing examination, I scored 47 words per minute at 95% accuracy, which is marginally better than the 43 wpm I scored when using my full-size mechanical keyboard.

Anyone that's used the keyboard on an HP laptop in the past won't discover whatsoever surprises here, with its slightly clicky, chiclet-style keys. It may not deviate from tradition, but the backlit keyboard remains a solid example of how to accommodate a tenkeyless layout on a relatively minor laptop.

The 2.6 x 4.3-inch multi-point touchpad is shine and responsive, it also provides enough space to apace navigate without a mouse, while being small plenty to not make it the style. The touchpad as well feels more clicky, in a practiced way. I've used trackpads on a diversity of older HP ultrabooks and this one offers some of the punchiest haptic feedback of the lot without feeling heavy. This may not feel similar a significant improvement unless y'all accept strong feelings about trackpads, but it's definitely a welcome modify.

HP Elite Dragonfly Max review: Operation

Skillful CPU performance should zip through daily tasks
Sluggish file transfer rates and video editing performance

Many of the improvements to the Dragonfly Max are under the hood. Unfortunately, they don't practice much to fix this laptop apart from its peers. The biggest change is in the CPU, which has been upgraded to an 11th gen Intel Core i7-1185G7 which was able to hit 4,928 in our Geekbench v.4 multicore benchmark. That'due south a respectable score that places it squarely between the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 (iv,829) and Dell XPS 13 (5,420).

Our configuration of the Dragonfly Max included a 512 GB SSD which managed to duplicate 25GB of files at a speed of just over 558.v MBps. This makes it one of the slower ultrabooks nosotros've tested, dragging backside the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 (562 MBps) and the Dell XPS xiii (742 MBps).

The Elite Dragonfly Max didn't fare much improve in our Handbrake video editing exam, which tasks the laptop with transcoding a 4K video down to 1080p. The HP Elite Dragonfly Max pulled it off in 19:44, placing information technology behind similarly-sized laptops like the Surface Laptop 4 (17:01) and XPS thirteen (18:12).

While at that place isn't a dedicated graphics card, HP has all the same shown the GPU some love, this time opting for an Intel Iris Xe intel integrated GPU. That isn't quite enough ability to handle whatsoever serious gaming, simply less demanding or graphically-intensive games should still exist quite playable. The Dragonfly Max managed to striking around 18.iv frames per second in our Civilization half-dozen: Gathering Storm benchmark., which is amend than the Dell XPS 13 (fourteen.four fps) but worse than the Samsung Milky way Book Pro 360 two-in-1 (26.ix fps).

HP Elite Dragonfly Max review: Battery life

Peachy 13.5-hour battery life

A considerable improvement with this yr's model of the Dragonfly is the battery life, it took our battery test a little over 13.5 hours of spider web surfing at 150 nits of brightness to fully drain the battery, making the Dragonfly Max one of the longest-lived ultrabooks we've tested.

It's cervix and neck with the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 (13.5 hours) and quite a bit amend than the OLED-equipped Dell XPS 13 (8 hours) and Microsoft Surface Laptop iv (10:46).

HP Elite Dragonfly Max review: Heat

Laptop lesser hit uncomfortable 102 degrees in tests
Notwithstanding, it does remain tranquility

The Dragonfly Max is a laptop that certainly lives upward to its proper noun. During our thermal load test, the rear underside of the chassis got upward to 102 degrees Fahrenheit, while the rest of the laptop remained significantly libation, with the touchpad warming up to only over 77 degrees. This isn't dangerously high, but certainly higher up average when stacked against other ultrabooks like the Samsung Galaxy Book Flex, which topped out at 92 degrees.

The laptop definitely exceeds our 95 degree comfort standard, but it never got hot enough to feel uncomfortable on my lap. However, what actually impressed me was how placidity the Max was under load. Even with multiple applications running simultaneously, it was barely audible -- to the point I had to double-check that the fans were actually running.

HP Elite Dragonfly Max review: Verdict

The HP Elite Dragonfly Max is a pleasure to piece of work on, but all the while, I had to ask myself: Who is this for? The only answers I could muster were either a jet-setting business organization professional person or a secret amanuensis. Unfortunately, I am neither of those things and would gladly trade some of the exclusive features of the Dragonfly Max for a few hundred dollars off the price tag.

While I could definitely encounter this versatile mobile platform existence useful for professionals in discretionary fields, similar nurses or social workers, the price bespeak makes the Dragonfly Max seem inaccessible except to those for whom money is no object. If you're looking for a similarly-equipped two-in-1 that'southward about a thou bucks cheaper, consider the Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 — it doesn't offer quite as much storage or equally many business organisation-minded features, but it does have a gorgeous AMOLED display and a much more than reasonable price tag.

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/hp-elite-dragonfly-max-review

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