Manufacturer HP wants to conquer the business world with the Elite Dragonfly Chromebook. How does the chic, but very expensive device fare in everyday life? The test reveals that.
Test conclusion
The HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook is sleek and powerful, but not worth the money. For the high price of 1,800 euros, buyers have to make too many compromises here. For comparison: For the price you get a MacBook Pro with a fixed M1 Pro processor. And it runs more than just Android apps. There are also good Chromebooks for less than 1,000 euros.
Maybe you know the Vox show “Die Höhle der Löwen” (DHDL). Start-up founders appear on the show, present their business ideas and negotiate with investors for as much money as possible for as few percentages as possible in the young companies. They are seldom alone. They often have a business partner, i.e. a co-founder, at their side. HP wants to deliver just such a companion with the Elite Dragonfly Chromebook. In other words, the device is primarily intended for the business world. It can also be set up with a private account. Always assuming they raise the necessary start-up capital. In the tested configuration, the Dragonfly currently costs around 1,800 euros online.
There’s something in the suit
HP has given the device a chic outfit for the huge sum. The manufacturer uses a mix of aluminum and magnesium for the case. It feels classy and is well made. The gold accents on the hinges are vaguely reminiscent of pinstripes. Just right for the negotiating table. But their function is much more important. Like most Chromebooks, the Dragonfly has 360-degree hinges that allow the screen to fold onto the back. With the HP it’s very smooth.
So the Chromebook makes a good first impression. But DHDL fans know: the most important things are yet to come. In the TV show, the founders have to convince with their business figures, the HP has to score with its performance data on the test bench. They look impressive on paper. A Core i7-1265U from Intel’s 12th processor generation (“Alder Lake”) does the computing work. There is also 16 gigabytes of RAM. An unusual amount for a Chromebook.
Not all apps work
It’s just a shame that the device doesn’t always benefit from the power. To explain: Windows programs cannot be installed on the Chromebook. Instead, users install Android apps from the Google Play Store known from smartphones and tablets – and they don’t always run smoothly on the Dragonfly. The photo editing program Photoshop Express, for example, completely refuses to work together. If you want to shoot something away between two business appointments, you first have to find the right game. A round of “Call of Duty Mobile” was not possible. The game could be downloaded in the test, but not started.
Admittedly, both examples have little to do with the business world. The Chromebook at work shows that there is another way. The important programs for this, such as Gmail or Google’s Excel replacement, simply called “tables”, are ready to use. And of course you can also play games. The hit “Asphalt 9” ran without any problems on the highest quality level. Editing photos succeeded in the Android version of Adobe Lightroom. Nevertheless: The fact that not all apps work for the purchase price can rightly annoy you.
The special trick of the Dragonfly
After all, the Dragonfly convinced in other points. The screen emits around 646 candelas per square meter at full brightness. This is very bright for a Chromebook. The image is beautifully natural, but the Dragonfly remained a bit pale in the test when it came to skin tones. And a higher resolution would have been nice. Full HD on a 34 centimeter display? Some Chromebooks show more pixels for less money! Bottom line, the screen is still okay.
That makes the work really fun. Touchpad and touchscreen react quickly to inputs, the keyboard is a dream, the pressure point is really great. You really don’t want to stop there. At some point, however, the battery of every Chromebook will give out. With the Dragonfly, this is the case after around six hours. It’s not enough for a full working day, but two feature films and more flicker across the screen one after the other on the go.
They are also welcome to end up in storage for offline viewing. By Chromebook standards, it is reasonably lavish. An NVMe SSD with 256 gigabytes is on board. In case of doubt, more could be retrofitted via a microSD card. Users plug other storage media and other accessories into a USB-A port or two USB-C sockets.
Because there must always be a “unique selling point” in a real pitch, the Chromebook has another trick up its sleeve. If required, users activate the “HP Sure View” privacy function via a button in the settings. It ensures that people sitting next to you on the train can no longer secretly look at the screen from the side. For the owner, the computer only darkens the image a little. However, that alone does not justify the exorbitant purchase price. In this case, the Vox show says: “Unfortunately, we’re out.”
Conclusion
The HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook is sleek and powerful, but not worth the money. For the high price of 1,800 euros, buyers have to make too many compromises here. For comparison: For the price you get a MacBook Pro with a fixed M1 Pro processor. And it runs more than just Android apps. There are also good Chromebooks for less than 1,000 euros.
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