Andrew Cunningham

Andrew Cunningham

Andrew Cunningham

Andrew Cunningham

Whether you want to admit it or not, Apple's laptop designs have an enormous impact on the rest of the industry. Early systems released under Intel's "Ultrabook" label, created back in 2011 as a way to subsidize MacBook Air competitors from PC OEMs, look a whole lot like Apple's thin-and-light laptop. PC OEMs have done a lot in the intervening years to introduce their own innovations and improvements and define their own styles (Lenovo's Yoga and Microsoft's Surface have been especially influential), and in many ways laptops like Dell's XPS 13 have become more interesting and more advanced than Apple's. But Apple's influence can still be felt when, say, a bunch of laptops suddenly come with gold finishes for some reason.

The most explicitly Apple-like of all the laptops I saw at CES was probably HP's new EliteBook Folio G1, a thin-and-light member of the company's business lineup that's a dead ringer for Apple's one-ported MacBook. But HP has outdone Apple by resolving some of the biggest gripes reviewers had with the new MacBook—its clicky, super-shallow keyboard and its single port.

The Folio has two Thunderbolt 3 ports on its right side, which are used for everything from charging to data to display output—HP says both ports have the same capabilities and can be used interchangeably. Since they're Thunderbolt, you're getting full 10Gbps USB 3.1 gen 2 speeds compared to the 5Gbps standard USB port in the MacBook. We would have preferred to have one port on each side, which makes it easier to charge laptops like the Chromebook Pixel no matter which side the power adapter is on, but Thunderbolt ports typically have to be pretty close to the controller on the motherboard (so it may be a technical limitation). As it is, the only thing on the left side of the laptop is a headphone jack.

Apple made some tweaks to the MacBook's keyboard and trackpad to make them as thin as possible, something that hasn't pleased everyone (I think the clickless Force Touch trackpad is actually pretty good and that you'll get used to the keyboard, but that's just me). HP managed to fit a more traditional backlit chiclet keyboard with a familiar feel and deeper key travel, and the Folio's multitouch trackpad actually clicks. I'd want more time with the final version of the laptop before I hand in a final verdict, but if you're already used to chiclet keyboards this one will be familiar.

The laptop is a little heavier than the MacBook at around 2.2 pounds (1kg, a figure that HP hasn't finalized just yet) and it's physically a bit larger, too—the screen's bezels definitely aren't as slim as what Apple is using in the MacBook. But the Folio is a little thinner (12.4mm compared to 13.1mm for the MacBook at its thickest point) than the MacBook and its 12.5-inch screen is a little larger.

HP will offer a 1080p non-touchscreen panel at the base level, but it will also sell 1080p and 4K touchscreens as upgrades. On the inside, the Folio looks like most other Core M laptops. It includes a 1.1GHz (2.7GHz Turbo) Core m5-6Y54, 8GB of RAM, 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB PCI Express SSDs, 802.11ac WiFi, and Bluetooth. It's fanless, as most Core M systems are, and HP says it should last for about 10 hours on a charge.

HP will begin shipping the Folio in March, and it will start at $999—we'll be giving it a full review when we can get our hands on one.

Listing image by Andrew Cunningham