HP Elite Dragonfly G1, we hardly knew ye. Just months after announcing the original Elite Dragonfly premium business ultraportable, which we reviewed and liked a lot, the company is announcing a G2 model available in late January. The Elite Dragonfly G2 improves on the privacy-focused Sure View panel option and adds Bluetooth-based Tile tracking -- because apparently people misplacing their $1,600-plus business PC is a thing.
Other additions sound more enticing, like an optional Qualcomm X55 LTE+5G modem (with Sprint as the launch carrier) and Intel 10th Gen CPU options, but those features won’t be on offer until sometime this summer.
In case you’re unfamiliar with Tile, it’s a compact Bluetooth-based tracking device that will let you locate devices within range (theoretically up to 100 feet). In theory, Tile can also locate devices out of range, thanks to a Community Network feature, that will report the location of any Tile-equipped device if and when another Tile device comes within range of it.
HP had to do some extra work with the Tile team, creating a Windows Store app for the feature, as this is the first time Tile has been built into / for a Windows device. The company also says the Tile tracker remains powered even when the laptop is dead, so that you can find your PC even if it hasn’t been plugged in for weeks.
Here’s a thought, though: Maybe if you misplace your high-end business laptop (HP says the Dragonfly G2 will start at $1,599, but most configs will cost much more) often enough that you need built-in hardware to help you find it -- even when its charge has been depleted -- maybe you’re not the best candidate in your company to receive said high-end convertible?
Details on the new version of the company’s Sure View privacy screen tech are somewhat slim. But this version is said to make your screen look reflective (like a mirror) when viewed from off angles, rather than the white screen that nosy laptop neighbors would see looking at previous Sure View screen tech. Perhaps if you see a reflection of yourself looking back at you when you poke your nose into someone else’s on-screen business, you’ll see the error of your ways. Although HP would probably rather the experience inspired you consider asking your IT department for Sure View on your own Elite Dragonfly G2 when it’s available at the end of January.
