HP’s Elite Dragonfly laptops are a fantastic series of laptops aimed at both business users and normal consumers. They’re lightweight, convertible, and come in a signature “Dragonfly Blue” color by default. When HP offered to send me out the Elite Dragonfly G2 for review, I jumped at the chance, as I really enjoyed using its predecessor.
We received the HP Elite Dragonfly G2 from HP in February 2022. While we received the device from HP, this did not influence our opinions at all and the company does not sponsor IrishTech. All sponsored posts will always be marked as such.
Our HP Elite Dragonfly G2 specifications
Our unit has the Intel i7-1165G7 with 16GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, and a 13.3-inch IPS LCD panel. Our unit also does not have the company’s “Privacy Screen” that reduces viewing angles.
HP Elite Dragonfly G2: Design
The HP Elite Dragonfly G2 is really light. This is a laptop that you can feasibly walk around holding in one hand, and it’s not even difficult, That’s thanks to the fact that it’s built out of “90% recycled” magnesium, a much lighter material than the aluminium that you’ll find in most laptops in this price range. In fact, the smallest model in this device range starts just below one kilogram.
As well, HP doesn’t forget about giving you port options. There are two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports on the right-hand side, along with a HDMI 2.0 port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. On the left-hand side is a USB-A 3.2 port, the power button (which sticks out a bit to make it easier to turn the laptop on), and a SIM tray that supports LTE SIM cards.
Not only is the HP Elite Dragonfly incredibly small and light, but it’s also versatile in that it can rotate a full 360-degrees. The HP Elite Dragonfly G2 doubles up as a tablet, thanks to the touchscreen. When you bend the screen all the way around, Windows enters tablet mode. Tablet mode turns on gesture controls, makes switching between applications easier, and turns on automatic rotation so that you’re not required to use the laptop in any one specific orientation. I’ve already made great use of this mode for watching Netflix and YouTube – it’s effectively a 13.3-inch full HD tablet.
I do have one mild complaint about using it as a tablet though, and that is that because the quad speakers are upwards-firing on the keyboard when in tablet mode, they are downwards-firing. This means if you’re in bed, for example, the audio can be quite muffled. A small complaint, but something to keep in mind if you intend on using it as a tablet a lot. This hasn’t really been an issue for me, though.
Overall, the HP Elite Dragonfly G2 gives you a lot of port options in a great form factor, and I’m a massive fan of the proliferation of USB-C ports on laptops. You can charge this laptop with any USB PD-compatible charger or the one that’s in the box. I’ve been using my OnePlus 65W charger to charge the HP Elite Dragonfly G2 without a hitch, and if you have a OnePlus device, you’ll be able to do the same, too.
Webcams, audio quality, and Zoom calls
While things are starting to calm in the world, there’s still an ongoing necessity for online calls — be it through Zoom, or other means. As a result, for a business laptop, you’re going to want to have good audio and a good webcam. Thankfully the HP Elite Dragonfly G2 manages to provide exactly that, which is about par for the course for a business laptop. The infra-red cameras are also used for facial recognition, and work in the dark.
The webcam on this laptop is very good, and the microphones are more than serviceable for laptop microphones. People can hear me and understand me on the other end which — believe me — is a rarity for laptop microphones. Not only can they hear me just fine, but I can hear them, too. The speakers on this laptop are superb, and they get very loud and clear.
While this is obviously a more business-oriented laptop, there’s nothing stopping you from using it for leisure, too. I’ve been rewatching Breaking Bad on Netflix recently, and the speakers on this laptop are incredible. They’re very loud, very clear, and the fact that they face upwards is even better. A lot of laptops have speakers on the under-side, which means they can be hard to hear or even muffled when the laptop is placed on certain surfaces. Thankfully, that’s not really a problem here.
HP Elite Dragonfly G2: Keyboard
I have to give credit to HP on the basis of the keyboard, as I’m really impressed by it. It’s a really nice typing experience, and that’s one of the most important aspects of a laptop in my opinion. You’re going to be typing a lot on a business laptop, so I’m glad that HP didn’t cheap out on it.
There’s a fingerprint sensor to the bottom right of the keyboard directly beside the trackpad, and the trackpad isn’t all that bad either. There’s no wasted space, and it feels smooth to the touch
HP Elite Dragonfly G2: Performance
The Intel i7-1165G7 in this laptop is from Intel’s Tiger Lake U-series family, specifically Tiger Lake UP3. It packs Iris Xe Graphics alongside it, meaning that games and other graphics-oriented tasks are actually doable on this laptop. I was able to play VALORANT on this laptop at around 100 FPS, which — while not a fantastic experience for a competitive gamer — is more than enough for playing a few games with friends during downtime.
I’ve had no problem with this laptop when working, and it’s served me well over the past two months of usage. I took it with me to Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, and I’ve been using it as my laptop daily driver since receiving it. It’s an ultrabook so it’s not supposed to be the most powerful laptop when it comes to gaming and other super intensive tasks, but it will certainly more than hold its own when compared on the basis of getting work done. In executing Cinebench and Geekbench performance benchmarks in balanced battery mode, the HP Elite Dragonfly G2 scores respectably while not heating up much either. It scored 3489 in Cinebench. As for Geekbench, it got both 1354 in single-core and 4261 on multi-core. All of these are perfectly average for the i7-1165G7 in tow.
As a result, I’m incredibly impressed by the HP Elite Dragonfly G2. On another note, it’s also been my first foray into Windows 11, and I’m a fan. I didn’t find any performance issues even after the upgrade, and I think that the HP Elite Dragonfly G2 offers an extremely comfortable Windows experience.
HP Elite Dragonfly G2: Conclusion
If what you’re looking for is an excellent business laptop that doubles up as a tablet for leisure or even just for taking notes, then the HP Elite Dragonfly G2 is a fantastic successor. It offers a premium experience in a light, versatile package. That convenience and premium experience comes at a cost though, and it’s rather steep. It merely starts in the high €2000 price bracket, with more expensive models adding on a few hundred euros. Still, if you’re interested in checking it out and maybe picking one up for yourself here in Ireland, you can find it on HP’s own store. It’s a laptop that’s aimed at a very specific type of user, but it might be exactly what you’re looking for.
