Which premium laptop should you pick?

The HP Dragonfly G4, announced at CES 2023, is shaping up to be one of the hottest business laptops of the year. This fourth-generation version has ditched the “Elite” branding but is still the successor to the HP Elite Dragonfly G3, one of our top picks when it comes to the best business laptops you can buy today. The Dragonfly G4 hasn’t changed a lot physically, going forward with the redesigned look that the G3 model received just last year. HP has instead focused on boosting performance with Intel’s latest 13th Gen Raptor Lake processors, on boosting conferencing with new camera technologies, and on boosting battery life with intelligent power-saving additions. Let’s take a look at exactly how the new HP Dragonfly G4 and the Elite Dragonfly G3 compare to help you decide whether it’s worth the upgrade.

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  Source: HP

  HP Dragonfly G4

  HP’s Dragonfly G4 brings new 13th Gen Intel Core CPUs, new collaboration tools, and better power management compared to the Elite Dragonfly G3. It’s expected to launch Spring 2023 and might be worth the upgrade for those who often collaborate online.

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  Source: HP

  HP Elite Dragonfly G3

  HP’s Elite Dragonfly G3 is one of the best laptops you can buy for business or otherwise. If you don’t mind missing out on the performance bump and some of the new collaboration tools available in the Dragonfly G4, it should be a great fit for your workflow. Just be prepared to pay dearly.

Price, availability, and specs

The new HP Dragonfly G4 was announced recently at CES 2023 and so far doesn’t have a firm starting price. We do know that it’s expected to launch Spring 2023.

The older HP Elite Dragonfly G3 is still readily available at HP’s official website, as well as some third-party retailers like Amazon. If you’re shopping straight from HP, prices start at about $1,839 before any discounts. The introductory models have a 12th Gen Intel Core i5-1235U processor (CPU), 16GB of RAM, 256GB solid-state drive (SSD), and a 13.5-inch FHD+ touch display. Going all-out with a Core i7-1265U vPro CPU, 16GB of RAM, 1TB SSD, 3K2K OLED display, and 5G connectivity costs about $4,000.

Here’s a look at the specifications available in each laptop.

Design and features

The Elite Dragonfly G3 is a big step away from the first two generations in terms of design. In fact, it was pretty much completely redesigned as a clamshell form factor that starts out weighing about 2.2 pounds (.999kg). This is made possible by a blend of magnesium and aluminum that’s both durable and lightweight. The Elite Dragonfly G3 is available in Slate Blue and Natural Silver colors to give a bit of variety, although it seems like HP is only regularly offering the former color. The Dragonfly G4 uses the same design with the same weight and dimensions, and it will be available in Slate Blue and Natural Silver colors. Chassis edges are slightly rounded for a more comfortable hold, and overall the laptops are quite nimble. If you often travel, either generation will be a great fit.

Ports haven’t changed for the new generation, and you’re still getting a generous mix that will handle most daily connections. The laptops have two Thunderbolt 4, USB-A, HDMI 2.0, 3.5mm audio, and an optional Nano SIM slot if you opt for 5G (which is available in both laptops). There are unfortunately no microSD or SD card readers on board, but you can always add one of the best Thunderbolt docks for the Dragonfly G3 to further broaden your connectivity. That will cover any of the best accessories for the Elite Dragonfly G3.

HP hasn’t changed the keyboard for the Dragonfly G4, and that’s a good thing. In our HP Elite Dragonfly G3 review, Senior Editor João Carrasqueira noted that “the keyboard is one of the best in a laptop.” It’s backlit, the keys are spaced well, the keycaps are large with an oversized font, and actuation force is perfect. If you’re typing a lot every day, either one of these laptops will be a great choice. Even the Precision touchpad is enormous for easier pointing and shortcut gestures.

The Elite Dragonfly G3’s 5MP camera offers separated RGB and IR portions for a better picture. It’s one of the best webcams in a laptop today, boosted by included software that can automatically frame you in the center of the picture, boost a dark room’s lighting, blur your background, and filter out blemishes for an all-around smoother appearance. The Dragonfly G4 holds onto all of these features but also adds HP’s new Natural Tone feature that makes skin look more like it does in real life.

Also new to the Dragonfly G4 is multi-camera support to help with professional conferencing. With an extra camera on-hand, you can essentially have a second stream of, say, a document, whiteboard, or object sitting on a desk. HP’s Auto Camera Select recognizes where you are and keeps you centered, while HP Keystone Correction can automatically adjust the other camera’s feed to display a cropped and flat picture of a document or whiteboard. If you often find yourself presenting over the internet, these new camera features might sway you towards the newer model.

Security is excellent on both laptops. Along with the IR camera and fingerprint reader for biometric logins through Windows Hello, the camera’s shutter adds some extra privacy. HP’s Wolf Security package with extra malware and virus protection is available, and each laptop comes with a bevy of HP’s security solutions like HP Sure Sense, HP Sure Start, HP Sure Admin, HP Sure Run, HP Sure Recover, and HP Tamper Lock. These laptops are made for professionals and have the security to keep your data safe.

Display

Nothing has really changed between generations when it comes to the available displays, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Both laptops have a 13.5-inch screen with a tall 3:2 aspect ratio for more display real estate, and both have a bunch of different options to better suit your needs. The most affordable have a 1920×1280 resolution, 400 nits brightness, optional touch, and optional anti-glare finish.

One step are the HP Sure View Reflect screens that add a privacy layer perfect for those often working in public. These screens hit 1,000 nits brightness to offset the privacy layer, and touch is an option. Finally, the 3000×2000 displays use an OLED panel for the best color and contrast possible. They’re touch-enabled and hit 400 nits brightness.

You should be able to get something that works for you. The FHD+ displays will offer better battery life, the Sure View privacy screens are great for keeping your data safe, and the OLED 3K2K screen is there if you want the extra pixels, color, and contrast.

Performance and battery

The Elite Dragonfly G3’s combination of 12th Gen Intel Core U-series CPUs, LPDDR5-6400MHz RAM, and M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD is quite powerful, and you should have no problems cutting through a day of business productivity work. Yes, P-series CPUs might provide a bit more oomph, but the higher TDP means more heat and more draw on the battery. In our testing, the Elite Dragonfly G3 lasted more than eight hours on a charge when going about regular productivity work, including heavy browsing, OneNote, Skype, and Photoshop.

HP has made the jump to Intel’s latest 13th Gen Raptor Lake mobile chips for the Dragonfly G4. We don’t yet have specific SKUs to work with, but you can expect a typical performance bump. We’ll have more information once we can test a Dragonfly G4.

What we do know is that the G4 models come with a new power-saving feature called HP Smart Sense. It intelligently manages power to keep the laptop quiet and cool when performing regular tasks, and it also allows the laptop to draw more power when demanding tasks are required. When you’re not using the laptop, HP’s Intelligent Hibernate takes over to learn your work habits and better preserve the battery when it’s sitting idle. And finally, if you’re going with the OLED model, a new power saving feature will help prolong battery life.

Is the HP Dragonfly G4 worth an upgrade?

Considering the enormous asking price for these laptops, most people who already have an Elite Dragonfly G3 won’t need to make the move to the Dragonfly G4. Sure, the boost to performance from 13th Gen Intel chips is nice, but the 12th Gen hardware will still handle just about anything you throw its way. The design really hasn’t changed, so it’s not like you’re getting a new form factor or a lighter build. New power features will help prolong battery life, but it’s still unclear by how much.

Choosing between the two laptops will likely come down to whether or not you can make regular use of the new collaboration tools. Multi-camera support, HP Keystone Correction, and HP Natural Tone will all contribute to a better online work experience, especially for project leads who need to share documents and whiteboards with the rest of the team.

There is also the matter of price and availability. The Dragonfly G4 isn’t expected to launch until Spring 2023, while the Elite Dragonfly G3 is readily available as one of the best HP laptops you can buy today. If you need a laptop sooner than later, the older G3 model is really your only choice. You’ll still get an outstanding laptop, but it will miss out on some of the new features.