Posted on December 5th, 2012 by Nicole Kobie
HP EliteBook Revolve review: first look

If you’re not already sick of hybrid laptop/tablets — like PC Pro’s features editor David Bayon — HP’s adding another one to the pile here in Frankfurt: the business-focused EliteBook Revolve.
Unsurprisingly given the name, the Revolve’s 11.6in touchscreen display pivots on a hinge on the rear, swivelling round to be laid flat against the keyboard, turning the device into a tablet. The display is a fraction smaller than the keyboard part, giving it a stacked looked when folded up.
Unfolded, it’s a slim, good-looking, Ultrabook-style laptop. It feels light but sturdy; HP says it weighs 1.4kg, which is far heavier than a standalone tablet, but in line with the A-List Asus Zenbook Ultrabook. The device is 22.4mm thick, making it slightly fatter than an Ultrabook, however.
Inside, it’ll come with a choice of Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 processors from the Ivy Bridge generation (not next year’s much anticipated Haswell refresh), and up to 256GB of SSD storage, 3G and USB 3 ports.
The 1366 x 768, 11.6in touchscreen seemed sharp enough under the dim show lighting, but the touch capability was oddly missing — the demo version appeared to be missing the relevant drivers.
The backlit scrabble tile keyboard and touchpad were working, however, allowing us to have the briefest of dabbles with Windows 8, but we’ll wait until we get a fully working version into our Labs before drawing any firm conclusions on performance. HP doesn’t seem entirely sold on Microsoft’s new OS though — it’s intriguingly also offering a Windows 7 Pro version, catering for enterprises that haven’t (or won’t) make the transition to Windows 8.
Pricing hasn’t yet been revealed, and US availability isn’t until next March, so details could still change.
Tags: EliteBook Revolve, HP, tablet
Posted in: Hardware
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- Chris Brennan
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December 5th, 2012 at 2:21 pm
That screen resolution makes me laugh, like this:
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
December 5th, 2012 at 3:56 pm
Sooner stick with my Dell Laptop
December 5th, 2012 at 7:03 pm
The article from David Bayon really shows a lack of timing for PC Pro. If I were HP I’d probably tell you guys to run and jump.
P.s. The resolution is fine. Try not to fall for the marketing here guys as not EVERYTHING has to be 1080p or false Retina res sizes.
@Clive. Good for you Clive. Good story that really added to the article there. Well done.
December 6th, 2012 at 11:56 am
@Damian I’m not sure what kind of tech magazine you want to read but I want one where the editors are not afraid to voice their opinions without fearing some childish backlash by vendors. David wrote a blog entry questioning the need for these hybrid devices, it’s his job as an editor and he might have a point. If HP withdraw co-operation with PC Pro over that then they really don’t know how to do marketing or public relations.
December 6th, 2012 at 5:00 pm
Let’s not forget that Toshiba had devices similar to these five years ago running Windows XP Tablet. OK, so they weren’t ‘touch’ with your fingers but you could use a stylus to write on them and store your scribbles in OneNote (fantastic) or annotate ppt screens. (Shame I dropped mine and broke the screen).
They didn’t catch on then either.
December 13th, 2012 at 12:42 am
@Damian sure, what’s most important is that HP are happy with the articles, not readers. “the resolution is fine” for you, not for me. oops! there are resolutions between 1366×768 and 1920×1080. e.g. 1600×900, 1440×900, which are the sweet spot for me. oops again! and the 1080p on the asus zenbook prime is superb. oops #3. Clive’s comment adds more than yours does. oops #4
December 13th, 2012 at 12:48 am
@Damian if you want to make sure HP are happy with what you are reading, why not pop over to the HP website and read some press releases?
March 28th, 2013 at 12:20 am
I ordered the HP Revolve 810 G1 on 3/7/2013 with an Executive Pen and Dock. The dock arrived in a week. Next the email DISCONTINUING the pen arrived. I called Sales to find out what this meant – a Tablet PC without a pen?! They knew nothing. Called tech support and they assured me that there would eventually be a pen. “After all what is a Tablet PC without a pen.” I checked on the Revolve and now it was delayed another week. Since the website showed a 3/23/2013 delivery date. I called again and was told it was delayed until 4/5. Called again today… now showing 4/9 delivery. BUT HP CSR says shipments are all happening on March 30th… “the system is screwed up.” OMG – that’s for sure!
Could HP be selling something that actually ISN’T real yet??? AGAIN!!