What has HP been working on lately? We know the company as one of the world’s leaders in PC manufacturing for sure, but were definitely not sure what is going to happen between Dell and HP, as far as joining forces, or if Microsoft will simply begin selling the popular Surface Pro in partnership with the two tech giants. Beyond politics, HP is busy, and has been updating a bunch of its Elite Series laptops and notebooks. These are among the nicest, and most high-end of the company’s business laptops, and include the EliteBook x360, Elite x2, and EliteOne 1000 AIO. However, today let’s take a look at the refreshed Elitebook X360 1030 G2, dubbed as an “elegant solution” to all that is mobile business computing.

This model isn’t completely reworked, looks so similar to the previous model that you’ll have to stare for a minute, yet, it has a slightly smaller form-factor. HP put some beautiful design features into its new EliteBook x360 1030 G2, which is anything but a surprise trend when in consideration of these premium work laptops. The 2.8-pound device’s design includes a nice, slim, 2-in-1 convertible body (measuring 12.5 x 8.6 x 0.6 inches), with a 13.3-inch FHD LCD screen with touch (a 4K offering should offered by late 2018); plus the optional Sure View privacy screen HP created for constricting viewing angles to 20 degrees at the center of the screen. As you can see from the striking images, the x360 1030 G2 is stunning, with a silver aluminum unibody, hinges that allow 360 degrees of freedom, a backlit keyboard, and fingerprint reader.

In contempt of its thin profile, the sides of the laptop have enough space for just enough peripherals- including a USB 3.0, headphone/microphone jack, and smart card reader on the right; plus another USB 3.0, microSD card slot Thunderbolt 3, Kensington lock, HDMI port, and power jack on the left. The x360 1030 G2’s keyboard is worthy of more attention, as it has 1.2mm of travel, 65 grams of force, yet feels anything but weak or shallow. The clicks are responsive, and speedy typing tests showed little room for error. Because this is a business laptop, shortcut keys, such as answer and hang up tabs for Skype calls, are found quite helpful.

For an HP mainstream device, functional as both a laptop or tablet, the qualifications that make the x360 1030 G2 high-end enough to be workplace ready include some sturdy and significant hardware. Inside, users will find three Intel processor options- the 2.5GHz to 3.10GHz Core i5-7200U, the 2.60GHz to 3.50 GHz Core i5-7300U, or the 2.8GHz to 3.90GHz i7-7600U. Also included, is 8GB of onboard RAM- up to 16GB, which will be most useful for clerical and managerial workers. The GPU includes Intel HD Graphics 620, and as far as storage, count on 128GB to 256GB of SSD on the hard drive.

More important features have to do with security, privacy, and durability. Beyond a fingerprint reader, there is an infrared camera with Windows Hello for that handy dandy facial recognition for authorized login credentials. HP’s system also includes the Intel-introduced vPro, a remote management tool, found in many devices these days, as a platform for both hardware and software- where it remotely diagnoses, manages, and updates PCs. Some pre-loaded, protective apps include HP Client Security, HP JumpStart, and HP TouchPoint. Finally, it’s durable enough to survive climate changes, such as high and low temps, humidity, and even shocks- such as drops, vibrations, and some liquid on the keyboard, making it MIL-STD certified.

The HP Elite series are primarily devices that are geared towards business folk, but the interests of regular consumers, as well as the younger workforce, are also included in this particular line. The case of the EliteBook x360 1030 G2 is definitely a win-win for all. Despite its quite gorgeous design, which is slightly lighter than the Dell XPS 13 9365 2-in-1, users can expect more storage than ever, a keyboard that deserves some extra points, a lengthy 14-hour battery life (thanks to its 57Wh 3-cell Lithium-ion power), and corporate-level, exemplary security features for all. As it may be considerably pricey, this can be configured to your liking, starting at $1,349.