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Dual Thunderbolt 3 Adds to the Beauty of the HP EliteBook Folio G1

HP has some of the best looking and powerful Windows notebook PC's such as the HP Spectre x360 (2nd Generation 2017) and HP EliteBook Folio G1. These laptops can afford to look stylish and ultra slim by taking advantage of two Thunderbolt 3 ports. With Thunderbolt 3, you only need two USB Type-C ports to expand your digital connectivity options thus reducing much of the bulk from individual standard connectors.

The HP EliteBook Folio G1 can use its two Thunderbolt 3 enabled USB Type-C ports to support Thunderbolt 3 links (40 Gb/s), USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gb/s), DisplayPort 1.2, and USB Power Delivery technology. You can use these Thunderbolt 3 ports to charge the HP EliteBook Folio G1 as well as deliver power and quick charging to other peripherals.

The HP EliteBook Folio G1 is by far one of the few Windows notebook PC's out there to offer up to two Thunderbolt 3 ports, including the  Dell XPS 12 9250 2-in-1 Laptop. Most come with only a single Thunderbolt 3 although the current non Windows based Apple Mac's already have four Thunderbolt 3 ports like the Apple 15" MacBook Pro (Late 2016).   

We purchased the HP EliteBook Folio G1 together with the HP USB-C Travel Dock directly online from JD.com in China. The shipment packaging was in good condition upon receiving.

Unpacking the HP EliteBook Folio G1 very much reminds us of the time we purchased the HP Elitebook Folio Notebook PC (W8H05PA)  (click here to know more) which belongs in the same family. 

Unexpectedly the HP EliteBook Folio G1 only comes with a USB Type-C based 45 Watts Smart AC adapter and power cord which unlike its  W8H05PA sibling had more accessories. 

The notebook is exceptionally thin and light weight and exudes the premium elegance of that seen on a Mac like the 13" MacBook Pro (Late 2016).   

The HP EliteBook Folio G1 comes with Windows 10 Pro 64 OS, Intel Core M-6Y75 processor with Intel HD Graphics 515, 8 GB LPDDR3-1866 SDRAM memory, 512 GB M2 SATA-3 TLC SSD hard drive, and Intel 802.11 b/g/n/ac (2x2) and Bluetooth 4.2 Combo wireless.

The HP EliteBook Folio G1 portrays the Bang & Olufsen brand of speakers which are found at the bottom of the notebook. HP also continues to partner with this premium Danish based audio supplier on its more recent notebook's like the Spectre x360 (2nd Generation 2017).

The HP EliteBook Folio G1 uses the same back lit keyboard with touchpad as also seen on similar models.

The only connectivity ports on this PC are the two Thunderbolt 3 based USB Type-C ports on the right side and one 3.5 mm audio jack on the opposite side. This actually appears very much similar to the 13" MacBook Pro (Late 2016) also having the same connectors which is interesting. 

Since the HP EliteBook Folio G1 only has the USB Type-C connector and no other digital interfaces, the HP USB-C Travel Dock is a good way to supplement the notebook with traditional connectors like USB Type-A, HDMI, VGA, and Ethernet.

The HP USB-C Travel Dock that we bought along with the notebook also came delivered in plain cardboard packaging.

Inside the shipment box there's only documentation accompanying the HP USB-C Travel Dock.

HP also partners with software technology brand DisplayLink as seen on the dock's casing. 

The HP USB-C Travel Dock comes with a tethered non-removable USB Type-C cable that is used to connect to your computing device. You will need to plug the dock into a USB Type-C charging out port on your PC so that power can flow through to the dock. Since the dock draws power from the USB host VBUS, it won't need to be connected to a separate AC power.

The tethered USB Type-C cable when not in use can be neatly folded and stored into the allocated slot.

The HP USB-C Travel Dock contains a HDMI port for HD video, VGA connector, RJ-45 network port, and both USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gb/s) and USB 2.0 Type-A ports for data. Any USB data peripheral like a USB storage drive connected to the dock's USB Type-A port should be accessible by the computing device. If the computing device supports DisplayPort over USB Type-C and/or Thunderbolt 3, you can also link up an external 4K monitor  from the HDMI port to output video up to 4K@30hz resolution depending on the capability of the computing device and monitor.

The HP USB-C Travel Dock should be compatible with most Windows PC's that support DisplayPort over USB Type-C or Thunderbolt 3 technologies.

The 45 Watts Smart AC adapter provided with the HP EliteBook Folio G1 can use USB Power Delivery to enable fast charging for the notebook. Just plug in the adapter to a USB Type-C port on the notebook after attaching the power cord and connected to the AC power.

The adapter claims on its casing to provide 10 watts (5 volts @ 2 amps), 36 watts (12 volts @ 3 amps), and 45 watts (15 volts @ 3 amps) power profiles.

The HP EliteBook Folio G1 is both classy yet ultra portable that is perfect to flaunt it everywhere you go. With two Thunderbolt 3, it has all your wired connectivity needs covered exclusively through its USB Type-C ports.