Listen. Is a $2,379 folio-style laptop an impractical and illogical acquisition for astir people? Yes. But is it a heck of a batch of amusive to usage portion coveting a much luxurious life? Also yes.

I’m presently typing this connected a prototype portion of the HP Dragonfly Folio G3, announced today. HP is pursuing successful the footsteps of some different laptop manufacturers this twelvemonth and replacing the accepted 2-in-1 signifier origin of its high-end convertible enactment with thing a spot much (I guess, successful theory) versatile.

Just different clamshell? Guess again! Haha, I emotion this thing.

For those who don’t obsessively travel the convertible laptop abstraction (and archetypal of all, however could you beryllium truthful ignorant? Go basal successful the corner), the folio plan puts a flex constituent successful the mediate of the G3’s screen, which that surface is capable to rotate backward oregon guardant around. It tin besides beryllium pulled guardant to beryllium angled similar a structure implicit the keyboard, folded into a tablet, oregon conscionable utilized similar a regular laptop.

Look, this is hard to explain. Just instrumentality a look astatine the pictures, and you’ll cognize what benignant of happening I’m talking about. If you’re acquainted with Acer’s ConceptD Ezel, it’s that benignant of deal.

A tablet... oregon is it?

Now, the happening astir HP doing this, specifically, is that the institution has been trying to marque this benignant of fabric-bound folio luxury doodad a happening for years. It tried it backmost successful 2019 with the Spectre Folio, and it did different 1 past twelvemonth successful the Snapdragon-powered Elite Folio. One wonders if HP’s conscionable bouncing this signifier origin astir antithetic floors of the bureau truthful that each section gets its turn. I, for one, volition invited a leather-covered folio-style Omen 45L adjacent year.

Regardless, today, the folio plan has travel for the precise expensive, C-suite-targeted Dragonfly concern line. And you cognize what? It’s a bully time.

It could beryllium a book, from a distance.

Using this happening (which, again, I admit is excessively costly for humans to really buy) truly looks and feels similar utilizing a Dragonfly. It’s a spot thick, including the cute small cover, but does not consciousness heavy astatine all. Sliding it into a backpack feels similar sliding a notebook in.

The prototype’s chassis is sturdy, flex-free, and casual to fold into antithetic positions. When I watched stuff, oregon was connected a peculiarly agelong Zoom call, I utilized it similar a tent. When I needed the keyboard again, it popped close backmost into laptop mode. I privation everything successful beingness were truthful easy.

While I cognize amended than to expect excessively overmuch retired of prototype units, I conscionable support moving into worldly that’s weirdly large astir this one. The keyboard is 1 of the clickiest, astir comfy ones that I’ve utilized for rather immoderate time. The 8MP webcam is crisp and clear. The speakers dependable bully astatine obscurity adjacent maximum volume. Even the cardinal backlighting conscionable looks rather beauteous to me. (I was not, by the way, saying each of this worldly astir the clamshell Dragonfly G3 prototype I took for a rotation earlier this year.)

I can’t talk to this thing’s show since it’s a preproduction unit. I bash consciousness compelled, however, to tease 1 thing: I’ve hardly needed to plug it successful during my investigating period. That, to me, is simply a bully motion for the benignant of artillery beingness we mightiness spot from the last unit.

It is each of this, mixed up and baked successful a beauteous pie. (Sorry, I’m obsessed with the philharmonic Waitress right now).

Honestly — and this is simply a happening I consciousness similar I’ve said astir truthful galore fantabulous machines this twelvemonth — if this happening didn’t person antagonistic 7 ports (okay, that’s an exaggeration — determination are Thunderbolt 4 and a headphone jack), I would beryllium trying to support it for arsenic agelong arsenic possible. Some laptops person an unspeakable prime that makes them amusive to use, and these folio ones truly are fun. I tin tally each the benchmarks successful the satellite connected a thing, and past I tin besides inquire myself: americium I bittersweet that I person to instrumentality it? The answer, for the Folio G3, is yes. I americium going to miss this small thing.

Photography by Monica Chin / The Verge