HP’s Elite x2 1012 G2 Refresh Is A Kaby Lake Powered Surface Pro 4 Killer
For starters, the MIL-SPEC tested Elite x2 1012 G2 is available with Kaby Lake Core i5 and Core i7 processors, which can be paired with up to 16GB of LPDDR3-1866 RAM. You can configure up to 512GB of storage via either a M.2 SATA or M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD (we should mention that the Surface Pro 4 tops out at 1TB). HP, however, doesn’t skimp out on the Gorilla Glass 4-covered display, which measures 12.3 inches diagonally and features a WQXGA+ (2736x1824) resolution.
Other features include a microSD reader, 5MP front-facing camera, an 8MP rear camera, NFC, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2 and optional 4G LTE connectivity. HP also embraces legacy peripherals with a USB 3.0 port, but looks to the future with the inclusion of a USB 3.1 Type-C port.
We should also note that the Elite x2 1012 G2 supports Windows Hello thanks to dual IR lens that support facial recognition along with an optional fingerprint reader that resides on the back of the tablet. You’ll also find a Wacom digitizer and HP Active Pen along with Bang & Olufsen speakers.
The convertible incorporates a 47 WHr battery with HP Fast Charge support (up to 10 hours battery life, 50 percent charge can be achieved in 30 minutes) and weighs in at 1.77 pounds in tablet mode. Slap on the travel keyboard, and the weight jumps to 2.55 pounds. If you substitute the advantage keyboard, the weight climbs to 2.94 pounds.
The HP Elite x2 1012 G2 will be available in July with a starting price of $1,099. For those that are still committed to the Surface Pro family or products, Microsoft is rumored to unveil a Kaby Lake refresh later this month.
