Apple's MacBook is svelte, robust and powerful and undoubtedly, has immense aspirational value. In a bid to refine their own offerings – and appease consumer desires – P and LG have released the EliteBook Folio and the Gram 15 laptops, respectively, which are eerily reminiscent of the Macbook.
These MacBook lookalikes try to step-up things by doing away with gripes users have from Apple. For instance, the HP offering has two Thunderbolt 3 ports that can be used not only for charging, but also other things. Apple, on the other hand offers MacBook users a single port.
Another bone to pick with Apple is regarding its clickless Force Touch trackpad. HP has packed in a multi-touch trackpad that clicks in its EliteBook Folio, upping Apple in the process.
The LG Gram 15 too ups the ante on the MacBook Air. How? It weighs 2.16 pounds vis-à-vis the 11-inch MacBook's 2.38 pounds despite its bigger size. This is attributed largely to the use of magnesium instead of aluminum.
While both the LG Gram 15 and the HP EliteBook Folio are potentially MacBook clones, we take a look at which of the two notebooks has more to offer.
Processor
The HP offering houses Intel's Core M7 sixth-gen dual-core processors either Core M3, M5 or M7 which are from the new Skylake line and 8 GB of RAM.
The LG Gram 15 is also fueled by the same Intel Core sixth-gen dual-core processors either Core i5 or i7 - depending on the model and 8 GB of RAM. This processor however, is not the Core M one even though it's from the Skylake line.
Processor-wise since LG's offering has a bigger screen it could need more juice and, therefore, HP could have the edge as the Core M7 processor was touted as the best processor ever from Intel.
Display
The EliteBook Folio has a 12.5-inch 1,080p screen and will also be available in a UHD 4K option which will have a pixel density of 352ppi.
The LG Gram 15 has a bigger 15.6-inch Full HD IPS 1,080p screen. However, the LG ultrabook does not have a 4K option, giving HP the edge.
Weight
At 2.16 pounds, the LG Gram 15 is lighter than the HP EliteBook Folio which weighs less than 2.2 pounds.
Storage
The storage options for HP EliteBook Folio will be range from 128 GB SSD to a 512 GB SSD. The LG Gram 15 will have 256 GB SSD and 512 GB SSD for the Core i5 and Core i7 variants, respectively.
Operating System
Both the laptops will run on Windows. However, while the LG offering will come with Windows 10 out of the box, the HP device will run on Windows 10 Pro.
Battery
The EliteBook Folio will support up to 10-hour battery life per HP. The company claims that "the design and materials of the device also allowed HP engineers to maximize space for an HP Long Life Battery, built to last more than three years."
The battery support offered by the LG Gram 15 is "up to 7 hours," although, LG has not revealed the battery's size.
Price
The HP EliteBook Folio is targeted at business users and is priced accordingly. HP also worked in tandem with Microsoft for a year to offer "the best Skype for Business experience."
The laptop will start at $999 and hit the shelves from March this year. If you wish to be notified of the EliteBook Folio's availability, you can sign-up at HP's website for alerts.
The LG Gram 15, touted as an ultra-slim laptop – it's 0.66-inch thick – is available for purchase. The Core i5 and Core i7 variants of the laptop are priced at $1,099.99 and $1,499.99, respectively. It is available in Gold.
Verdict
It is still early to judge which of the two laptops is the better MacBook clone and offers more for the price it commands. The LG Gram 15 has the upper hand when it comes to portability, despite its bigger screen size. However, the processor and 4K UHD display of the EliteBook Folio sway things in the laptop's favor.
