The HP Zbook x2 is the king of mobile workstations and we show you why
When it comes to powerful mobile workstation machines, HP’s ZBooks have made tremendous advances in design to offer a pleasingly usable package that have good industrial design and perform well. This time, they've made a detachable version and it will make Microsoft and others envious.
By Vijay Anand -
When it comes to mobile workstation machines, HP’s ZBooks have made tremendous advances to deliver a package with good industrial design and pack loads of power. Just last month, HP launched yet another version of the ZBook, but this time, targeting creative professionals who need a more portable, modern machine that can keep up with their needs.
Enter the ZBook x2, the most powerful mobile detachable workstation.
Its industrial design is strong and unique at the same time, evoking confidence, power and something you can depend upon. It also delivers far more graphics and CPU horsepower than the ubiquitous Microsoft Surface Pro. Expect up to quad-core processor configurations, NVIDIA Quadro M620 GPU, 32GB DDR4 memory and up to 2TB of PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD storage.
And all this power is delivered in its tablet form factor, meaning the absence of the detachable keyboard does not reduce its computing power. Take that, Microsoft.
Speaking of the keyboard, it’s quite unlike other detachable notebooks with a sturdy base that feels as if you’re typing on a fixed keyboard than a detachable one. Also, notice the blue LED light on the top right of the detached keyboard? Yes, it’s a Bluetooth enabled keyboard to stay active when detached, so you have access to shortcut key combos when working in applications like Adobe Photoshop. Take that again, Microsoft.
it has a 14-inch diagonal, 4K multi-touch display with an optional 10-bit, one-billion color HP DreamColor display calibrated to 100% Adobe RGB color space. The display includes an anti-glare touchscreen allowing users to work comfortably in any lighting condition. To complement it, a battery-less, HP-designed pen based on Wacom EMR technology, responds naturally to the artist’s hand for natural motion. The ZBook x2 offers 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity with multi-directional tilt capabilities and includes a dedicated eraser.
Sporting a fully-machined, aluminum and die-cast magnesium body, the ZBook x2 is only 1.65kg in tablet mode and only 14mm thin. In laptop mode, it’s just over 2.1kg. It's however still tough enough that it’s designed to pass MIL-STD tests.
As we’ve shared some of its features, you can see why it’s powerful and capable enough to replace the popular MacBook Pro and iPad combo to accomplish the same tasks with ease just using the ZBook x2.
Right side connectivity: power connector, 1 x HDMI 1.4, 1 x USB 3.0 (charging), 2 x USB 3.1 Type-C Thunderbolt 3 (DisplayPort 1.2).
The HP ZBook x2 has just been made available in the market with Intel's 7th-gen Core i7 processors and it will soon ship with 8th-gen Core i7 processors that are quad-core parts. The fastest processor offering will be the Core i7-8650U (up to 4.2GHz with Intel Turbo Boost). Prices start from US$1,749 for the base configuration.
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