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GEAR HP ZBOOK X2
HP ZBOOK X2 LAPTOP HP has come up with a new design for its latest laptop that will appeal to those who like a keyboard and their fingers to work with WORDS JULIAN MITCHELL
2kg weight with both parts together is reassuring. Tablet mode only brings the weight down to 1.65kg. For sure, coming from using an iPad Pro the weight may surprise you, but this product is more of a real computer than solely a tablet. SPLIT PERSONALITY Anyone looking to buy an x2 will be doing so for one reason and that is its ability to detach the screen from the keyboard and move into what HP calls ‘tablet mode’. Microsoft with their Surface products and Apple with its iPad Pro have already done the same, but there are few other similarities. The x2 splits the keyboard and screen in an unbalanced way – the detached Bluetooth keyboard is just millimetres thick while the screen hides the PC beneath it. Cleverly, even when detached the keyboard still works remotely. Sans keyboard, the x2 turns into a very powerful screen-based computer. Our review product was rocking the latest i7-8650 processor with 32GB of RAM and a single terabyte SSD. The screen is their award winning DreamColor version with a UHD 3840x2160 pixel spec. Twinned with tablet mode is the pen. This isn’t any normal nib but one
he unpackaging moment is often ridiculed but is still the first rung on the ladder of many video tech reviews. The catch is that if the packing transmits a good message to you about quality and attention to detail then there is a good chance that the actual hardware will do the same. Big tick for the new HP Zbook x2 in this respect; and the experience doesn’t end when you peel away the protective layers from this new detachable PC from the kings of hard- working workstations. Someone at the industrial design department at HP has been let loose a bit; first we saw the new VR backpack which has all the angles of a sci-fi movie prop, and now the x2 which is the perfect design partner. This is a solid unit; some may say a bit heavy but I think the just-over-
with Wacom technology inside it. It works beautifully, even twinning with the computer as you approach it. The pen comes with a selection of digital nibs but if you want finer or different types you can buy replacements. The ones we used were very sensitive and almost no latency was detected; HP claim 4096 pressure levels and also that its pen will never need to be recharged. The HP ZBook x2 is something of a revelation product from HP. The basic design is a joy to use even from a Mac Head like me. You will find yourself combining the keyboard and the touch interface while you do your emailing and surfing, but detach the screen and enter full tablet mode with the pen and your design or editing work is coolly efficient and a great place to be. Check the HP site for the specs but all the connections you could want are there, including HDMI1.4; USB3.0; and two USB 3.1 Type-C Thunderbolt 3 (DisplayPort 1.2).
ABOVE the x2’s keyboard works even when physically detached. BELOW The x2 in tablet mode.
CLEVERLY, EVEN WHEN DETACHED, THE KEYBOARD STILL WORKS REMOTELY
DEFINITION JULY 2018
DEFINITIONMAGAZINE.COM
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