HP just threw their hat into the gaming monitor ring, and also showed off some mighty interesting all-in-ones and convertible laptops.
Since gaming hardware has grown increasingly more important for HP, they have just announced their first Omen series display with NVIDIA G-Sync technology. While that in itself is pretty cool, it is the rest of specs that are drool worthy. The HP Omen X is a 35-inch 21:9 curved display with a UWQHD 3440×1440 resolution, a 100Hz refresh rate, and a 4ms response time. It features an AMVA panel with a 1800R curvature, 300 nits brightness, and 2500:1 contrast ratio. The 8-bit panel can display 16.77 million colours, and supports 100% of the sRGB colour gamut. As mentioned above, the Omen X does have a built-in G-Sync module and it will be able to dynamically vary its refresh rate from as low as 30Hz all the way up to 100Hz.
Onboard connectivity is ample in the form of three USB 3.0 Type-A ports, one headphone output, and one microphone input. It has no integrated speakers, because what kind of self-respecting gamer would ever use them?! The video input options are DisplayPort 1.2 and HDMI 1.4, but if you use HDMI expect to be limited to 50Hz due that interface's lack of bandwidth. Considering the fact that this is a high-end 2017 monitor, we are disappointed that they couldn't add HDMI 2.0.
The only other issue is that this monitor has a short 1-year warranty, which is pitiful when compared to the 3-year warranty offered on the similarly-specced ASUS ROG Swift PG348Q. The Omen X will be available in March 2017 and should retail for about $1300 USD.
Since he is on the ground in Las Vegas, Dmitry got a close-up look at this new monitor, and even few other interesting products that HP brought out for CES:
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While the Omen X display is the only 'gaming' related product that HP unveiled, they did show off some other very interesting pieces of hardware:
"The World's Thinnest Convertible Laptop" is a goal that seemingly every laptop manufacturer is aiming for right now, and HP is no obviously different. However, while no one has managed to dethrone the Acer Spin 7 - which is a mere 10.98mm thick - HP is advertising their new EliteBook x360 as the world’s thinnest business-class convertible. Assuming that it's true, that is perfectly legitimate distinction in our opinion, since the EliteBook has a build quality and enterprise-oriented features that consumer convertibles cannot come close to matching.
At 14.97mm thick and 2.85lb, this CNC-machined aluminium convertible it is not exactly chunky, especially if it is true that it has the world’s longest battery life in a convertible (up to 16 hours and 30 minutes). While the EliteBook x360 comes with a 13.3-inch 1080P touchscreen, there is an option to upgrade to an eye-piercingly sharp 4K UHD panel. Either option will be covered in Corning Gorilla Glass, which is must for any premium convertible.
Performance comes from a Kaby Lake dual-core Intel Core i5 or i7 U-Series processor, along with 16GB of memory, and M.2 PCI-E storage options ranging from 128GB to 360GB. We like the fact that there is no shortage of ports on this model, with two USB 3.0, one USB Type-C, one full-size HDMI, one 3.5mm headphone/microphone, and one Micro SD slot.
The EliteBook x360 is expected to be available at the end of January 2017 starting at $1249 USD.
Undoubtedly the weirdest and most fanciful computer unveiled at CES 2017 was the second generation HP Sprout Pro. Aimed at commercial users, like artists and engineers, and basically anyone involved in manufacturing, education, or even retail, the Sprout Pro is designed for help you make things.
At its most basic, it is an all-in-one PC with a 23.8" 1080P touchscreen, but with the unusual addition of a projector, a projection screen, and a couple of cameras. The part of the stand that overhangs the screen is where the 1080P projector and a couple of cameras reside. From there a 21.3" image is projected onto the white 20-point capacitive Touch Mat. The touch surface not only supports up to four hands at once, but is active pen compatible, and can be used to scan documents up to A3 size. 2D scanning is not very futuristic though, so this new Sprout Pro features high-precision 3D scanning too. Thanks to a 14.6MP camera and some Intel RealSense 3D magic, an object can be 3D scanned, turned into a 3D model, modified as necessary, and then printed on a 3D printer. That is a huge advancement for those who need quick prototyping capabilities.
Ironically, this is one of the only computers where the hardware specs are of secondary importance. However, it does feature a Kaby Lake-based Intel Core i7-7700T four-core/eight-thread processor paired to an H170 motherboard, up to 16GB of RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M graphics, 1TB SSHD storage, an M.2 2280 slot, a 350W power supply, four USB 3.0 ports, one HDMI 2.0 port, and built-in speakers by Bang and Olufsen.
The Sprout Pro is expected in March 2017 starting at $3200 USD.
Shoving conventional industry "wisdom" out of the window, HP have actually made their new Spectre x360 convertible laptop both heavier and thicker than last year's model. What does that 1.9mm increase in thickness and 200 grams of extra weight get you? A 23 percent larger battery than can provide up to 3 hours of additional battery life. That sounds like a damn good compromise to us.
This Spectre x360 has a 15.6" micro-edge 4K IPS display, so it needs some beefy components to drive it. Thankfully, it can be outfitted with a Kaby Lake-based Intel Core i7-7500U processor, NVIDIA GeForce 940MX 2GB graphics, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, a 256GB M.2 PCI-E NVMe SSD, dual Bang & Olufsen speakers, and a 79.2Wh battery that should keep you running for up to 13 hours. The full-size island-style keyboard is backlit, and you'll be able to do some video conferencing thanks to a HP TrueVision FHD IR Webcam with integrated dual-array microphones. The whole package comes in at 4.43lbs, which is not too shabby given the specs and large battery.
The Spectre x360 15.6” should be available in January 2017 starting at $1500 USD.
While the HP ENVY Curved All-in-One 34 doesn't have quite as awesome a screen as the Omen X, it comes pretty close. Thanks to a 34-inch 21:9 1900R curved display with a UWQHD 3440×1440 resolution, the ENVY Curved is the widest curved all-in-one on the market. While the display is huge, you might have noticed that base that it floats above is also quite large. This is because that base is actually a sound bar with four front-firing speakers tuned by Bang & Olufsen. Apparently, the speakers have been installed in such a way that they direct sound toward you at a 45-degree angle, which help it reach your ears. The sleek piano-black base also features a touch-sensitive volume dial.
While the display and large sound bar are obviously the stars of the show, this immersive all-in-one has pretty good specs too. It has a Kaby Lake-based Intel Core i5-7400T or Core i7-7700T processor, 16GB of DDR4-2133 RAM, a AMD Radeon RX460 4GB graphics card, 256GB M.2 PCI-E NVMe SSD, 1TB hard drive, four USB 3.0 ports, one USB 3.1 Type-C port that supports Thunderbolt 3, HDMI inputs and outputs, 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2. Apparently there is also a HP TrueVision HD IR webcam built into the display. A wireless keyboard and optical mouse combo are included in the bundle.
The ENVY Curved All-In-One 34 is expected to be available as early as January 2017, and will start off at $1,730 USD.
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