HP introduces new ZBook mobile workstations

HP has primarily focused on an especially slim case with an attractive design for the ZBook Studio G3, which is the first "Quad-core Workstation Ultrabook". Despite a height of only 18 mm, the Studio is said to meet all the standards required for a workstation regarding stability and durability and is capable of housing up-to-date high-performance components.

We are talking about Intel Xeon processors, Nvidia Quadro graphics chips, two M.2 slots with up to 2 TB SSD memory and up to 32 GB ECC (Error Correcting Code Memory) RAM. The display options consist of conventional FHD screens (IPS touch or non-glare) or 4K panels with 3840x2160 pixels, optionally in the form of a normal IPS display or a DreamColor model with an especially big color space (calibrated out-of-the-box).

In terms of connectivity, the HP ZBook Studio G3 delivers Thunderbolt 3, HDMI 1.4 and USB 3.0 as well as a conventional RJ-45 LAN port. In view of the system's orientation towards mobility, a glance at the battery inside it is exciting. It is rated at 64 Wh, but detailed information about the battery life is not available yet, since it could be very different depending on the specific configuration and the usage scenario. In addition, all new ZBook models no longer support the external batteries of the previous generation. Furthermore, all docks are based on Thunderbolt 3 now.

The ZBook Studio is said to start from $1700 or about €1800 in the smallest configuration and will be available in December.

Specification:

• Windows 10 Pro 64/Home 64/Windows 7 Pro 64/FreeDOS
• Intel Xeon E3-1545M/E3-1505M/Core i7-6820HQ/Core i7-6700HQ
• Intel CM236 chipset
• Intel HD Graphics 530/HD Graphics P530/Iris Pro Graphics P580/Nvidia Quadro M1000M (2 GB GDDR5)
• up to B M.2 SSD/up to 512 GB SED SSD/up to 1TB HP Z Turbo Drive G2 (NVMe PCIe SSD)
• 15.6-inch FHD IPS anti-glare display/15.6-inch FHD Touch IPS/UHD IPS anti-glare (3840x2160)/UHD DreamColor IPS anti-glare (3840x2160)
• UHS-II reader, RJ-45, 3x USB 3.0, Thunderbolt 3, HDMI 1.4, audio-combo port
• Bang & Olufsen Audio
• 150 W power adapter, 64 Wh battery
• from 2 kg, 375 x 255 x 18 mm

The new HP ZBook 15 G3 performs quite a bit better than its predecessor. Although it is significantly slimmer than its predecessor (31 mm) with a height of 26 mm, the manufacturer is promising a significant performance gain with up-to-date components from Intel, Nvidia, and AMD. 

It also uses a choice of Intel Xeon processors, up to 64 GB ECC RAM, up to 3 TB storage capacity and DreamColor displays, which are finally available in 15-inch again. However, the integrated optical drive has been omitted in order to make the device slimmer.

Prices for the ZBook 15 G3 or the ZBook 17 G3 are not available yet. The launch of the devices is said to start in January 2016.

Specifications:

• Windows 10 Pro 64/Home 64/Windows 7 Pro 64/FreeDOS
• Intel Xeon E3-1545M/E3-1505M/Core i7-6820HQ/Core i7-6700HQ/Intel Core i5-6440HQ
• Intel CM236 chipset
• Intel HD Graphics 530/HD Graphics P530/Iris Pro Graphics P580/Nvidia Quadro M2000M (4 GB GDDR5)/Nvidia Quadro M1000M (2 GB GDDR5)/AMD FirePro W5170M (2 GB GDDR5)
• up to 64 GB DDR4-2133 ECC or non-ECC SDRAM
• up to 1 TB HDD (5400 rpm)/up to 500 GB SED HDD/up to 512 GB SED SSD/up to 1TB HP Z Turbo Drive G2 (NVMe PCIe SSD)
• 15.6-inch FHD SVA anti-glare Display/15.6-inch FHD IPS anti-glare/15.6-inch FHD Touch IPS/UHD DreamColor IPS anti-glare (3840x2160)
• UHS-II reader, RJ-45, 3x USB 3.0, 2x Thunderbolt 3, HDMI 1.4, audio-combo port
• Bang & Olufsen Audio
• 150 W power adapter, 90 Wh battery
• from 2.59 kg, 386 x 264 x 26 mm 

The ZBook 17 definitely claims the performance crown, at least in an appropriate configuration. HP also regards the ZBook 17 as supplement to the EliteBook series, which currently does not include a 17-inch model. Therefore, the alleged fireball is also available with entry level displays (HD+) and basic GPUs (Intel HD Graphics) and memory.

Alike the ZBook 15, the new ZBook 17 G3 is significantly thinner than its predecessor and also omits the optical drive. The possible configurations are similar to the ZBook 15 G3's, but even more powerful components are possible for CPU, GPU, and storage devices. Once again the highlight is a 4K DreamColor display. 

The 3rd generation of the ZBook 15u still competes with an existing case. However, the innards have been refreshed. In being classified between the ZBook Studio and the ZBook 15, the price of the 15u should especially make the difference as it should allow an inexpensive entry into the workstation world of HP. HP mentions starting prices of about 1500 Euros (~$1614) and availability from December.

Specifications:

• Windows 10 Pro 64/Home 64/Windows 7 Pro 64/FreeDOS
• Intel Core i7-6600U/Core i7-6500U/Core i5-6300U/Core i5-6200U
• Intel HD Graphics 520/AMD FirePro W4190M (2 GB GDDR5)
• up to 32 GB DDR4-2133 non-ECC SDRAM
• up to 1 TB HDD (5400 rpm)/up to 500 GB SED HDD/up to 256 GB SED SSD/up to 512 GB HP Z Turbo Drive G2 (NVMe PCIe SSD)
• 15.6-inch FHD SVA anti-glare Display/15.6-inch FHD IPS anti-glare/15.6-inch FHD Touch IPS/UHD IPS anti-glare (3840x2160)
• SD-Reader, RJ-45, 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 3.1 Gen1, 1x DisplayPort, audio-combo port
• Bang & Olufsen Audio
• 65 W power adapter, 46 Wh battery
• from 1.9 kg, 383 x 258 x 20 mm