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HP's Omen X 2S has a second display, à la Razer's OG Blade

All images via HP
All images via HP
The HP Omen X 2S is a thin-and-light gaming laptop that features a secondary 6-inch touchscreen display directly above the keyboard. While the device is a capable gaming laptop in its own right, the secondary display could be a game changer that raises the Omen X 2S above the crowd. However, we've seen secondary displays in laptops before, and they usually come across as a gimmick.

HP unveiled several new laptops this morning, including what they say is the world’s first dual-screen laptop. The HP Omen X 2S features a traditional 15.6-inch display as well as a smaller 6-inch secondary display, but the device looks oddly familiar.

The Omen X 2S falls right in line with the company’s gaming brand and is packed with the latest gaming laptop accouterments:

Display FHD @ 144 Hz, FHD @ 240 Hz, or 4K HDR @ 60 HZ
CPU Intel Core i7-9750H, up to Intel Core i9-9980HK
GPU Nvidia RTX 2070 Max-Q or Nvidia RTX 2080 Max-Q
RAM 16 GB DDR4, up to 32 GB DDR4
Storage 256 GB SSD, up to 1 TB NVMe SSD
Price Starting at US $2100

The device is fairly thin at 0.8 inches. There’s no official word on the weight as of this writing, but the laptop should be fairly portable. HP will also use liquid metal in the cooling system in lieu of typical thermal paste; this should help with temperature control, throttling, and fan noise.

The X 2S’s primary gimmick is its 6-inch FHS touchscreen sandwiched directly above the keyboard. HP says that this screen can be used to run another application or program independently of the primary display. This may be a boon for streamers; they can play their game using the entire high-refresh-rate display and monitor their chat or stream control on the smartphone-sized secondary display. Others may want to keep communication apps like Discord running on the smaller screen to stay in touch with friends while using the device.

The secondary display can also be used to display part of the primary screen (like a mini-map). Developers may also be able to code games or other apps to utilize the second screen for other purposes.

Razer tried something similar with the Razer Blade all the way back in 2011. The touchpad (mounted on the right side of that device) also doubled as a small touch screen that could be used for enhanced features in some games and could run some programs independently of the primary display. While Razer rehashed that idea in later Blade Pro models, the company ultimately nixed the secondary display in favor of a more traditional laptop build.

HP’s implementation will need to hit the ground running if it’s to stick around. It’s an innovative idea, but whether or not the gaming world needs (or even wants) a smaller secondary display is yet to be seen.

HP hasn’t yet announced when the Omen X 2S will be available.
Update 06/19/2019: The Omen X 2S is now officially on sale.

 

Source(s)

HP (press release)

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2019 05 > HP's Omen X 2S has a second display, à la Razer's OG Blade
Sam Medley, 2019-05-14 (Update: 2019-06-19)