HP at the Adobe Max conference on Wednesday pulled the sheet back on a purpose-driven, professional-grade 2-in-1 that's sure to appeal to some (so long as you can look past the high price tag).
The HP ZBook X2, labeled as the world's most powerful detachable PC and the world's first detachable workstation, was crafted with artists, designers and digital imaging professionals in mind. It features a 14-inch, 4K IPS DreamColor display driven by up to an Intel Core i7-8650U processor, 32GB of DDR4 RAM, Nvidia Quadro M620 graphics and a 2TB PCIe NVMe M.2 solid-state drive.
Considering the hardware at play, it's no surprise that the machine is actively cooled.
Dongles won't be a necessity here as the ZBook X2 packs two USB 3.1 Type-C Thunderbolt 3 ports as well as an HDMI 1.4 port, a USB 3.0 port and a combination headphone / microphone jack. There's also an SD card reader, dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, a built-in kickstand and dual 720p cameras - all running your choice of Windows 10 Home or Pro (or, FreeDOS 2.0).
In addition to the keyboard, the system also comes with a Wacom-infused stylus supporting 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity. The slate itself weighs a hefty 3.64 pounds and when you throw on the backlit keyboard, you're look at around 4.78 pounds. It is also designed to meet MIL-STD-810G durability standards, a factor that likely contributes to some of its heft.
HP is clearly targeting those with deep pockets as the ZBook X2 starts at $1,749 (you'll pay a lot more if you want a high-end configuration). If you've got the money and are looking for a seemingly solid alternative to the Surface Book 2 or Surface Pro, this is certainly worth a look.