New HP Envy, Elite PCs Ramp Up the Power, Add Alexa

The main benefit of a 2-in-ane convertible laptop is the power to use it equally both a tablet and a conventional laptop, but models like the xv-inch Dell XPS fifteen show that the grade gene tin can too be a cut-edge albeit slightly unwieldy platform to testify off the latest CPU innovations.

The latest large, cutting-edge 2-in-1 is the HP Envy x360 fifteen, unveiled this calendar week with a selection of Intel or AMD processors and AMD Radeon RX Vega graphics. It's one of nearly a dozen new or updated laptops and desktops that HP appear, including a 34-inch curved all-in-one desktop designed for businesses to conventional 13-inch and 17-inch Green-eyed laptops.

Like the Dell XPS 15, the $749 Envy x360 xv will be rather unwieldy in tablet mode, since it weighs nearly 5 pounds. Compare that with thirteen-inch convertibles or conventional laptops like the LG Gram 13, which weigh as little as 2 pounds. Still, for that added heft, the Green-eyed x360 fifteen promises to be a very powerful machine for content creators, assuming you order an all-AMD configuration. With a Vega GPU and Ryzen CPU, you can judge the power of a laptop powered by a Nvidia GTX 10-series graphics card at a fraction of the price and weight.

HP also updated the 13-inch version of its $759 Green-eyed x360, adding the pick for Ryzen processors and Vega GPUs. New this year on both models is an improved Certain View built-in privacy filter, which originally debuted on HP Elite business-oriented laptops final year. It drastically reduces the screen's viewing angle at the push of a push, though it decreases battery life and washes out colors slightly, even when it'due south off.

The new 34-inch all-in-one, the $i,279 EliteOne 1000 AiO G2, boasts a curved display and an optional AMD Radeon RX 540 graphics card. It joins a gaggle of Elite business laptops, including a new EliteBook 1050 G1, which includes an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 graphics card in an ultra-slim form factor.

For home users, HP too teased updates to its Envy desktop line, including a new 34-inch curved Envy all-in-i with built in support for Amazon's Alexa. Many PC manufacturers accept been racing to include Alexa in their laptops and desktops, just they've so far been stymied by Amazon and Microsoft dragging their heels on bringing the phonation assistant to Windows 10. HP said simply that the Alexa-equipped Envy AIO will be available later this twelvemonth, and so the pace clearly hasn't quickened.

For a complete listing of new and refreshed products, along with their prices and availability, check out the listing beneath: