HP Inc. has introduced new PCs, collaboration solutions, and support packages for SMB buyers.
Accompanied to market by a fresh crop of consumer-oriented laptops as well, the commercial offerings debuted at HP’s annual Reinvent conference, which is underway now in Houston.
Scheduled to ship in June, the HP ProBook 445R G6 and ProBook 455R G6 convertibles are the latest additions to HP’s EliteBook portfolio of commercial PCs. Both devices feature a “forged aluminum” chassis equipped with a 180-degree, lay-flat hinge.
The ProBook 445R G6, which comes with a 14″ display and weighs just over 3.5 lbs., is 0.71″ in height. The larger ProBook 455R G6 features a 15.6″ display, weighs a little more than 4.4 lbs., and is 0.74″ tall.
Each of the new devices features 2nd Generation AMD Ryzen processors and AMD Radeon Vega graphics. They support up to 16 GB of DDR4-2400 memory, and can accommodate up to a 512 GB solid-state drive or up to a 1 TB hard disk drive. HP has subjected the new products to 19 MIL-STD tests to ensure durability.
Pricing has yet to be finalized for either device.
Also introduced today is the HP ProDesk 405 G4 Desktop Mini, which like the new ProBooks comes with a 2nd Generation AMD Ryzen processor. Measuring 6.96″ x 6.88″ x 1.33″ and weighing just 2.77 lbs., the device is designed to provide solid performance and a mix of configuration options in a compact form factor.
Priced at $499 and up, the system utilizes AMD Radeon Vega graphics and can support up to three displays, up to 32 GB of DDR4-2933 SDRAM, and up to a 1 TB SATA HDD or 512 GB SSD.
All three new business PCs introduced today are designed to address the design and feature preferences of millennial buyers looking for premium features at an affordable price. “We’re moving premium to the mainstream,” says Kobi Elbaz, vice president and general manager for HP personal systems in the Americas.
Millennials account for 50 percent of the SMB workforce at present, according to data from professional service provider PwC. Separate research from IDC states that 58 percent of millennials purchase premium laptops themselves.
The new additions to HP’s family of conference room solutions introduced today also target SMB environment. Prior offerings in that product line have integrated with Microsoft Skype for Business and Intel’s Unite solution. The HP Elite Slice G2 and Collaboration PC G5 unveiled today provide similar one-touch conferencing capabilities to users of Zoom Video Communications Inc.’s Zoom Rooms solution.
Both products seek to address increased demand among end users for PC-based conferencing solutions that are easy to use and manage, according to Alex Cho, president of personal systems at HP, in a keynote address this morning. “With the same technology that you use to manage all those PCs for all of your employees you can manage your [meeting] room,” he said.
The Elite Slice G2 comes in an audio-ready edition with an integrated mic and speakers and a version that pairs with third-party audio platforms. Those SKUs and the HP Collaboration PC G5 are slated to ship in July at prices that have yet to be finalized.
HP also announced a set of Premier Care support packages for its EliteBook laptops and ZBook portable workstations today. The first of what will eventually be three such offerings, which includes onsite, next-business-day support, travel protection, and defective media retention services for disabled storage drives, is available now in the Americas. Two further packages will ship in the second half of the year.
Like the ProBook and ProDesk products showcased today, HP’s latest consumer laptops aim to bring design features normally associated with higher-end laptops—including narrow bezels and gold or silver cases—to mainstream buyers.
Specific offerings include the HP ENVY 13, which offers up to 19 hours of battery life; the HP ENVY x360 13 and 15, which come with either AMD or 8th Gen Intel Core processors and provide up to 14.5 hours of battery life in the case of the smaller unit and 13 hours in the case of the larger one; and the HP ENVY 17, which combines 8th Gen Intel Core CPUs with NVIDIA GeForce MX250 graphics.
HP also introduced a new security-as-a-service offering at Reinvent today. On Monday, it announced changes to its partner portals, training resources, and financing programs aimed at helping its partners transition along with HP itself from an era of transactional to contractual sales relationships.
