HP has unveiled a wave of PCs and printers for a transformed era of business technology, thrust upon the world this year by the coronavirus pandemic, in which work-from-home computing is the new normal.
Introduced on the same day as a subscription-based hardware and services purchasing program for SMBs, the fresh set of laptops, desktops, monitors, and printers made their debut during HP’s virtual Reinvent partner conference.
All of the devices in one way or another reflect a changed IT landscape brought about by COVID-19 in which once office-bound end users now working from living rooms and kitchens prize compact form factors, portability, and fewer cabled connections.
“When you’re working in your 500 square foot apartment, or … your office has been reduced in its desk size space, having a device that frankly takes up less space and has less wires is super critical,” says Mike Nash, HP’s global head of customer experience and portfolio strategy for personal systems.
Among the new devices designed to accommodate those needs is the HP ProBook 635 Aero G7, a 13.3-in. clamshell that HP says is the world’s lightest AMD-based business notebook and the first to weigh in below a kilogram. Due in November, the thin, all-metal device offers optional gigabit-speed Wi-Fi 6 and 4G LTE connectivity.
Significantly given the current pandemic, the new ProBook is designed to withstand up to 1,000 applications of disinfecting wipes. “You can sanitize with the confidence of knowing that your PC will stand reoccurring cleaning and then be safe for you and your family,” says Andy Rhodes, global head of commercial products in HP’s Personal Systems group.
Pricing for the new device has yet to be established.
Scheduled to arrive in November as well are three ProBook 600 G8 Series notebooks and three ProBook 400 G8 Series models. Billed by HP as the smallest, lightest units ever in the 600 Series product family, the ProBook 630 G8, 640 G8, and 650 G8 feature 13.3-inch, 14-inch, and 15.6-inch displays, respectively, as well as an aluminum chassis, spill-resistant keyboard, and 80% screen-to-body ratio. The devices use 11th Gen Intel Core processors, including a quad-core option, and will sell for $1,169 and up.
Quad-core 11th Gen Intel Core chips are available as well, along with an optional high-brightness display, for the new ProBook 430 G8, 440 G8, and 450 G8 laptops, which offer a more than 87% screen-to-body ratio. Like the new 600 Series products, the 400 Series units come with 13.3-inch, 14-inch, or 15.6-inch displays. Prices start at $729.
New products for home-based desktop users announced today include the EliteDesk 805 G6 mini PC, which according to HP is the world’s smallest AMD-based Ultra Small Form Factor business-class PC.
HP also calls that product, which comes with an optional NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics card, the world’s first virtual reality-ready business mini PC with AMD CPUs, and the first AMD-based, business-grade desktop mini with optional support for dual M.2 solid-state storage drives.
The device has three M.2 slots in total, including one for WLAN and two for storage, plus seven USB ports including an optional 100W USB type-C power delivery port. According to Rhodes, its 6.97 x 6.89 x 1.35-inch case and roughly 3.2 lbs. weight make it a fit for users who split time between remote and office work settings.
“Even when you need to take the desktop home from work, either permanently or temporarily, it’s really small and easy to move to really make the most of that limited desk space at home,” he says.
Set to ship in November, the system comes with a $939 starting price.
According to HP, the somewhat bigger EliteDesk 805 G6 small form factor PC, which goes on sale next month for $929 and up, is the first business-class device of its kind with AMD processors and dual M.2 drive capability. Powered by AMD Ryzen PRO 4000 Series processors and optional NVIDIA Quadro P400 graphics, the system is engineered to support multi-tasking on as many as six monitors.
Both 805 G6 products are set to reach market in November. A more modestly spec-ed ProBook 405 G6 desktop mini will ship that month too at a $649 starting price. An HP Desktop 405 G6 Small Form Factor PC is expected to be available in October.
In a further sign of the times, HP’s latest monitors include two models specifically meant for heavy users of video collaboration tools like Zoom and Microsoft Teams. The 23.8-inch E24d G4 and 27-inch E27d G4 Conferencing Monitors, which will ship next month, both come with an integrated pop-up webcam, mic, and speaker bar that reduce desktop cable clutter. They also feature a low blue light filter designed to prevent eye strain among users who spend long spans of time in front of a computer.
“We’re actually finding that people are spending an extra two hours a day working during the lockdowns that we’re in,” Rhodes says.
Both monitors are made with up to 85% recycled plastic and come in 100% recycled packaging. Sustainability has been a core design element of many HP products released this year, including those introduced in January during the 2020 CES conference in Las Vegas.
The HP E24d G4 will sell for $369. The HP E27d G4 will list at $499.
The new printers HP discussed today reflect both changed priorities among printer buyers and the continued relevance of the print market. Some 84% of customers surveyed by HP say they still need a printer to be effective at their jobs, according to Anneliese Olson, global head of HP’s print category, who notes that parents with children studying at home instead of school rely on printers as well. “The physical role of documents is absolutely critical in learning,” she says.
Due in December, the new LaserJet Enterprise 400 Series includes HP’s smallest enterprise MFP. Single-function SKUs will be available too, as well as mono and color options.
Appropriate for home and office use, according to HP, printers in the new product family offer remote fleet management functionality and support for remote deployment of HP and third-party solutions. Security features include HP’s Sure Start automatic self-healing technologies and an embedded Trusted Platform Module chip.
All of the home-friendly products HP showed off today reflect the company’s conviction that users will continue to spend at least some of their week outside the office for many months to come.
“Our data says that about half of business professionals expect to be working from home full time, if not part time, through most of 2021,” Nash says.
HP expects that trend to persist after the coronavirus pandemic is a dark, unpleasant memory. Citing data from PwC, the company says that 72% of office workers would like to do their job from home at least two days a week even once COVID-19 is no longer a concern.
“This is the future of work,” Nash observes.
