Last Updated on Saturday, April 18, 2020 by ProsCons
HP Zbook X2 detachable workstation is a laptop cum tablet cum workstation all in one. You can work as a tablet or treat it like a laptop, you will have no problem at all working in any mode. The design is solid and sturdy, HP claims it to be resistant of shock, drop or vibrations. The most iconic part is its display with the buttons on the side that are fully programmable. Every bit of hardware has been integrated inside, behind the 14-inch 4K DreamColor touchscreen display. Though it is one of a kind detachable system, the HP Zbook X2 Detachable Workstation pros and cons are present and sit in the middle of other system’s specifications.
The display, when paired with the stylus, feels like drawing with a pencil on paper. The feel is unrealistic and helps the artist have a feel of drawing on the paper. The kickstand is for the supporting purpose for the 1.65kg upper half. The detachable keyboard matches the overall design of the body with key strokes and design comparable with the full-fledged keyboard. The keyboard works while docked and with Bluetooth while detached.
Quick Specs of HP Zbook X2 Detachable Workstation
Let’s take a quick look at the specs of the system.
| Dimension in inches | 0.53×14.35×8.94 (tablet mode); 0.75×14.35×8.94 (laptop mode) |
| OS | HP recommends Windows 10 Pro |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-8250U processor (1.6 GHz, 6 MB cache)
Intel Core i7-7500U processor (2.7 GHz, 4 MB cache) Intel Core i7-8550U processor (1.8 GHz, 8 MB cache) Intel Core i7-8650U processor (1.9 GHz, 8 MB cache) Intel Core i7-7600U processor (2.8 GHz, 4 MB cache) |
| Graphics | NVIDIA Quadro M620 2 GB dedicated GDDR5 |
| Display | 14″ diagonal UHD B-LED UWVA for FHD Webcam + IR slim Touchscreen (3840×2160)
14″ diagonal UHD DreamColor B-LED UWVA for FHD Webcam + IR slim Touchscreen (3840×2160) |
| Memory | 8 GB (2×4 GB) DDR4 2133
16 GB (2×8 GB) DDR4 2133 32 GB (2×16 GB) DDR4 2133 |
| Storage | 128 GB M2 SATA-3 SSD
256 GB PCIe NVMe TLC SSD 256 GB PCIe NVMe MLC SSD 512 GB Z Turbo Drive G2 Self Encrypted (SED) OPAL2 TLC SSD 512 GB PCIe NVMe TLC SSD 512 GB Z Turbo Drive G2 MLC SSD 512 GB M2 SATA-3 FIPS TLC SSD 1 TB PCIe NVMe TLC SSD 1 TB Z Turbo Drive G2 MLC SSD 2 TB PCIe NVMe TLC SSD |
| I/O ports | Headphone/Microphone combo
Power connector 1x HDMI 1.4 1x USB 3.0 (charging) 2x USB 3.1 Type-C Thunderbolt 3 (display port 1.2) 1xsmart card reader 1x SD media card reader |
| Battery | 4 Cell 70 WHr Long Life |
| Price | Starts at $2,429 |
[ Further Reading ] Pros and Cons of HP Laptops
Pros and Cons of HP Zbook X2 Detachable Workstation
The pros and cons of the system are something that cannot be overlooked. Some of the pros and cons of the system are given below.
Pros
- Excellent pen and great pen configuration tools
- Good Keyboard
- Solid build
- Good performance
- Solid kickstand
- Workstation-certified graphics
- Standard matte 4K DreamColour display
- Max 32GB of RAM, twice than any other average workstation and tablet
- Very Handy shortcut buttons
- Great option for customizability
- Graphics features in both tablet and laptop mode unlike Surface Book 2 with graphics driver in bottom keyboard.
Cons
- Moderate battery life with or without DreamColour option turned
- Speakers firing away from you are disappointing
- Heating issue, temperature rising up to 97 degrees Fahrenheit in tablet mode
- Graphics performance with NVIDIA Quadro M620 2 GB dedicated GDDR5 is not up to the mark for graphics extensive tasks like gaming and all. Surface Book 2 starts cheaper and provides NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card.
- Bulky feel even in tablet mode
- Heavy compared to other alternatives
- Very expensive pre-configured system.
- Display great for creating art, but not for viewing the details due to matte finish
Wrapping Up
These are the HP Zbook X2 Detachable Workstation pros and cons. But don’t be disappointed by the price of pre-configured system, there is a customization program that lets you configure your system to your needs and requirement. The cheapest you can configure will cost you $1,647.36 with lots of base hardware and eliminating the unwanted hardware. Though it is not recommendable. For filling in the gaps left by the Zbook X2, you have some other system like MacBook Pro and Surface Book 2 starting off cheaper than Zbook X2 and providing a better bang for your bucks. In the end, none of the systems are cheap and choose wisely to spend your money on. Zbook being designed mostly for the creatives out there working in design and artist field, it will be ideal choice to have this workstation in conjunction with the Adobe Creative Suit software with unmatched compatibility.