HP is at CES to introduce updates to its flagship laptops, all-in-one desktops, and Sprout, a system made for creative education.
The HP Sprout predates the latest "creative PCs" like the Microsoft Surface Studio by a couple of years, incorporating a touch mat with combination overhead projector and scanner. It is made for enterprise businesses, schools, and creative outlets that can use the system to bring real world objects into the virtual world after a detailed scanning session. You can add scanned objects to your graphics projects, and once done you can send them to 3D printers for prototyping.
The new Sprout Pro G2 has a 21.3-inch projected full HD display on the touch mat, active pen support with 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity, and quicker 3D scanning without the need for a turntable. The Sprout Worktools now integrate better with Windows 10, so you can continue to use familiar programs like Adobe Creative Cloud, instead of having to use the screen-filling Workspace shell, like previous versions of the Sprout.
Meanwhile, HP's Spectre x360 15t brought large-screen computing to a convertible-hybrid laptop form factor, so this year HP is introducing improved models with 4K UHD screens with 3,840-by-2,160 resolution to take advantage of the bigger panel.
The device comes powered by seventh-generation Intel Core i7 processors, and can be equipped with up to 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. Driving that 4K screen is an Nvidia GeForce 940MX discrete GPU, and the system comes with USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 3 technology. Improvements in battery usage yield 12.75 hours of claimed battery life, plus the system can quick charge up to 50 percent capacity in only 30 minutes. System prices will start at $1,279 and go up to $1,699 with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.
HP also improves its recently released Envy All-in-One PC by replacing the existing 27-inch flat panel with a 34-inch curved display. Like the previous generation 34-inch model, the new Envy Curved All-in-One has a 3,440-by-1,440 resolution, and while the monitor is short of true 4K UHD, it displays a wider swathe of information than the 27-inch Envy AIO.
The 34-inch model also has Technicolor certification, and a 99 percent sRGB color gamut for brighter and more accurate color. Power comes from a seventh-gen Intel Core i5 or i7; both AMD RX and Nvidia GTX discrete graphics are optional. These AIO systems come with 1TB hard drives as standard, with SSD+HDD options available up to 256GB SSD+1TB HDD. The system will be available on Jan. 11, starting at $1,749.