17-inch 3 in 1 device from HP and its closest competitors
It seems that devices with flexible screens have managed to get their share of the market after all. There are now many phones with such displays – every more or less major manufacturer has already released such a device. And now a similar trend is observed among laptop developers. The other day, HP introduced a very interesting device that can replace a tablet, desktop PC, and laptop. However, it costs so much that it will be enough for all three devices and there will be enough for an expensive smartphone or even a couple. Let’s look at this miracle of technology.
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New from HP – everything is not bad, except for the price
The HP model was called the Specter Fold. The device has a 10-core Intel Core i7-1250U processor, 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of built-in memory, SSD. The display is an OLED with a 3:4 aspect ratio and a resolution of 1920 x 2560 pixels. The GlamCam camera familiar to users of HP products is built into the frame of the screen. The autonomy of the new device is declared at the level of 12 hours.
Here are the characteristics of the device:
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operating system: Windows 11 home/professional
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display: 17-inch 2.5K OLED display (1920 × 2560 pixels)
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processor: Intel Core i7-12250U up to 4.7 GHz
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GPU: Intel Iris Xe graphics
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RAM: 16GB LPDDR 5
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memory: NVMe PCIe Gen4 solid-state drive with a capacity of 1 TB
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camera: 5 MP True HP Vision
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dimensions: 277.05×376.1×8.5 mm
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weight: 1.3 kg
According to the manufacturer, the device can be turned into a 12.3-inch laptop, a 17-inch desktop computer or a giant tablet.
In the first case, you just need to fold the accessory in half and place the wireless keyboard on one of the halves. Of course, the protection of the screen in this case is questionable – it is not yet clear how resistant the display surface is to scratches and in general to physical action.
If you put the screen vertically and put the keyboard next to it, you get a desktop computer. Well, if you don’t use the keyboard at all, then it will be a tablet. How convenient a 17-inch tablet can be is also a question. But probably the designers will appreciate it. At least one of HP’s photos clearly shows fashionistas interacting with this tablet.
Company representatives also said that Specter received built-in AI to ensure the safety of user data, as well as to provide the ability to control the device’s functions using gestures.
In general, everything is nothing, if not for the price. It is very high – higher than all competitors. HP sells its device for $5,000. One can only guess how much it will cost if the device is somehow brought to the Russian Federation.
And what about competitors?
They are not so few. But the main ones are Lenovo and ASUS with Fold X1 and Zenbook 17, respectively.
Lenovo Fold X1
This laptop is the first model with a flexible screen. The first not only for Lenovo, but in general among all manufacturers. By the way, the company was in quite a hurry with its release, so small problems arose during production. For example, at the beginning it was planned that the device would come with a special version of the “ten” – Windows 10X. But Microsoft closed this direction, so developers at Lenovo had to come up with ways to combine the already ready-made Lenovo Fold X1 engineering sample with regular Windows 10. Because X never appeared, work on the combination was carried out in a hurry, and some of the promised features were not finalized (yet).
Here are the characteristics of the model:
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model: ThinkPad X1 Fold
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display: 13.3″, 2048 × 1536, OLED, touch
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CPU: Intel Core i5-L16G7 (1 + 4 core/thread, 1.4-3.0 GHz)
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RAM: LPDDR4X SDRAM
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GPU: Intel UHD Graphics G7 (system RAM)
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drive: NVMe (PCIe 3.0 x2) 256-1024 GB
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external I/O connectors: 2 × USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (1 × DisplayPort)
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network: IEEE 802.11ax + Bluetooth 5.1, LTE/5G (optional)
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battery capacity: 50 W⋅h
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weight: 1 kg
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overall dimensions: 299 × 236 × 11.5 mm (158.2 × 236 × 27.8 mm)
The cost of the device is about 300,000 rubles – it is sold in Russia. The price is much lower than HP’s, but the specs are also modest when compared to the Specter Fold. The principle of operation is approximately the same: the device can be installed vertically and operated as a desktop using the keyboard. You can bend it and work like a tablet, or you can use it only as a tablet, without a keyboard and other accessories.
Zenbook 17 Fold OLED
This laptop with a flexible screen was developed by ASUS in collaboration with Intel and BOE Technology Group. The resolution of the screen is the same as that of the device from HP – 1,920 × 2,560 pixels (aspect ratio – 4:3). The new product also received a Harman/Kardon 4-speaker audio system, supplemented by smart amplifiers and support for Dolby Atmos technology.
It can work in several modes, just like its competitors – tablet, desktop and laptop. You can, of course, use it as an e-book, with two pages on both sides of the screen.
The keyboard for the device is ErgoSense. It was developed specifically for Zenbook 17 Fold OLED. It looks the same as the keyboard of the new Zenbooks, and in its lower part there is a wide touchpad. ASUS ErgoSense connects to compatible devices via Bluetooth and can be paired with two devices using the F9 and F10 hotkeys to switch between them.
Characteristics of ASUS Zenbook 17 Fold OLED:
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display: 17.3-inch diagonal, flexible OLED matrix, resolution 2560 × 1920 pixels, aspect ratio 4:3, maximum brightness 500 nits; when used in laptop mode: 12.5 inches, FHD resolution (1920 × 1080 pixels)
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processor: Intel i7-1250U (2 productive cores, 8 energy-efficient cores, frequency up to 4.7 GHz), graphics accelerator Iris Xe
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RAM: 16 GB (LPDDR5)
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SSD storage: 1 TB (M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0)
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battery: 75 Wh, 65 W fast charging
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camera: 5 MP
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OS: Windows 11
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Other: 2 Thunderbolt 4 ports, 3.5 mm combo jack, Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5
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dimensions and weight: 37.85 × 28.76 × 0.87-1.29 cm; 1.5 kg
Well, the cost of this miracle of technology is about $3,500. Which is a thousand and a half cheaper than the Specter Fold.
In any case, this direction of “laptop construction” is developing quite actively, so in the near future, it is likely that you will be able to see already complex laptops at a much lower price from Chinese manufacturers, as well as vendors from other countries. Perhaps one of the Habra readers has one of the described models? If so, tell us how you work with such a device.