HP ZBook 14

Professional Windows users will pay a premium for certain features such as a sharper than normal screen and professional workstation graphics. HP zBook 14 ($ 2,399) has these features, along with a highly mobile design with thinness and light weight has never before seen in a professional-grade mobile workstation. Power, battery life, a gobsmackingly beautiful screen, and a great price all combine to earn 14 HP zBook our latest Editors Choice 'for mobile workstation.

Design and Features
The zBook 14 looks very much like a 14-inch ultrabook, and that's the point. It measures about 0.83 by 13.5 by 9.5 inches (HWD) and weighs 3.88 pounds, so it will blend in with the other Ultrabooks business rather than stand out like a chunkier mobile workstation like the HP EliteBook 8560w Choice the former editor '($ 1,579) and Dell precision M4700 ($ 4,049). It is also much lighter than the full-sized business desktop replacement laptop like Dell Latitude E6540 ($ 1,479). The top lid and keyboard deck zBook 14 finished metal, but beneath the lid is plastic / polycarbonate. It is one of the strengths of zBook 14's: The lights, tool-less removable lid allows access to internal components, particularly the hard drive bay system, memory space, and space for optional accessories such as 4G mobile broadband module. Cover also allows access to removable 50WHr battery system, something that could be of utmost importance when turned compute away from a power outlet or car charger. The removable and replaceable battery is something you will not find in most of the Ultrabooks.

Components of the system include an Intel Core i7-4600U processor, 16GB of memory DDR3L (maxed out), a 256GB SATA SSD (240GB useful), an AMD FirePro M4100 and GPU. The system uses AMD Switchable Graphics technology, so you can use the system's HD Graphics 4400 with Intel Core i7 integrated GPU when you do not have to separate the power of the GPU. As we'll see below, which helps to keep the zBook 14 run for most of the day.

Pops off the bottom lid with a quick flick of a switch and a pull. This is a far cry from most consumer and business notebooks require multiple undo screws. Speaking of screws, you do not need a screwdriver to change out the battery or memory, but you'll want one for the hard drive bracket and for the WWAN module and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth module. We analyzed the 15 zBook comes with 802.11 a / ​​b / g / n dual band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0. If you spring for the optional module WWAN/4G, it will include GPS.

One of the greatest strengths is its screen zBook 14. It is a 14 1920 by 1080 display, full 1080p HD, although some competitors such as Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch (2013) ($ 1,999) and Toshiba KiraBook ($ 1999) screen featuring more high resolution. Although the zBook 14 is limited to 1080p, it trounces the other systems by offering a matte-finish anti-glare screen. Apple MacBook Pro and Toshiba Kirabook offer only glass-covered screen glare-prone. Many former Mac fans lament the fact that you can not buy a Retina Display-equipped MacBook Pro with a matte screen. Since zBook 14 was developed to go out on the field, the presence of a matte screen is a boon.

The range of color and light display 14 zBook make it more than a match for the other two systems listed here, albeit with a slightly smaller pixel per inch workspace and stat. If you have a scientific or graphics shop managers need to see the check system work, brilliant 1080p screen The zBook 14 is more than enough to sign off on the project. Users need to create scientific work, do the editing, and performing full time creating content you may want a larger, more dense pixel screen for their day-to-day activities. This is a classic tradeoff: more screen / screen room than larger laptops, but in exchange you get a very portable, sleek looking system.

The zBook 14 May as well as a spacious outdoor port. There are four USB 3.0 ports (one is a stay-awake charging port), a full-sized DisplayPort, Ethernet (vitally important for business users), VGA, a SmartCard slot, Kesinsington lock port, a semi-hidden SD card slot, and a docking port that is shared with other HP EliteBook laptop. With the optional dock, the zBook 14 can support up to five external display. Regardless of a purchase dock, still supports multiple monitors zBook 14 through DisplayPort.

The zBook 14 is a comfortable backlit chiclet-style keyboard, with both a touchpad and pointing stick. It may be important to your workers; especially learned how to use a laptop in 1990, 2000s when pointing sticks are prevalent in many laptops. Both the touchpad and pointing stick have their own set of physical mouse buttons, but you can use the tap-to-click multi-point touchpad if you're used to. Since zBook 14 has 14-inch screen, no keyboard deck space for a numeric keypad. Look at the bigger laptop like HP zBook 15 ($ 2999) or Asus Zenbook VX51VZ-XB71 ($ 2,419) if you need a numeric keypad with you at all times.

Our review unit was installed Windows 7 Professional, including the driver for the internal components. The system has an option to install Windows 8 Pro, with the included DVD. Because the system comes with Windows 7, it is not a big deal than the touch screen system configuration in our analysis. A touch screen is optional from HP, which is something that zBook 15 can not be configured with. Windows 8 will have very few adherents of the business, so the touch screen is probably not a necessity at this time. The zBook 14 three year parts and labor warranty.