HP Zbook Studio Launched: Thin, Light Redesign a MacBook Killer? [Specs, Price & Features Round Up]

The recently split tech company HP has recently announced its attempts to “put the sexy back in workstations,” and has launched their new pro-grade laptop, the Zbook Studio.

According to Digital Arts, the Zbook Studio is the company's thinnest and lightest pro-grade laptop equipped with a quad-core processor. It was launched in New York and possesses specs that might make it a MacBook Pro killer.

The Zbook Studio can be equipped with either a Xeon server-class E3 chip with ECC RAM, or an Intel Core i7 (that clocks up to 2.7GHz) with normal RAM. Memory can be upgraded up to a powerful 32GB of RAM. PC World reports that it can even be upgraded to an even larger 64GB of RAM.

An Nvidia Quadro M1000M graphics chip bundled with 2GB of memory is installed for graphics and Bang & Olufsen sound components are installed for audio.

The Zbook Studio can also have a maximum of 2TB of internal storage, thanks to two of HP's Z Turbo Drive G2 PCIe storage modules. Should users want more storage on top of that, HP is selling a separate dock with a Thunderbolt 3 port, making it easy to add more storage drives.

As for the 15.6-inch display, there are multiple options from which buyers can choose from: HD (1,920 x 1,080), HD with touchscreen, UHD (3,840 x 2,160), or a matte Dreamcolor UHD screen that boasts of higher color accuracy and a wider gamut. Because a UHD touchscreen would mean a glossy panel that would damage color accuracy, HP opted not to have it as an option.

The Zbook Studio has an all-black design, and measures 375 x 255 x 18mm, which is just slightly bigger than the 15-inch MacBook Pro, and it weighs 1.99 kilograms (4.6 lbs).

On the side of the small body are various ports: two Thunderbolt 3 ports, two USB 3.0 ports (with one powered), one HDMI 1.4 port, and and ethernet port, which is rare for a laptop this thin according to Digital Arts.

The Zbook Studio will start shipping in December, and will be priced starting at $1,699.

Aside from the behemoth that is the Zbook Studio, HP is also launching cheaper laptops with the Zbook 15 and 17.

The Zbook 15u (priced starting $1,099) has a 15-inch 1080p display; can be fitted with AMD FirePro graphics (which can compete with Nvidia's Quadro), and has up to 3TB of storage. The Zbook 17, on the other hand, has a 17-inch screen, and can have up to 4TB of storage.