LAPTOPS, PCs & 2-IN-1s
HP ENVY CURVED ALL-IN-ONE (34-INCH) From US$1,729 | Available now in US; AU TBC
There’s something quite satisfying about all-in-one computers, and the new HP Envy with a 34-inch curved screen is looking to be a particularly sleek addition to the field. With an elegant flat dock, featuring integrated B&O speakers and a neat radial dial for volume, the Envy seems to land between entertainment centre and PC. The specs will vary, with 7th-gen i5 or i7 processors, up to 2TB HDD storage and other optionals like wireless charging.
DELL XPS 13 2-IN-1 From $2,299 | Available now
For the past few years at CES, we’ve looked to Dell’s XPS 13 as one of the darlings of the show, now they finally took the next logical step and went hybrid. The XPS 13 2-in-1 comes in a few different flavours with the top-tier option sporting QHD+ (3,200 x 1,800), 16GB memory and 1TB of SSD storage. Much of the design is carried over from its predecessor, with the welcome addition of sturdy steel hinges and the nearly bezel-free screen. See our full review on page 8 of this issue.
ASUSPRO B9440 & LG GRAM 14
ASUS US$1,000; LG TBC | ASUS available mid-2017 in US (AU TBC); LG availability TBA ASUS and LG have each coughed up new ‘lightest in class’ 14-inch notebooks, and while they both hover around the 1kg mark, the ASUSPro B9440 technically loses out to the LG Gram 14 by around 80 grams. The ASUS comes in a sleek magnesium alloy frame and sports an impressive Full HD, 14-inch screen given its small 13-inch form factor; however. it is not a touchscreen. The design is quite striking, and as you open the lid of the laptop, an extended section of the lid acts to lift the keyboard, giving it stylish and ergonomic tilt. The LG is actually an improved version of an existing notebook, this time claiming a huge 24-hour battery life (albeit, using decade-old, unreliable benchmarks), as well as Full HD, IPS touchscreen. The Gram’s pricing and availability are yet to be announced so it’s difficult to comment on value; however, we do know that it will ship in 13-, 14- and 15-inch varieties and offer a range of internal specs.
LENOVO MIIX 720 2-IN-1 $1,399 | Available mid-2017
The Lenovo Miix 720 seems to have Microsoft’s Surface Pro 2-in-1 squarely in its sights. With a 12-inch QHD+ touchscreen (or 2,880 x 1,920 pixels), up to a 7th-gen Core i7 processor and 16GB of memory, the Miix is plenty powerful. Like the Surface Pro, it can seamlessly morph from notebook to tablet; however, the Lenovo comes bundled with its keyboard and an Active Pen 2 stylus capable of 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity (four times that of the Surface).