Students and mobile workers can now choose from a variety of new, high-powered HP notebooks that can fold into different form factors, as well as laptop-shaped devices that run on Chrome and Android.
Leading the pack of HP's back-to-school lineup are the 15.6-inch Envy x360 and the 13.3-inch Pavilion x360, HP's latest duo of convertible touchscreen laptops that have a 360-degree display hinge that allows them to turn over into a tent, a tablet, a stand or a notebook.
"Customers have made it clear that they need devices that better adapt to work and play the way they do," says Mike Nash, HP's vice president for product management, consumer personal systems. "Today, we are announcing the next generation of laptops and two-in-one PCs, along with a new Chromebook that combine power, versatility and design for home and on the go."
The Envy x360 is powered by the user's choice of Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 processors. It has 8GB of RAM and can store up to 1TB in its internal storage, with an option of a hybrid. HP says the Envy x360 can last on its battery for up to seven hours. The new device will be available for $680 but its maker did not specify a date for availability.
The Pavilion x360 is the Envy x360's slightly smaller, cheaper cousin, which will start shipping early in July for $600. The 13.3-inch flappable laptop can be configured with A6, A8 or A10 AMD processors and comes with 8GB of RAM. Customers can make the choice between 500GB or 1TB of internal memory. The Pavilion x360 has a slightly shorter battery life of 6.5 hours.
HP will also debut an Intel version of the Pavilion x360 later in July, with options for an i3 or i5 processor in place of the AMD chipsets. Battery life on the Intel-based Pavilion x360 can last up to 8.25 hours, says HP.
The Pavilion x360 comes in red and silver, while the bigger Envy x360 is available only in silver.
For those looking for a two-in-one hybrid that can serve as a laptop and a tablet, HP also released the Split x2, a 13.3-inch tablet that runs on Intel Bay Trail and Haswell processors. Users have the option of going for 4GB or 8GB of RAM and can enjoy up to 500GB of storage. The Split x2 tablet, which comes in white, silver and red, has a battery life of 5.25 hours. When attached to the keyboard unit, which has its own battery, the device can last up to 7.75 hours.
HP also unveiled the HP SlateBook, a black and yellow clamshell design notebook that runs on Android and provides access to the more than 1 million apps on the Google Play Store. The 14-inch touchscreen notebook runs on an Nvidia Tegra 4 mobile processor and will ship on August with a price of $399.
The 14-inch Chromebook 14 rounds out HP's line of latest releases. The sleek, lightweight device, available in Ocean Turquoise and Snow White, has a simple Samsung Exynos 5250 processor under the hood, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal memory. It will start shipping for $249, but no availability date has yet been announced.
