HP ZBook Studio and ZBook Create are ‘world’s smallest 15-inch notebooks for creation and gaming’
HP’s latest ZBook series brings one for CAD, and one for gamers and creatives. The ZBook Studio and ZBook Create are monster laptops that are lighter than you would think.
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What you need to know
For a long time, HP’s ZBook line of laptops delivered a ton of power, but usually at the expense of a high-quality display, speakers, and other features found its ENVY and Spectre series of notebooks (seeour recent review). That line though between “workstations” and premium Ultrabooks, is coming to an end with the all-new ZBook Studio and ZBook Create for 2020.
The two laptops are effectively the same, but the ZBook Studio is powered by the latest Intel Xeon processor with Quadro graphics, while the ZBook Create goes up to a 10th Gen Intel Core i9 (H-series) and an NVIDIA RTX 2080S for graphics. The former is more for CAD and engineering uses, while the ZBook Create is ideal for VR, gaming, and prosumer-level creativity.
Besides just more raw power, the centerpiece of both laptops is the display. HP is using a 15.6-inch Pantone validated DreamColor HDR-400 4K (UHD) OLED display with optional HP Sure View Reflect (1,000 nits) for screen privacy. Thin bezels result in an 87 percent screen-to-body ratio.
Another trick of the display, which is excellent for creators, is a built-in colorimeter for automatic self-calibration.
HP is also not shy comparing both ZBooks to the new MacBook Pro 16. HP claims the ZBook packs 2.23 times more power than Apple’s latest. New “Z Vaporforce thermals” with liquid crystal polymer help keep that Core i9 running smoothly along with 3-sided venting that won’t heat your lap. HP also has its new “Z Predictive Fan Algorithm intelligently manages fan behavior based on the kind of work and applications used by creatives.”
There are also many more ports with the ZBook, including two Type-C (Thunderbolt 3), two Type-A, HDMI, and SD media card reader.
Other features of the ZBook include MIL-STD testing with a CNC aluminum unibody design and ocean-bound recycled plastics. HP claims 17.5 hours of battery life, though real-world usage is likely to be much lower than that.
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Overall, these look like beastly laptops that either engineers or gamers would enjoy. The design is slick, clean, minimal, and modern looking. The power, performance, ports, and price should all take on Apple’s $2,400+ MacBook Pro 16, too, as a viable alternative to those who need a PC.
No word on pricing yet for either ZBook, but availability is not slated until later in August on HP.com.
Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central. He is also the head reviewer,podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007, when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and watches. He has been reviewing laptops since 2015 and is particularly fond of 2-in-1 convertibles, ARM processors, new form factors, and thin-and-light PCs. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.
