HP reveals a slew of new PCs aimed at hybrid workers
With working from home becoming a more permanent arrangement for many people, we've seen a lot of companies begin to offer hybrid products appropriate for both office and in-home use. Today, HP is announcing many such products, revealing a collection of new all-in-one and desktop PCs. If you're familiar with HP Presence products, which were announced last year, it probably won't be surprising to learn that many of the PCs announced today are compatible with HP Presence, as well.
HP All-in-One desktops
HP announced a pair of new all-in-one PCs today, starting with the HP Presence AiO Conferencing PC with Zoom Rooms. The computer's official name is quite the mouthful, but this is a pretty straightforward machine in the end. It's outfitted with either a 23.8-inch FHD or 27-inch QHD display and uses 12-gen Intel Core i5 CPUs. The Presence Conferencing AiO uses Intel UHD graphics and comes with a 256GB M.2 NVMe SSD, so nothing too exciting there.
As the name suggests, this PC comes with built-in integration with Zoom Rooms. Specifically, HP says the Presence Conferencing all-in-one will support one-touch meetings launch with Zoom Rooms and the machine's touchscreen display, though, of course, that requires a subscription to Zoom Rooms to function. Zoom Rooms is also the only conferencing software that works with this one-touch launch feature, though we're told to "stay tuned" on that front. That suggests to us support for more platforms will be added at some point down the road, but HP stopped short of confirming that.
Alongside this PC, HP also revealed the EliteOne 800 G9 AiO Desktop PC today. This one is a bit more capable than the AiO Conferencing PC, or at least it has the potential to be. There are three display options on the EliteOne 800 G9: 23.8-inch FHD and 27-inch displays in both QHD and FHD. Once again, the EliteOne 800 G9 will use 12-gen Intel CPUs and integrated graphics by default, but users also have the option of upgrading to a discrete GeForce RTX 3050 Ti.
Both of the all-in-ones have options for swivel 16MP binning cameras that support HP Presence features like Auto Frame, and they also have optional wireless charging pads built into their stands. Users can also pair their phones to their computers through HP Quick Drop to access files and photos or send quick replies via SMS. Sadly, HP says that NFC pairing isn't built-in to these all-in-ones yet, but hinted that it could be a feature in future generations. Both machines can also act as a second screen when connected to a laptop, and once their hardware begins to show its age, they can also be used as standalone displays with Monitor Mode.
HP Elite Desktops
In addition to those two all-in-one PCs, HP also revealed new Elite-series desktops today. The standout in this batch of PCs is the Elite Mini 800 G9 – the dimensions of which clock in at 6.97-inches wide by 1.34-inches tall and 6.89-inches deep. That's a pretty minuscule desktop, with HP comparing it to the size of a book and saying that it's a machine that can be taken between the office and a work-from-home space with relative ease. It can even be mounted to the back of some of HP's monitor stands, though that sort of defeats the purpose of having a desktop that can travel well.
While small desktops sometimes mean underpowered components to save on space, the Elite Mini 800 G9 supports a wide range of 12th-gen Intel CPUs from 35W Core i3s up to 65W Core i9s. The Mini 800 also supports up to 64GB of DDR5 RAM and has the option of an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti in an add-on enclosure. With that discrete card, the Mini 800 G9 can connect to up to 8 displays, so it sounds like we won't want for IO options here, either.
Much of HP's Elite announcement was focused on the Mini 800 G9, but the company announced several other Elite desktops today, including the Elite SSF (small form factor) 800 G9, the Elite Tower 800 G8, the Elite 600 G9 Desktop series, and the Pro 400 G9 Desktop series. The Elite 600 G9 series shares the form factors found in the 800 G9 lineup, and all of these new desktops use Intel's 12th-gen Core CPUs. They also cover a range of form factors, from SFF machines to towers and even an all-in-one in the Pro 400 G9 series.
New Z-series workstations
On top of everything else, HP also announced new Z-series desktops to follow up on its announcement of the Z2 Mini G9 at CES 2022. HP says these new desktops offer "professional performance at an affordable price," and seems to be positioning them as entry-level workstations. Sadly, we don't have a ton of specifics about these machines yet, as HP hadn't shared concrete specifications at the time of this writing.
The company does say that the Z2 SFF G9 and the HP Z2 Tower G9 will offer 12th-gen Intel Core K-series CPUs and NVIDIA RTX professional graphics, which further suggests that these machines are aimed more at professionals than at average consumers. The Z1 Tower G9, on the other hand, is pitched as the company's "most affordable entry desktop workstation." HP says that all of these machines will come with ISV-certified hardware, as well.
Pricing and availability
While pricing came up multiple times in HP's announcement today, we, unfortunately, aren't getting any specifics yet. HP says that pricing for all of these computers will be revealed closer to their respective launches, though we're guessing many of them will likely have variable pricing depending on hardware configurations.
We do, however, have some idea of when these computers will launch. For instance, the Elite Tower 800 G9 will be first out of the gate in late February, and it'll be followed closely by Z-series machines in March. Joining those PCs late in March are the Elite Mini 800 G9, the Elite SFF 800 G9, and the Elite 600 G9 series. Finally, in May, we'll see the two new all-in-one machines and the Pro 400 G9 series launch.