What you need to know about the HP ZBook Studio G3 Mobile Workstation

A few years ago, choosing a workstation-class laptop was a relatively easy task — for anything that resembled desktop-computer performance, you’d have to accept the few available options at hand. Hardware supported operating systems that today feel like relics of the past, having not yet met with high-resolution graphics and display technologies associated with the resolution race. All the while, these clunky machines demanded a price far dearer than many of us are now comfortable to admit.

Today, there’s an ever-wider range of options, meaning that choosing the right device has become a far more complicated endeavour than ever before. Shaving off girth and weight for extreme portability, refusing to compromise on performance and battery life, and with retina-shattering graphics to boot — today’s offerings are more sophisticated and plentiful than ever, and this isn’t showing any signs of slowing down.

Following this trend, HP has championed the first quad-core mobile workstation — boasting Intel’s noted qualification as a slimline ultrabook. Pitched as a firm rival to Apple’s MacBook Pro, and Dell’s Precision-series laptops, the HP Zbook Studio weighs in at as light as just 2kg, and at a slimline 18mm, it’s HP’s lightest, and most attractive full-performance mobile workstation yet.

Designed with creatives in mind — including the likes of professional and pro-enthusiast photographers — HP’s ZBook Studio G3 Mobile Workstation is the perfect partner for those who take their work with them, rather than the ones confined to a desk. With the option of selecting between various processor, storage, and display and graphics configurations, the ZBook allows you to take control in customizing the perfect workstation for your unique creative process — however you choose to shoot and edit your images.

A photographer’s dream, the workstation features a NVIDIA M1000M graphics card with 4GB memory providing professional-level graphics. This ensures the creative process is never obstructed by lag — even for multilayered Photoshop files, or in amongst large folders of raw images via Bridge. A Zturbo (M.2) hard drive ensures fast boot and response time, while each of its four 4K UHD 15.6-inch display options boast accurate colour rendering, a wide gamut, as well as screen-viewing angles of up to 85-per-cent in each direction, and a matt finish for reduced glare.

Benefitting tethered photography set-ups, the ZBook houses a generous selection of ports and connectors (available on the left and right side of the unit), including RJ-45, HDMI 1.4, a stereo mic–in / headphone-out combo jack, and dual Thunderbolt 3 ports. Thunderbolt 3 ensures easy connectivity to transfer data to devices via its USB-C connector — supporting up to 40GB data-transfer rates, meaning that a whole day’s worth of shooting can be downloaded well before you’ve even settled in with a cuppa. Plus, with three USB 3.0 ports — and one of these powered — it can charge your portable flash, smartphone, or GoPro even while switched off.

For those who find that music gets the creative juices flowing, the ZBook Studio rejects the tinny computer audio of the past, boasting the globally recognized sound of Bang & Olufsen. With a long heritage of audio excellence and striking Danish design, HP’s collaboration with the sound pioneers marks the laptop as a device that’s truly crafted for creatives.

Beautifully constructed and boasting high performance, the HP ZBook Studio G3 Mobile Workstation, is the ultimate tool for creatives — whether you’re a student, graphic designer, desk jockey, or photographer. For more information, head to hp.co.nz/studio.