It feels like 2021 has snuck upon us, and with it comes the first-ever all-virtual edition of the CES tech trade show. With the global pandemic causes many offices to close and the rising popularity of remote working, HP has introduced some new product ranges to help make working from anywhere easier and more enjoyable.
One of the most exciting announcements was the upcoming additions to its professional laptop family, the HP Elite Dragonfly G2 and the HP Elite Dragonfly Max. We were so impressed when we reviewed the original HP Elite Dragonfly back in January 2020 that we dubbed it "a dream come true for the traveling professional", awarding it a full 5/5 star score and the Editors Choice recommendation.
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It's pretty hard to make business laptops exciting, but the Dragonfly made us fall in love with everything from its high powered specs, to gorgeous aesthetics. The next generation of this crowd-pleaser looks to be following in its predecessor's footsteps, with plenty of exciting features to look forward to.
The HP Elite Dragonfly G2 is claiming to be the world's lightest compact business convertible laptop, weighing in at under 1kg, making this a perfect workhorse for frequent travelers. HP is also making sure this flagship laptop is one of the most sustainable PC devices on the market, so the eco-conscious amongst us will be happy to find that 80% of mechanic parts will be made from recycled materials, with even the overall finish and accents incorporating waste like ocean-bound plastics.
This isn't just about the looks of course, and we should expect a powerful machine under that glamourous shells. 11th generation Intel processors and the latest integrated graphics will be included in the new Dragonfly models, as well as super-fast 5G or gigabit-class 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) connectivity.
We won't know for sure if the HP Elite Dragonfly G2 lives up to its impressive legacy or meets our lofty expectations, but we're certainly keen to get our hands on a model to find out for ourselves. There's no current confirmed US or AUS pricing, but the Elite Dragonfly G2 devices are expected to launch in February from £1,699 (around $2,300, AU$3,000) with the Max to follow in March for £1,899 (around $2580, AU$3,300) in the UK.
Making the competition green with Envy
We're seeing a trend for 16:10 aspect ratio displays this year, and the new HP Envy 14 is joining that particular party. Described as a 'mobile personal creative studio', multi-touch enabled IPS display has an 11% greater viewing area than a traditional 16:9 laptops, which can provide a great boost to productivity when limited to only one screen.
The new HP Envy 14 will include 11th Gen Intel Core processors and up to Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti graphics, and promises advanced thermal solutions to prevent all that power from overheating the device. HP is also promising up to 16.5 hours of battery life, which is a huge improvement on the previous HP Envy 13 model if this proves accurate. The Envy 13 managed to last around 10 hours in our benchmarking tests and received a very favorable overall score, so it's clear the Envy range has a great foundation to be built upon.
Keeping with the theme of hybrid working, the new Envy 14 features HP Enhanced Lighting for better illumination during conference calls and meetings in inconsistent environments, a physical shutter for your webcam, and a dedicated microphone mute key. AI Noise Removal is also included to muffle noisy background environments during video chats. All of these features sound promising for anyone who is expecting to work remotely, but only hands-on testing will reveal if the delivered results meet expectations. The HP Envy 14 is expected to be available in February for a starting price of £999.99 (around $1350, AU$1750), also with no confirmed US or AUS pricing or launch.
Move more, stress less
Alongside new monitors and laptops, HP has also introduced a few products that are themed around a hybrid working model that may require frequent travel. Whilst the idea of traveling for work seems a little distant given the current pandemic issues still affected many countries around the world, the numbers of remote workers are set to rise in 2021.
The HP Elite Wireless Earbuds are designed for switching between PC conference calls and mobile devices for music listening, meaning you can have discreet, in-ear audio feedback during meetings without the need to carry a separate headset for Zoom or Microsoft Teams. The noise cancellation is also perfect for anyone working in noisy environments such as trains or cafes. The HP Elite Wireless Earbuds can be bundled with the HP Elite Dragonfly Max or purchased separately, and we're expecting to see these retail for $199 (around £150, AU$260) in April 2021.
HP has also announced the HP 635, a small wireless mouse that can be connected via Bluetooth, and the HP Renew 15.6-inch backpack and laptop bag for traveling with laptops, with plentiful storage and made from recycled plastic bottles. Sure, bags aren't as exciting as actual tech (unless it's an Apple Airpods Max case of course) but seeing carry equipment included in device announcements may become more prevalent as the nomadic style of working on the go continues to rise in popularity. Both the bags are expected to be available in February for a starting price of £59.99 ($80, AU$100) and £49.99 ($65, AU$90), respectively.
The focus on sustainability in the 'new normal' is seen throughout many of the newly announced ranges from HP that are expected to arrive over the next few months. We here at TechRadar will reserve our actual judgment until we can get our hands on the new releases to test, but the CES 2021 announcements are certainly keeping our hopes up for some new additions to our 'best of' lists.
- Check out all of TechRadar's CES 2021 coverage. We're remotely covering the online-only show to bring you all the breaking tech news and launches, plus a smattering of hands-on reviews.
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