HP ZBook 14 G2 review

Because the ZBook is so light and slim, you're probably expecting me to detail its performance shortcomings. Although the ZBook isn't the fastest mobile workstation in its ranks, it's definitely not a slouch. As you'll see below, it's got a lot of awesome features hiding under the hood, enough to put it just below elite company in the mobile workstation class.

Specifications

Here is the HP ZBook 14 G2 configuration sent to TechRadar for review:

• CPU: 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-5600U (dual-core, 4MB cache, up to 3.2GHz with Turbo Boost)
• Graphics: AMD FirePro M4150 (1GB GDDR5)
• RAM: 16GB DDR3L (1,600MHz)
• Screen: 13.3-inch, 1,920 x 1,080p
• Storage: 256GB HP Z Turbo Drive PCIe SSD
• Ports: 3 x USB 3.0 ports (1 x USB 3.0 charging), DisplayPort, HDMI, headphone jack, microphone jack, Ethernet, docking connector, VGA, secondary battery connector
• Connectivity: Intel Dual Band Wireless AC 7265
• Weight: 3.77 pounds
• Size: 13.35 x 9.33 x 0.83 inches (W x D x H)

Packing a fifth-generation Intel Core i7 processor and 16GB of RAM, which is the same as the Lenovo and one Intel Core i generation above the Dell, the HP ZBook 14 G2 isn't messing around in terms of under-the-hood performance. If you're a designer or a video editor, you'll love the elite AMD FirePro M4150 chip, which isn't the most powerful on the market, but the GPU provides enough giddyup to get the job done while also considering battery drain. I'll get into the workstation's battery performance in a later section.

What you won't love about this laptop is its measly 256GB of storage (with optional configurations up to 500GB). Most 15 to 17-inch mobile workstations come with at least 1TB of storage, a little less than four times what you're getting with the ZBook. For example: the Lenovo W550 and Dell Precision M3800 come with roughly double the ZBook's storage. To be fair, the MacBook Pro starts with only 128GB of storage, so it's not like the ZBook is worst-in-class.