HP ZBook Studio G3 Owner's Review

I have problems with a few apps when running at 4K resolution. Most apps are smart enough to scale automatically--but with a few of them I have to expand their windows when they start or look at really funny cut-off text with a whole lot of whitespace

Windows 10 apps (from the Windows Store) auto-scale, so no issues there.

Of course if the 4K gives you problems with some app, just switch to 1920x1080 in the Control Panel. In theory, the panel should just quadruple the pixels for you (from FHD to UHD) at that point.

 

At first I was really hoping for dedicated buttons too. But then I realized that the trackpad itself clicks (hinged at the top) like a MacBook and the experience has been great. Of course if you really like trackpoint nubs then yeah you may want to look at another ZBook or other manufacturer.

 

Thanks for sharing this, GosuDesign. And yeah, the screen in nice and bright

BTW, the light leakage around the edges that I initially experienced went away after a few hours of use and has never come back. I think the backlight may have just needed a few hours of runtime to settle.

 

I'm pretty sure that the display controllers for the non-DC UHD display are standard 24-bit color. I'm assuming that the DC displays will come with 30-bit color since but those specs aren't out yet.

 

I'm not using an external display, or I would be happy to test that for you. GosuDesign, any input here? I think you have the exact setup needed to be the expert on this...

 

I almost bought Precision 5510, but the HP seems better for my needs (Linux development). My main worry is battery life. I will be very grateful for a real-life test of battery life of the Zbook G3. Maybe despite the smaller battery compared to Precision 5510, battery life is not that bad.

 

In theory, yes, that should work. However, for the 4k laptops I have tried this with, I ended up with an FHD experience that was substantially inferior to a native FHD screen. Can you tell us what this looks like on your ZBook?

 

@Billy Cantor Would love to get your response on battery, I have to make a decision soon regarding 840g3 or Zbook Studio.

 

HP reports it/ markets it at 9 hrs 30 min max battery life....so far i'm usually AC/DC so wouldn't comment on it to confirm. The times i've used it without connected, it doesn't drain battery life like other machines in this category. I would need more time to run battery benchmarks but this area doesn't concern me too much. Windows 10 power manageability features coupled with Intel Skylake and DDR4 memory improve power efficiency which helps battery life.

Getting an 840 G3 instead of Studio is like getting a Hyundai instead of BMW. Two completely different machines - 840 is only Intel graphics and dual core while ZBook Studio is NVIDIA and quad core. My previous machine was a ZBook 15u which is very similar to the 850. Personally, I would recommend stepping up to the Studio.

 

Yea, I'm aware of the differences Performance-wise I would get by fine with the 840. The main reasons Im looking at the Zbook is the large touchpad and thunderbolt 3. Battery life is also important since I spend most of the day unplugged. I would like to be able to at least get close to 7 hours. I only run remote desktops so no CPU-intensive tasks and I would get the model with FHD no touch and no dedicated GPU.

Thanks for the info of HPs rating btw, haven't been able to find that anywhere. Slight concerning though, Im not sure if HP has gotten better with their estimations this year but if previous years models are any indication that would mean close to 4 hours with web browsing. What does Windows 10 estimate your battery life to when you unplug?