HP, Dell, Asus PCs, 2-in-1s Look to Give Market Shot in the Arm

By Jeffrey Burt

At Computex, Intel President Renee James showed off a reference design for a fanless 2-in-1 system that is 7.2 millimeters thin and runs on the company’s delayed 14-nanometer Core M “Broadwell” processor. The system includes a 12.5-inch screen and a detachable keyboard. Broadwell is expected to hit the market later this year.

Also at Computex, Dell officials unveiled new Inspiron 2-in-1 systems that include hinges that rotate 360 degrees, enabling the devices to be used as a traditional laptop, in an easel or tent mode, or as a tablet. The 2-in-1s include the Inspiron 13 7000 Series, which run on Intel’s Core chips and come with a 13.3-inch display, and the quad-core Pentium-powered Inspiron 11 3000 with an 11-inch display.

The vendor also rolled out its Inspiron 20 3000 Series all-in-one (AIO) PC, an entry-level system that comes with a 19.5-inch HD display and is light enough to be easily moved when necessary.

The 2-in-1 device, which Asus officials showed off at Computex and which will be available by the end of the month, can be used as a notebook or tablet and includes a hinge design that can set the screen at any angle between zero and 360 degrees, with screen sizes ranging from 13.3 inches to 15.6 inches.

Among the numerous systems HP unveiled was the Pro x2 612, which includes a 12.5-inch display that can separate from the keyboard to become a tablet. It’s powered by Intel’s Core i3 and i5 chips and comes with 3G and 4G LTE connectivity.

The tech vendor also announced its Envy x360 and Pavilion x360 convertible PCs, both of which feature form factors that can go from notebook to tablet by flipping the screen. Both also run Microsoft’s Windows 8.1. The Envy model is powered by Intel Core chips; the Pavilion runs on processors from Intel or Advanced Micro Devices.

The Split x2 features a hinge that enables the 13.3-inch display to detach from the keyboard, a core processor and a fanless design. It also features, as an option, a dual-battery design, with one in the base and the other in the tablet.

The company’s new Elitebook lineup is aimed at the small and midsize business (SMB) space, and features systems that run on chips from either Intel (Core i3 and i5) or Advanced Micro Devices (A-Series Pro). The PCs also come in a variety of models, from thin notebooks to Ultrabooks to desktops.

The system, running Google’s Chrome operating system, offers an 11.6-inch display, comes in Show White or Ocean Turquoise, and boasts up to 6 hours of battery life.

HP’s SlateBook is a system powered by Nvidia’s Tegra 4 mobile processor and that runs Google’s Android OS. The 16mm-thin system has a touch screen that is 14 inches, and it offers up to 9 hours of battery life.