HP outs Elitebook 8740w portable powerhouse

When it comes to picking a proper powerhouse laptop, most people head straight to the cupboard marked MacBook Pro. But HP (of computer, not condiment fame) has a brand new alternative – the Elitebook 8740w.

At its worldwide launch event here in sunny LA, HP showed off its thinnest and lightest mobile workstation yet. With the kind of specs that’d make a netbook shed its space bar in fear, the Elitebook offers an Intel i5 or i7 processor, up to 16GB of RAM and if you like to feel as if you’re at the centre of a NASA space mission, will support up to five displays at once (including its own 17in, 1920×1200 DreamColor screen).

If you’re more bothered by raw power than portability, then take one of the new Z range for a test drive. The Z600 and Z800 come with two Intel six-core processors, which should be just about enough to run that aforementioned shuttle launch. And if you start to run out of space in mission control, there’s even a small form factor version, the Z200.

UK pricing and availability is currently unknown, but as soon as we can remove ourselves from Santa Monica beach, we’ll let you know. Pass the suntan lotion, eh?

About

Dan is Editor-in-chief of Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website. Our Editor-in-Chief is a regular at tech shows such as CES in Las Vegas, IFA in Berlin and Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as well as at other launches and events. He has been a CES Innovation Awards judge. Dan is completely platform agnostic and very at home using and writing about Windows, macOS, Android and iOS/iPadOS plus lots and lots of gadgets including audio and smart home gear, laptops and smartphones. He's also been interviewed and quoted in a wide variety of places including The Sun, BBC World Service, BBC News Online, BBC Radio 5Live, BBC Radio 4, Sky News Radio and BBC Local Radio.