HP ZBook 15u G5 Mobile Workstation Review

The world is shrinking every passing minute, but offices are getting bigger…and wider. Professionals now work on-the-go from the wackiest and most far-flung of places, and it is for this hyper-connected populace that the HP ZBook 15u G5 Mobile Workstation has been designed. It has the power and reliability of your good-old workstation but a design that gives it impeccable agility and portability. Priced at $1,799.00, this 15.6″ mobile workstation weighs only 3.89 pounds and outdoes its contemporaries to become the thinnest and lightest of its kind.

The Vital Statistics

The ZBook is incredibly thin — only 18.6 mm — and has a sleek, metallic finish. The 14.6 x 9.91 x 0.72 inches mobile workstation has been carefully redesigned to cater to the needs of those always on-the-run. With the reliability that comes with the HP family and the street-smart, insightful design, we daresay this is one workstation that can keep your mind anxiety-free!

Display, Graphics & Sound

With the HP ZBook 15u G5, you get a diagonal In-Plane Switching (IPS) display and a resolution of 1920 x 1080. While the display is Full-HD, you can opt for the 4k if that’s what floats your boat. The monitor is touch-screen-enabled and comes with an LED backlight to let you work in varying lighting conditions.

But hey, a workstation’s not only about work, right? The ZBook supports Intel UHD Graphics 620. However, it also discretely offers AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 Graphics to raise the stakes. The latter comes with a dedicated 2 GB GDDR5 memory. Simply put, this arrangement guarantees impressive graphics quality whether you’re working away on your high-resolution designs or gaming into the sunset.

The sound system by Bang & Olufsen — the Danish creator of terrific audio products — is excellent. The dual stereo speakers and HD audio make for a comfortable and quite enjoyable listening experience.

Let’s Talk Performance

More like, let’s do a happy jig since the ZBook really scores on this front! This on-the-go workstation is fuelled by a four-core Intel Core i7-8650U processor (eighth generation, 8 MB cache). It runs Windows 10 Pro 64 — a professional operating system convenient for your workplace endeavors. While the processor has a base frequency of 1.9 GHz, the laptop senses how the road can be demanding. Enter — the Turbo Boost Technology that lets you expand up to 4.2 GHz!

Here’s what you can add to that mix: a memory of 8 GB DDR4, an internal drive of 256 GB PCIe NVMe SSD, an Energy Star certification, and a 50 Wh Li-ion battery. What have you? An ultra-dependable machine for all your computing needs that genuinely lives up to its illustrious energy-star title. Working on spreadsheets (or datasheets), CAD and crisp graphics is an especial delight on the ZBook, thanks to its HP Z Turbo Drive storage. The speed is thrilling.

Talking of work, this mobile-freak of a machine comes with a fair amount of included software. Depending on your location, you can get CyberLink Power Media Player, Microsoft Defender, Native Miracast support and Skype for Business Certified woven into your laptop. This is in addition to the suite of useful stuff that already comes with HP: Noise Cancellation software (so subway noise doesn’t bug you), Remote Graphics software, Secure Erase and ePrint Driver, among others. Talk about the perks of communing with the hallowed.

Safe as a Cocoon

The security features of the ZBook deserve a special mention: they are extraordinarily nimble, never using “mobility” as an excuse for shoddiness. This laptop has inherited in-built security features for your files, including the watertight HP Client Security Suite Gen 3 and HP Security Manager. But it also offers an optional HP Sure View (to keep your screen insulated from peeping Toms) and HP Sure Click (to enforce hardware-security on your web browsing). These are life-saviors when you’re working mobile, especially in crowded places.

In fact, the ZBook is virtually a haven right from booting (Master Boot Record security, pre-boot authentication and HP Power On Authentication) and plugging in external devices (HP Device Access Manager) to taking off for a drive (Automatic DriveLock). The machine comes with a one-year or three-year warranty, based on your geographical location. The battery is under warrantee too. While the HP ZBook is verifiably secure inside and out, the particularly butter-fingered can avail of the optional HP Care Pack services and ease their mind.

Accessibility & Connectivity

The HP ZBook 15u G5 is fairly easy to maneuver in terms of I/O connectivity; it comes equipped with two SODIMM memory slots, one USB 3.0 port, a smart card reader and one RJ-45. It also has a USB Thunderbolt port (Type-C) that indeed offers the thunderous speed that it claims. Interestingly, the UHS-II SD card reader has backward compatibility with SD High and Extended Capacity (HC and XC), and this offers uninterrupted support for your, erm, dated devices.

The keyboard on this one — spill-resistant and backlit — is also designed for the traveler’s life, replete with coffee mugs and lighting debacles. Additionally, you also have control over the function key.

Buy From Amazon

If you’re wondering about good old Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, you’re sorted: this laptop supports Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265 802.11a and Bluetooth 4.2. You can also stay connected with everyone you need, no matter where you are, with the built-in 720p webcam — high-definition and with IR (infrared light) compliance.

• Keep reading: HP ZBook 14u G5 Mobile Workstation Review

Verdict – HP ZBook 15u G5

Building a workstation that is mobile yet powerful, nifty enough to lug along in public transport and sturdy enough to work untiringly on large files, is daunting. But happily, the HP ZBook 15u G5 does a remarkable job of balancing both worlds, never skimping on one for the other.