During the Adobe MAX conference on Tuesday, HP introduced the newest products added to its HP Create Ecosystem, including the next-generation DreamColor and Z by HP monitors. According to the company, these models were made ‘with the creator in mind,’ offering everything from frameless designs to the promise of ‘seamless color accuracy,’ 4K resolutions and USB-C connectivity.
The HP create Ecosystem was first announced at Adobe MAX 2019, introducing a variety of products and partnerships aimed at supporting the creative community, including photographers and videographers. The new expansion of this ecosystem announced during Adobe’s 2020 conference adds a total of eight displays, all created for visual professionals.
Leading the lineup is HP’s Z25xs G3 and Z27xs G3 DreamColor displays; these models boast more than a billion on-screen colors, PANTONE Validated color gamut and the promise of color accuracy straight out of the box. HP says that these DreamColor models are the world’s first ‘color critical HDR monitors’ to feature a one-touch brightness adjustment feature, enabling users to rapidly increase display brightness.
Users are likewise promised up to HDR 600 and customized workflow color presets, USB-C connectivity and support for both macOS and Windows from the DreamColor monitors.
Those two models are joined by the six new Z Core displays, all of which HP describes as premium and offering creators ‘flawless color accuracy’ straight from the box. The Z Core models are notable for their incredibly thin profiles, nearly bezel-free displays — something HP calls a ‘frameless’ design — and support for all devices with its 100W USB-C power delivery.
HP notes a number of features that come with the Z Core displays, including the integrated HP Display Manager for remotely managing the monitors, as well as HP Eye Ease, a proprietary technology that offers ‘always-on low-blue light’ that HP claims offers ‘ultimate comfort with zero impact on color fidelity.’
The company likewise says that its Z by HP product family was made with a focus on sustainability, noting that, for example, the Z Display lineup uses plastics featuring more than 80% ocean-bound and consumer waste plastics. Likewise, 75% of the aluminum used in these monitors has been ‘upcycled’ and the packaging used to ship the monitors is 100% sustainably sourced.
The inclusion of USB-C connectivity makes these monitors ready for the latest and greatest laptops on the market, but they can also be used with other hardware, as well, due to the inclusion of DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0 (DreamColor models). The new product lineup brings a variety of resolutions at various price points ranging from Full HD to Quad HD and $ 239 to $ 749.
HP lists the new monitor availability and pricing as follows:
- HP Z25xs G3 QHD USB-C DreamColor Display is expected to be available in March 2021 for a starting price of $ 599
- HP Z27xs G3 4K USB-C DreamColor Display is expected to be available in March 2021 for a starting price of $ 749
- HP Z24f G3 FHD Display is expected to be available in January 2021 for a starting price of $ 239
- HP Z24n G3 WUXGA Display is expected to be available in January 2021 for a starting price of $ 299
- HP Z24u G3 WUXGA Display is expected to be available in May 2021 for a starting price of $ 349
- HP Z27q G3 QHD Display is expected to be available in January 2021 for a starting price of $ 399
- HP Z27u G3 QHD Display USB-C is expected to be available in March 2021 for a starting price of $ 449
- HP Z27k G3 4K USB-C Display is expected to be available in March 2021 for a starting price of $ 599
The new HP DreamColor display models join Dell’s newly announced UltraSharp HDR display, a particularly pricey model at $ 5k launched to directly compete with Apple’s Pro XDR Display, beating it specs-wise by offering a 2,000-zone mini-LED array versus the 576 zones found in Apple’s model.
HP’s new models are quite a bit cheaper, of course, pitting them against Dell’s newly introduced and likewise less expensive UltraSharp 24 USB-C Hub monitor with ComfortView Plus tech and a WUXGA resolution; this model is priced at $ 450. In addition, Dell also released its new UltraSharp 34 Curved USB-C Hub monitor with a massive 21:9 aspect ratio, USB-C with 90W power delivery and an $ 800 price tag.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)