HP Presence Will Be Present on New Commercial PCs, Workstations, Monitors

HP is refreshing its commercial PC, workstation and monitor portfolios with expanded support for its HP Presence video conferencing technology. The company unveiled the new wares this week in connection with the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2022 in Las Vegas.

Launched last fall, HP Presence includes software and hardware designed to simplify participation in and management of video conferences. The initial rollout included software and peripherals such as a standalone meeting controller, cameras, a soundbar and HP Presence Hub.

The October launch also comprised of a handful of PCs with Presence. Among them: the EliteOne 800 G8 All-in-One, the second-generation x360 Elite DragonFly Max and the HP Presence Mini Conferencing PC. Besides supporting the HP Presence software, these PCs are optimized for auto-frame, lowlight and backlight adjustment, two-way noise reduction and come with dual-facing 5MP webcams.

Now HP is including Presence broadly across this year’s crop of new commercial PCs, workstations and monitors. Specifically, that includes HP’s Elite Dragonfly, Elite, ProBook and Z Workstations. Further, the company is including HP Presence with one PC among its consumer brands, a new Envy desktop. Also, HP will ship several new monitors optimized for HP Presence.

HP’s Andy Rhodes

Moreover, HP is adding two new capabilities to the Presence software. The first is an appearance filter that uses artificial intelligence “to clean up and enhance the look of individuals in real-time,” said Andy Rhodes, general manager and head of HP’s commercial systems and display solutions group. The second is a new application called myHP. The latter is a customizable dashboard that lets users apply consistent video settings across the different conferencing solutions including Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet.

“In this new hybrid world, any little elements that distract from our productivity are very, very unnerving,” Rhodes said. “And so being able to do it very easily from one place, that’s what myHP is all about.”

Initially, HP will offer the new Presence features on the next generation of its Elite Dragonfly laptops launching at CES. HP will extend them to its other PCs and workstations later, Rhodes said.

Elite Dragonfly G3 for Windows 11

HP’s Elite Dragonfly, which the company introduced in 2019, has emerged as the company’s premium commercial mobile PC offering. The second-generation Elite Dragonfly debuted during last year’s CES. Now, HP is launching two new third-generation models, one with Windows 11 and the first Elite Dragonfly clamshell notebook.

The new Dragonfly G3 is powered by Intel’s 12^th Gen processors. HP has enhanced the Elite Dragonfly with a 13.5-inch display and a 3:2 aspect ratio, which offers more vertical height.

HP’s Ann Lai

“With the benefits of a larger screen, we’ve also been able to redesign the rest of the product,” said Ann Lai, HP’s senior director of commercial experiences, software and conferencing solutions. “It’s more comfortable and you have more room to work.”

Lai added that the new Dragonfly has larger keys and a bigger trackpad. It has two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports and one USB-A 3.1 charging port and is available with three display options. It is also available with 4G LTE and 5G LTE connectivity and up to 32 GB of LPDDR5 RAM. Despite the slightly larger display, HP said it has maintained the 2.2 lb. weight of the Elite Dragonfly.

First Dragonfly Chromebook x360

HP is also adding its first x360 form factor Dragonfly Chromebook. Optimized for video collaboration, HP claims it’s also the first Chromebook with a haptic trackpad. Designed to provide a better user experience than traditional mechanical trackpads, haptic trackpads have become a staple of Apple MacBooks. More recently, haptic trackpads have begun appearing on Windows PCs.

The new DragonFly Chromebook is also the first to support Intel’s vPro security, according to Lai. It also supports 4G LTE and 5G LTE, has two USB-C Thunderbolt ports and one USB A 3.2. The Chromebook also works with the optional HP Wireless Rechargeable USI Pen.

A breakdown of 12 new PCs, workstations and displays launched at CES with support for HP Presence appears in the slideshow above.