HP launches their ZBook Ultra G1a workstation-class laptop in Australia

There’s a conflicting worry for high-end computer users these days, an increasing demand for smaller, lighter devices while at the same time needing far more power and performance than ever before. This is where HP’s new ZBook Ultra G1a comes in, packing workstation class performance in a highly portable form factor.

I attended the launch of this device in Sydney and what struck me was the sheer power being driven from what appears as a rather small and very portable device. With a weight starting at 1.5kg this is a 14 inch laptop with three USB-C ports (two of them Thunderbolt 4), a USB-A, and a fullsize HDMI port it’s got everything you need. Looking across the room at the various demonstrations of the device from data processing to 3D modelling I caught a glimpse of a racing simulator running the F1 game. I suggested to the HP team they get me the device powering that, to update my own SIM rig – I went over to take a look and it was a laptop!

The ZBook Ultra G1a was doing all the work. Wait, data entry, data processing, 3D modelling and Gaming? Now sure, it’s not classed as a gaming laptop, but because of the design’s excellent venting and vapor chamber, paired with the powerful processing and GPU – it’s totally possible.

Powered by the AMD Ryzen AI Max Pro series processor with Integrated AMD Radeon graphics you’re not going to be left wanting here. Pair that with up to 128GB of unified memory which you can assign as you need – putting up to 96GB exclusively into the GPU with just a BIOS setting is remarkable.

Throw in up to 4TB of storage and we’re really talking about a device that suits what would be the traditional “Workstation” environment, but with the added benefit of complete portability.

Because this device is ISV-Certified, you can rely on all your major software applications running with peak performance, no compatibility issues.

Of course, AI is at the core of this device. Running CoPilot from Microsoft the ZBook Ultra G1a has an NPU capable of up to 50 TOPS

For the nerds in the room, it’s capable of running LLM software like Meta’s Llama 70B or Mistral AI’s Mixtral 8x7B. This is a laptop remember. That’s crazy talk just a year or so ago.

Thanks to that power, performance and the hardware such as the Poly Camera Pro there’s also plenty of nifty workplace features. Poly Camera allows you to get the most from your video calls, while an AI-enhanced new “onlooker detection” will automatically blur your screen if it detects someone looking over your shoulder!

Aman Sangar, HP ANZ Category Manager is excited about what this device brings to the market, saying “At HP, we are constantly pushing the boundaries of innovation to meet the evolving needs of today’sprofessionals and the future of work”

“I believe that the launch of the ZBook Ultra G1a marks a significant milestone in the evolution of mobile workstations, offering an unrivaled combination of power, performance, and portability”.

The HP ZBook Ultra G1a is available on HP.com with an price that starts from $3,000.