HP announced the new consumer-friendly Dragonfly Pro line and, while they look like very svelte and capable machines, the Windows version has me scratching my head in deep confusion. If you look closely at the image below, you’ll notice a unique set of hotkeys vertically flanking the right side of the keyboard. These keys are designed to draw up your camera, account info, and so on. The key that baffles me the most is the tech support one (aka 24/7 concierge support) because, according to this article on The Verge, you have to pay extra for it.
HP
The concierge key is designed to put you in touch with an HP expert that can help with troubleshooting issues, repairs, and so on. The idea itself is fine and dandy, as I’m all for customer support. However, I don’t like that you have to pay for it in the first place. It also renders the key useless if you’re not paying for the service. Essentially, the hotkey just takes up unnecessary space on the keyboard. It can’t be remapped, either. There will likely be a free trial period for this service, but there’s no pricing info available yet. It’s not all doom and gloom, though. The hardware is pretty nifty, although there’s no Intel offerings just yet.
The Dragonfly Pro comes equipped with an AMD Ryzen 7 7736U CPU, AMD Radeon integrated graphics, up to 32GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of SSD storage. The 14-inch display has a resolution of 1920×1080 and a maximum brightness of 400 nits. For connectivity options, it features two USB4 40Gbps ports and one USB 3.2 Type-C port. The specs really aren’t too shabby. On paper, it looks like it should deliver strong performance. This laptop will also be offered in Ceramic White or Sparkling Black.
The HP Dragonfly Pro will become available later this spring, but there’s no word on pricing just yet. HP will reveal this information when it gets closer to the release date.
