Time for new laptop - any in HP's range with a proper keyboard?

[ChrisKaye]

Hi all,

I'm a long time user and overall fan of HP laptops, previously the Mobile Workstation and Elitebook range.

However, as time has passed, I am finding it increasingly difficult (and frustrating) with HP's design choices with particular regards to the keyboard layout.

I currently have an Envy x360 15" (15-bp106na) which I got after returning the HP Spectre due to the terrible Mac inspired keyboard).

Overall the Envy has been a good and fast laptop, but is let down by missing a right mouse-button key, half height return key and half size up & down cursor keys. One of the recent BIOS updates also forced the F-keys to be disabled in favour of the brightness, volume and sound hot key functions and drives me crazy.

I type a lot and use spreadsheets and programming, so not being able to disable the hot key function drives me nuts.

I was looking at the Zbook Fury as a possible upgrade, as due to work requirements changing, I now need a laptop with fast i9 CPU and Nvidia RTX GPU - but I am concerned about the keyboard.

I wish they did a machine with a decent laptop keyboard like the old nx9420.

Any suggestions or recommendations, please?

Thanks, 

Chris.

[TryToDoMybest]

Hello

I'm using HP notebooks since at least 22 or 23 years. Irember the old keyboard.

if you don't like the current keyboard  style of Zbook and Elitebook , I think  you have to change brand.

you can avoid to use FN+F5 to reload a page, just chenge BIOS setting or press once FN+blok NUM to toggle FN usage.

with this setting you use  the F-Key as it wasin the past. may be you don't know it's so simple to configure.

bye

[ChrisKaye]

TryToDoMyBest,

Thanks so much for the reply!

Amazing tip about Fn+NumLock, I will give this a go, fingers crossed!

I did post previously about this before as a BIOS update forced the hotkeys on and removed the option to disable it from the BIOS.

I created a support ticket and was told that HP removed BIOS options “for our user’s safety”, so was not best pleased with this response.

Unfortunately due to the processor security vulnerability found in intel chips, I didn’t roll back the BIOS to the previous version to be on the safe side.

Thanks again!

[TryToDoMybest]

Hello

I wrongly write the name of the keys to toggle function keys. they are the left shift + FN buttons. you should see a small light on FN button  going ON and OFF every time you press  left shift + FN buttons.

About the BIOS setting  , my notebook , 445 G7 with latest BIOS released in July , still has:

Launch Hotkeys without Fn Keypress
Disable
Enable
*Auto

so you can check on your zbook, I guess it's still there too.

bye

[RickMtl]

I too have been using HP (Compaq) for over 30 yrs.  My first one was a 30+ lbs Compaq portable - lol.  It had a tiny green only screen and 5.25" floppy disks.

My preferred laptop is always HP.  I highly recommend the HP Elitebook series.  The Elitebook 850 G8 have large screens and full sized keyboards.  Alternatively, I like the 840 series, slightly smaller but lighter.  To save some money, try the 745 series with AMD.

I recently sold two ZBook 15 Firefly models and those are AMAZING.  Dedicated graphics, super fast, gorgeous design.

What I like about HP is they use standard off the shelf components and make it easy to open the cases and swap out RAM,  SSD, batteries, also easy to clean the dirt/dust that accumulates.  Try replacing an SSD on a Macbook Pro, Apple uses proprietary connections on standard Samsung part but charge 6x+ more.  A client was forced to pay $600+ for a 256G Samsung SSD for a Mac that just passed the 3yr warranty.  Alternate was to spend $4000 for a new 15" Macbook Pro.

With the cheaper consumer models (ENVY, pavillion, etc.) it can be difficult to open the case without cracking it, it is also much more time consuming.

Elitebooks are build VERY well.  I have had clients drop them (open case, bend metal back and looks like new) and spill liquids on them (open the cases quickly, unplug batteries, CMOS too, let dry out for a month and they work!).  I am not recommending anyone abuse them, but your chances are better with an Enterprise class Elitebook/ZBook.

Good luck!

[TryToDoMybest]

Thank you RickMtl

I agree with you Elitebook are very good products.

I guess my firt laptop at all was an HP Omnibook 900 , sometime at the end of 90's. Before that I was use to use PC with DOS and  Windows 3.1 ,  NT, 95, 98, ME , 2000 ,XP ......  and even before workstation with HP-UX. it was a long time ago, in the 80's.

Hardware changed a lot since thosedays , for young people , take a look this this web https://hpmuseum.net/  and see how huge is the difference between now and 40 years ago.

Bye

i

[RickMtl]

Thanks for the link, i will definitely check it out.

I can also look around my place as a museum.  I have an old Compaq 486/20 on the floor of my office collecting dust.  I should donate it.  Last year I junked (eco center) my original Compaq 386/20e ($10,000 Cdn in 1986) then I added a whopping 40M hard drive ($750) and I bumped the standard 1M (not gig) ram to 6M for another $1500.

I am slowly going through old junk (ZIP drives, parallel cables, 10/100Mb switches, CD/DVS - thousands!).  I wish a museum wanted the stuff, I find it difficult to throw out knowing how much it cost 🙂

[TryToDoMybest]

Hello

in this case for you and me is time to retire and enjoy the rest of our lives doing better things that work on computers !!!

Holidays, cycling , dancing , .....

Bye