HP ZBook x2, a detachable designed for the creative class

I'm not a huge fan of the x2's aesthetics, but it does look pretty good from this angle.

When you detach the x2's keyboard, it automatically switches to Bluetooth so you can keep using it. This lets you use the tablet section like a tablet, without giving up keyboard shortcuts.

The ZBook has an unusual design aesthetic that forgoes modern sleek lines for something more muscular-looking. While it's not really rugged, it's designed to be more durable than a typical consumer detachable.

In addition to the power switch, the headphone jack and volume buttons sit on the right side.

You can tilt the keyboard for comfortable typing or lay it flat.

The keyboard has a pretty good feel for a detachable. The backing is stiff, there's a reasonable amount of travel with a touch of kick and it has a nice big touchpad.

HP and Wacom worked together on the EMR stylus -- that means no batteries -- which supports 4,096 levels of pressure, tilt and rotation, and feels nicely balanced.  It's only got a single button on the barrel though, plus the eraser, which makes it impractical for some 3D work. And you can't use Wacom's styluses with the x2.

HP targets Adobe Creative Cloud users with the laptop; it comes with the Creative Cloud app preinstalled, and the company sells the x2 in preconfigured models in the US that are sort of optimized for specific applications. For instance, the $2,700 Photographer config is supposedly for using Photoshop and Lightroom, but there's no reason a Digital Artist needs a lesser $2,280 system for those applications plus Adobe Illustrator. I'd ignore the "helpful" categorizations while shopping.

The kickstand has good tension and can prop at fairly acute angles. 

You can also lay the tablet back at a pretty obtuse angle.

It's a 14-inch notebook, which for some reason looks huge in this photo. It's not light though at just under 5 lbs/2.2kg.

The x2 stays surprisingly cool given the hardware that's inside. It's got two fans, which pull cool air in through the sides and vent the warm air through the top.

It doesn't charge through USB so it has a dedicated power connector. There are two USB-C/Thunderbolt ports, an HDMI connection and a USB 3 Type-A. There's also an SD card slot and a fingerprint reader.

Like Wacom's MobileStudio Pro, the x2 has a set of programmable buttons on both sides of the display which are relatively easy to differentiate by feel.

There's a low-resolution camera on the back of the tablet.

This isn't the most comfortable position in which to use the stylus, but I'm just posing for the photo.

The speakers are on the top of the tablet. As you'd expect, they're not great, and I find that the B&O-optimized profiles don't help.

Here the keyboard is flattened. Interestingly, many people who saw the system assumed that this is the correct position for the keyboard.

You can see the connections where the keyboard attaches to the tablet.

The buttons are physically the same on both sides, but you can program them separately.

It's actually more comfortable to scroll with your thumb rather than torquing your wrist. But once again, posing.