BUY NOW | BUY NOW |
HP Zbook Power 15 G7 | Dell Precision 15 5550 |
PROS | PROS |
Strong and stylish body. Good thermals. Great input devices. | Solid battery life for a workstation. Loud speakers. Sleek and portable especially for its class. |
CONS | CONS |
Lacks a MicroSD card slot. | Pricier for performance. Webcam could be better. |
SPECIFICATIONS
DISPLAY | HP ZBOOK POWER 15 G7 | DELL PRECISION 15 5550 |
Type | 15.6-inch UltraSharp FHD IGZO4, AG,NT,w/Prem Panel Guar,100% sRGB, Platinum Silver w/HD Camera display | 15.6″ UltraSharp FHD+, 1920×1200,AG,NT, w/Prem Panel Guar, 100% sRGB, Low BL w/ IR Cam |
Resolution | 1920×1080 | 1920 x 1200 |
LCD Backlight Technology | LED-Backlit | LED-Backlit |
PROCESSOR | HP ZBOOK POWER 15 G7 | DELL PRECISION 15 5550 |
CPU | Intel Core i5-10300H, Intel Core i5-10400H vPro, Intel Core i7-10750H, Intel Core i7-10850H vPro, Intel Core i9-10885H vPro, Intel Xeon W-10855M vPro | 10th Generation Intel Core i5-10400H, Intel Core i7-10750H, Intel Core i7-10850, Intel Core i9-10885H, Intel Xeon W-10855M |
Clock Speed (Turbo boost) | 4.5 GHz, 4.6 GHz, 5.0 GHz, 5.1 GHz, 5.3 GHz | 4.60 GHz, 5.0 GHz, 5.1 GHz, 5.10 GHz, 5.30 GHz, |
Cache | 8 MB Cache, 12M Cache | 8M, 12M, 16M cache |
MEMORY | HP ZBOOK POWER 15 G7 | DELL PRECISION 15 5550 |
Speed | 2666 MHz, 3200 MHz | 2667MHz, 2933MHz |
Technology | DDR4 ECC, DDR4 | DDR4, ECC |
Size | 8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB | 8 GB to 32 GB |
HARD DRIVE | HP ZBOOK POWER 15 G7 | DELL PRECISION 15 5550 |
Storage | 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB | 256GB, 512GB |
Spindle Speed | PCIe NVMe TLC SSD | M.2 PCIe NVMe Class 35 Solid State Drive, M.2 PCIe NVMe Class 40 Solid State Drive |
AUDIO & VIDEO | HP ZBOOK POWER 15 G7 | DELL PRECISION 15 5550 |
Graphic Processor | Intel UHD Graphics, NVIDIA Quadro P620 Graphics (4 GB GDDR5), NVIDIA Quadro T2000 Graphics (4 GB GDDR5), NVIDIA Quadro T1000 Graphics (4 GB GDDR5) | Intel UHD Graphics 630, Intel UHD Graphics P630, NVIDIA Quadro T1000, NVIDIA Quadro T2000 |
Sound | HP Audio, dual stereo speakers, dual array digital microphone, functions keys for volume up and down, combo microphone / headphone jack, HD audio | Stereo woofer 2.5 W x 2 and stereo tweeter 1.5 W x 2 = 8 W total peak |
Camera | No Webcamm Integrated HD 720p DualAryMic Webcam, Integrated HD 720p Infrared (IR) DualAryMic Webcam | 1280 x 720 at 30 fps, HD RGBIr fixed focus camera |
OPERATING SYSTEM | HP ZBOOK POWER 15 G7 | DELL PRECISION 15 5550 |
Type | Windows 10 Home, Windows 10 Pro | Windows 10 Home, Windows 10 Professional |
CONNECTIONS | HP ZBOOK POWER 15 G7 | DELL PRECISION 15 5550 |
Ports | 1 RJ-45, 1 SuperSpeed USB Type-A 5Gbps signaling rate (charging) 1 HDMI 2.0, 1 power connector, 1 Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps signaling rate) with SuperSpeed USB Type-C 10Gbps signaling rate (DisplayPort 1.2), 2 Super Speed USB Type-A 5Gbps signaling rate, 1 headphone / microphone combo, 1 smart card reader | 2 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port with Thunderbolt 3 (Power Delivery), 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (Power Delivery), 1 Universal Audio port, 1 SD card slot, 1 Noble slot |
Memory card | ||
COMMUNICATIONS | HP ZBOOK POWER 15 G7 | DELL PRECISION 15 5550 |
Wireless Protocol | No Wireless LAN or Bluetoot, Intel AX201 Wi-Fi 6 (2×2) and Bluetooth 5 Combo, non-vPro, Intel AX201 Wi-Fi 6 (2×2) and Bluetooth 5 Combo, vPro | Intel Dual Band Wireless AX201 2×2 + Bluetooth 5.1 vPro |
Wired Protocol | Ethernet | |
BATTERY | HP ZBOOK POWER 15 G7 | DELL PRECISION 15 5550 |
Capacity | 83 WHr | 56 WHr or 68 WHr ExpressCharge |
Cells | 6-cell | 3-cell or 6-cell |
DIMENSIONS & WEIGHT | HP ZBOOK POWER 15 G7 | DELL PRECISION 15 5550 |
Width | 14.15 in | 13.56 in |
Depth | 9.21 in | 9.07 in |
Height | 0.9 in | 0.46 in |
Weight | 4.16 lbs | 4.06 lbs |
MISCELLANEOUS | HP ZBOOK POWER 15 G7 | DELL PRECISION 15 5550 |
Color | ||
Keyboard | Clickpad with numeric keypad spill-resistant Keyboard, Clickpad for Near Field Communication (NFC) numeric keypad spill-resistant Keyboard, Clickpad Backlit with numeric keypad spill-resistant Keyboard, Clickpad for NFC Backlit numeric keypad spill-resistant Keyboard | US English Backlit Keyboard |
DESIGN
HP Zbook Power G7
The Zbook has a military build. So, as you would expect it’s one chunky and shock-resistant computer. It has an all-aluminum case and hopefully, it’s going to last.
In terms of the keyboard, the Zbook comes with HP premium quiet keyboard. It is speed-resistant and a full-size backlit keyboard with a programmable key. It’s protected by an HP warranty for three years. The spill-resistant keyboard is super comfortable to use.
The keyboard on the Zbook is simply much better than the Surface Book’s keyboard. The trackpad looks big and comfortable almost like a Mac trackpad but in real life, the trackpad is a bit smaller.
Dell Precision 15 5550
Dell has been blowing the lines between mobile workstations and high-performance consumer laptops by putting some professional-level hardware into the Precision 5550 while keeping the form factor close to the XPS 15 consumer model. The Precision 5550 is so slim, compact profile, and weighs just 4.05 pounds making it easily portable for the professional on the go.
It’s light and it’s extremely thin, so it does not have any USB ports or HDMI or anything else. We only have one Type-C 3.0 and two Thunderbolts. So, I’m pretty sure you have to buy some dongles to attach your devices.
The trackpad is very huge and it’s comfortable to use. The keyboard has very nice keys and it feels good to type. Although it’s not a mechanical keyboard, you won’t expect a mechanical keyboard in this thin laptop. The panel is made of carbon fiber, it’s pretty but the only downfall of this is that if your hands are even a little bit oily, it will leave some stains.
DISPLAY
HP Zbook Power G7
It has a decent display. The display we have is Full HD but if you want, you can also opt for a 4K display. It has a narrow bezel, anti-reflection, and it has gorilla glass 5 and that’s all I was really interested in. It has four narrow bezels that maximize the area of the screen and you can get a 4K display if you want to.
Dell Precision 15 5550
You will love the 15.6-inch display of this Precision 5550. The display is ultra-sharp FHD+ 1920 x 1200 and supports 100% sRGB. It’s incredibly vivid and bright with great color accuracy and minimized footprints, small bezels, and all add up to an amazing viewing experience.
BATTERY
HP Zbook Power G7
The battery life is decent but not amazing. However, to be honest, I expected that the battery life is in line with the specs of this workstation but it lasts about five hours.
Dell Precision 15 5550
The Precision 5550 has two battery options that are 68 WHr and 86 WHr batteries whereas the previous gen had a battery size of 97 WHr. In real-world use, the 86 WHr battery option gives you around 9 hours of battery life.
WHICH TO BUY?
The Zbook Power G7 is a very decent workstation given the price. It’s a very durable piece of equipment but other laptops seem more powerful on paper while also delivering better specs for a lower price.
If you’re looking for an affordable mobile workstation without tipping over $2500, then the Dell Precision 5550 essentially takes the popular XPS 15 and packs it with some professional-level hardware that definitely hits the sweet spot of performance, portability, and price making it a great option for you.
Both of these laptops have powerful configurations and both work well. In the Precision 5550, you get some negatives like lack of ports. Overall, both the laptops are fine for high-intensive works. So, you have to decide that which one attracts you more from this detailed review.