PRICE £666 (£799 inc VAT)
from hp.com/uk
The first sign of any product’s quality comes when you unpack it from its box, especially when it’s honed to hit a budget. Does it feel too light, look too plasticky? Have corners been cut that make it horrible to use? In short, does it feel cheap?
So it was with an inward sigh of relief that I started assembling the HP All-in-One 27. Finished in all white, it looks classy, while the stand not only includes 100mm of height adjustment but a felt-covered base. That may sound trivial, but it shows the attention to detail often lacking in budget laptops and PCs.
HP has also taken account of this machine’s environmental impact, using 40% post-consumer recycled plastic, 10% recycled metal and even using “recycled” coffee grounds as speckles in the plastic. Sadly, that isn’t reflected in any kind of smell.
Another nice touch is the 1080p camera built into the top bezel. You slide this up when needed – I kept it up as it’s great for face recognition – and down if you’re worried about privacy. It isn’t the world’s finest webcam, capturing a grainy image with such a wide angle that I had to lean in close to fill the frame, but at least the mic works well.
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