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HP Releases Its First DisplayPort 1.4 (HBR3) Enabled PC with the ENVY x360 Convertible Laptop Using AMD's Ryzen 5 and Vega 8 Platform

Given AMD's strength in graphics and processor technology, it's not surprising that HP has partnered with AMD to release its first DisplayPort 1.4 notebook PC, the Envy X360 15z. Unlike other PC's in the 2018 lineup of Envy x360 PC's like the ENVY x360 Convertible which are Intel based and don't support DisplayPort and USB Power Delivery, the Envy X360 15z supports USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gb/s), USB Power Delivery 2.0, and DisplayPort 1.4.

DisplayPort 1.4 uses HBR3 data signaling rates to provide higher resolution video with higher refresh rates and is especially important in a USB Type-C connector where typically only two lanes of signaling are available (the other two lanes are used for USB 3.1 Gen 1). With only two lanes, the Envy X360 15z can achieve 4k@60hz without using any compression over the USB Type-C port.  

As DisplayPort 1.4 becomes more popular, there should be more monitors to take advantage of this higher resolution and refresh rate. The Dell  UltraSharp UP2718Q supports DisplayPort 1.4 over a standard and mini DisplayPort interface, so you'll need to use a USB Type-C to DisplayPort adapter if you want to use this monitor with the Envy X360 15z.  

The Envy X360 15z comes with a 65W non-USB Type-C standard AC adapter.

HP has a range of USB Type-C notebook PC's but sometimes it can be confusing what interface technologies they actually support. The Envy X360 15z  uses the lightning symbol to show charging next to the USB trident logo but to the casual user, it looks similar to the Thunderbolt logo found on higher end HP Spectre PC's like the HP Spectre x360 (2017) (see below). Thunderbolt 3 based USB Type-C ports support Thunderbolt 3 (40 Gb/s), USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gb/s), DisplayPort 1.2, and USB Power Delivery 2.0, so beware of the difference.

The Envy X360 15z also supports two USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports, a HDMI 2.0 port, 3.5mm audio jack, and SD card slot.