HP partners with Bang & Olufsen for modular Elite Slice and Pavilion Wave, starting at $550

HP have introduced two new Windows 10 desktops to coincide with IFA 2016, the Pavilion Wave and the Elite Slice. The Pavilion Wave focuses on style with the Elite Slice trying to make the most of the burgeoning modular trend, notably LG's G5 smartphone.

Both feature Cortana voice integration, with dual microphones in the HP Pavilion Wave, and a dual microphone module option for the HP Elite Slice.

The HP Pavilion Wave design immediately stands out from most small form factor PCs. It's no mistake that it's triangular design is reminiscent of a speaker. HP have partnered with Bang & Olufsen to cram a powerful desktop around a speaker in the center of the machine. The center speaker projects audio upward to reflect onto the parabolic reflector to send audio in every direction.

Despite its small footprint, the Pavilion Wave can also pack some decent hardware. It's able to include a Skylake Core i7, up to 2TB HDD, an optional second drive in the form of a 128GB SSD, and up to 16GB of DDR RAM. The other specification highlights are:

Optional AMD Radeon R9 M470 graphics card
Support for up to two 4K displays
Ports: 3x USB 3.0, 1x USB 3.1 Type-C, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort, Gigabit Ethernet and microphone/headphone jack

The HP Pavilion Wave will be available in the U.S. from September 23, 2016, starting from $550.

Meanwhile, the HP Elite Slice is trying to add in a bit more functionality. Its tiny NUC form factor can be built upon to add more features using several user-friendly modules. These include an external disc drive, Bang & Olufsen branded mic, speaker and VESA mount.

Beside's the Elite Slice's modular design, its stand out feature is its small size. Measuring just 6.5” x 1.38” x 6.5”, and weighing 2.31 lbs, it can easily fit on any desk. Other features include:

Optional touch fingerprint sensor
Ports: 1x Ethernet, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort, 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 3.1 Type-C
Optional Wireless Charging Cover, however it won't be available until the first half of 2017 and it must be selected when ordering the PC. It cannot be added later.

The HP Elite Slice will be available in the U.S. sometime later this month, starting from $699.

Source: Microsoft