The HP Slate 17 is an Android tablet with a difference, its 17.3-inch screen making it one of the few tablets designed more-or-less exclusively for home use.
Being so large makes the Slate 17 closer to an all-in-one PC than the small 7-inch tablets many of you may have tried already.
To make such a large display easier to handle, the HP Slate 17 has a stand on the back to prop it up, either near-upright or at a much lesser angle, designed for touchscreen gaming use.
At 2.46kg, the Slate 17 isn’t the sort of Android device to use handheld, let alone in one paw. However, it does feature an accelerometer for games that require tilt control.
HP Slate 17 specs
The tablet runs Android 4.4.2, and comes with the usual array of Google services, including Google Play. This means it’ll be able to run the majority of Android games and apps.
Screen resolution isn’t too high by tablet standards, the Full HD resolution offering pixel density of just 127ppi, but the larger screen means you’re more likely to use it a bit further away from your face.
As well as a larger-than-average display, the HP Slate 17 promises speakers better than the tablet average. They’re BeatsAudio speakers, and offer “room filling” sound, according to HP’s blurb.
It will be easy enough to hook the tablet up to a TV or monitor too, as it has a full-size HDMI port, as well as the usual USB socket.
An Intel Bay Trail Celeron N2870 CPU runs the show, while 2GB should offer pretty good performance from Android. Naturally, though, it’s not a full PC replacement unless your needs are quite basic.
It’ll last for 7 hours 45 minutes of video playback according to HP’s tests, and has a webcam on the front for video chat and selfies.
The HP Slate 17 audience
Pitched as very much a family tablet, the large screen is intended for sharing. “Our customers are asking for a large form factor entertainment device to allow multiple people to enjoy content together,” says HP exec Louis Perrin.
This isn’t HP’s first venture into giganto-tablets, though, having released the 21-inch HP Slate 21 last year.
The HP Slate 17 will be available from early 2015, it’ll come in white and yellow colours, and will sell for 449 Euro. We’re told the UK price will be available closer to the release, but the figure never generally drops too far in a Euros-to-pounds conversion.
Read more: Best tablets
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
