An AI Laptop computer That is All Enterprise

HP EliteBook X G1a Evaluation: Pricing and availability

There are three fashions of the EliteBook X G1a on deck. My assessment unit prices $2,199 and has a 2-GHz AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 processor with 32GB of LPDDR5x RAM, a 1TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe TLC M.2 SSD, an built-in AMD Radeon 890M Graphics GPU, a 14-inch, 1920 x 1200 WUXGA show. The $1,999 base mannequin has an AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 CPU with half the storage and a 2.8K OLED panel. The $2,749 prime mannequin has the identical specs because the assessment unit, besides with double the RAM and the two.8K OLED display screen.

HP EliteBook X G1a Evaluation: Design

As befitting a enterprise laptop computer of its stature, the EliteBook X sports activities a refined design that can look good in any workplace, coworking area, or espresso store. The chassis is made out of matte silver-colored aluminum, and the lid is made out of 80% recycled supplies. Talking of the lid, it’s a swath of silvery matte-ness exterior the gleaming strips of steel that make up the HP emblem.

The darkish grey backlit keyboard sits nestled between the massive top-firing speaker grilles in additional of that silver aluminum. The palm relaxation is lengthy sufficient to accommodate most wrists comfortably. The show is related to the deck by way of an extended hinge. Whereas the bezels alongside the edges of the show are skinny, they might be thinner. That goes double for the highest and backside bezels. Nevertheless, the HP emblem on the underside bezel is a pleasant contact.

Though the EliteBook X is most definitely dressed to impress, it’s additionally a troublesome little S.O.B. The pocket book has undergone the gauntlet of toughness, passing 19 assessments to earn its MIL-STD-810H certification. Which means the pocket book can face up to shocks, excessive temperatures, drops from sure heights, and excessive altitudes.

Because the EliteBook X is a comparatively slim pocket book, there’s not a whole lot of room for ports. On the appropriate, you’ve got a Thunderbolt 4 port, a USB-A port, and a Kensington lock slot. The laptop computer has one other Thunderbolt 4 port on the left, together with a USB-C port, an HDMI 2.1 port, and a headset jack.

Weighing in at 3.3 kilos, the 12.3 x 8.5 x 0.36~0.52-inch EliteBook X is on the heavier finish of the ultraportable class. It’s a scooch lighter than the MacBook Pro 14 M4 (3.4 kilos. 12.3 x 8.7 x 0.61 inches) and Dell XPS 14 (3.7 kilos, 12.6 x 8.5 x 0.71 inches). However the Asus Zenbook S 14 (2.65 kilos, 12.2 x 8.5 x 0.47 ~ 0.51 inches) are each lighter programs.

HP EliteBook X G1a Evaluation: Efficiency

HP slapped one in every of AMD’s new Ryzen AI chips into the EliteBook X. Launched earlier this yr, the 4-nanometer AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 processor is essentially the most highly effective chipset on this new lineup. The processor is constructed on the corporate’s Zen 5 structure and has 12 cores and 24 threads.

The chip’s neural processing unit (NPU) makes use of AMD’s XDNA 2 NPU structure. With that and AMD’s Ryzen AI know-how, the NPU can hit a efficiency charge of as much as 55 TOPS (Tera Operations Per Second), making it some of the highly effective AI laptops at the moment in the marketplace. AMD claims the NPU gives as much as 2x in energy effectivity with AI workloads in comparison with last-gen chips. And eventually, there’s the built-in AMD Radeon 890M Graphics. AMD’s RDNA 3.5 graphics structure is designed to optimize graphics efficiency however with decreased energy consumption.

So, all that jargon means this APU is designed to present you extra energy with out sacrificing effectivity. I subjected the EliteBook to my normal workload, which begins with between 50 and 65 tabs in Google Chrome (don’t choose). It’s a mixture of GSuite apps like Docs and Sheets, a slew of stories and social media websites, Google Analytics, a number of Gmail accounts, and some YouTube movies. Even with all of that, I couldn’t induce any lag. I began modifying movies in Adobe Premiere and photographs in Photoshop with comparable outcomes.

The EliteBook X additionally held its personal once I put it via the benchmark gauntlet. Throughout CPU-focused assessments, the EliteBook X tended to dominate its PC compatriots. For instance, in Geekbench 6, the pocket book produced scores of two,819 and 14,483 on the one and multi-core assessments. That was greater than sufficient to filter out the likes of the Zenbook S14 and XPS 14. Nevertheless, it couldn’t conquer the MacBook Professional 14 (3.845, 15,105). The EliteBook X took 3 minutes and 48 seconds to transcode a 4K video to 1080p. As soon as once more, the HP laptop computer folded its Intel-powered opponents, solely to position second to the MacBook, which turned in at 2:29.

I wouldn’t suggest enjoying Cyberpunk 2077 on the EliteBook X. Nevertheless, I can say I performed a whole lot of Hades II attempting to take out the most recent floor boss. And regardless of biting the mud extra occasions than I care to confess, the colourful rogue-lite performed superbly. So you already know the drill, it’s benchmarking time. And I used to be fairly shocked to see the Zenbook S14’s Intel Arc Graphics beating the EliteBook X on the 3DMark Time Spy benchmark 4,215 to 4,133. The XPS 14’s 5,193 wasn’t a shocker because it has a discrete Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU.

HP EliteBook X G1a Evaluation: Show, Audio, Webcam, and Keyboard

The EliteBook X’s 14-inch, 1920 x 1200 non-touch show is vibrant and daring. Actor Morris Chestnut’s pores and skin seemed like burnished bronze within the Watson trailer. In the meantime, a gaggle of crimson blood cells forming a clot had such intense coloration that it bordered on florescent. Clear particulars revealed the wonderful striations within the ultrasound of a child and a myriad of bubbles created from a physique sinking into the water. Regardless of being an anti-glare panel, the EliteBook X’s 16:10 panel is fairly vibrant. Not less than it’s vibrant sufficient for me to learn and watch movies in direct daylight.

HP acquired Poly, previously often known as Plantronics, some time in the past, and it was an important choice. The quad audio system and amplifiers are higher than they’ve any proper to be on a laptop computer this slim. The pair of prime and side-firing audio system created a full, highly effective sound that simply stuffed my front room. Listening to some songs on Tidal and Spotify, I observed the highs can get brassy and distorted, and the bass is slightly weak.

The 5-megapixel webcam captures pictures and video in 1920 x 1080p. In my check photographs, the shooter gave combined outcomes on the colour. The digicam did a superb job capturing the colour in my multicolored locs however washed out my rose quartz shirt.

I really like how massive the keycaps are on the EliteBook’s keyboard. The keys are additionally properly spaced, with vibrant backlighting and agency suggestions when typing. I hit my normal 70 phrases per minute on the Monkeytype check. The Fn row on the keyboard does double obligation, as most of the keys have media performance. The F11 key might be programmed to some options within the MyHP app. The ability button additionally serves twin functions, functioning as a fingerprint reader for safe logins. And eventually, there’s the Microsoft Copilot button within the backside proper quadrant in case you need to shoot the breeze with Microsoft’s AI. The touchpad is your normal. It’s giant, responsive, and agile, together with your normal cache of a number of gestures.

HP EliteBook X G1a Evaluation: Software program and Battery Life

As a enterprise laptop computer, the EliteBook X has a particular set of safety utilities. Dubbed HP Wolf Safety, it offers safety in opposition to malware and phishing assaults, displays crucial functions, and might restore the working system in case of an infection. HP Certain Click on acts as a digital container, so you’ll be able to open questionable information and web sites with out probably affecting the remainder of the pc.

And since that is the AI period, HP has thrown its hat into the ring with its personal AI companion. Presently in beta, the companion does many issues we’ve seen on different apps, together with Google Gemini and Copilot. It may possibly summarize your docs and emails in addition to craft them. There’s a chatbot in case you’ve got a query, need to ask, or need assistance making a to-do listing or different duties. And, after all, there’s some AI constructed into the system administration, so that you ask for the digicam to be turned on/off, mute or unmute the audio system, or allow/disable autoframe within the digicam app.

Then you definitely’ve acquired myHP and Assist Assistant, the place you’ll be able to regulate efficiency settings, run system diagnostics, or contact tech help.

So there’s been a whole lot of speak about efficiency with out sacrificing effectivity. I positively needed to put that to the check. In the course of the course of someday, the place I wrote this assessment, took video calls, answered emails, watched a couple of movies, and took a few go-rounds in Hades 2, the laptop computer lasted 9 hours and 13 minutes at 50% brightness on the balanced energy setting. I additionally ran the PCMark 10 Fashionable Workplace battery check, the place the pocket book lasted 13:25, which is fairly good.

HP EliteBook X G1a Evaluation: Verdict

Despite the fact that we’re getting deeper and deeper into AI land, I nonetheless haven’t discovered that killer AI app. So whereas the HP EliteBook X G1a is among the strongest AI laptops out there, for proper now, it’s extra of a nice-to-have than essential. However when the app emerges, it’s good to know that a whole lot of that AI processing might be performed regionally as an alternative of within the cloud, the place it’s damaging the setting.

However should you take the AI hoopla out of the equation, you continue to have a damned-good enterprise laptop computer. It’s sturdy and has loads of security measures to maintain your information good and safe. Its efficiency will fulfill even essentially the most demanding cell professionals. And whenever you’re not working, that show might be put to good use by watching a film or two and even getting some gaming in (inside cause). And barring some slight distortion on a couple of songs, the EliteBook’s audio system can cling with fairly a couple of Bluetooth audio system. Plus, it could final nicely over eight hours on a cost.

The HP EliteBook X G1a is the enterprise laptop computer to beat this yr.