HP EliteBook X G1a Score Details The HP EliteBook X G1a is a businessperson's business laptop.ProsExcellent build qualityUnderstated but attractive aestheticExcellent productivity performanceEnterprise-friendly management and securitySpectacular OLED displayConsExpensiveBattery life suffers without IPS displayTable of ContentsTable of ContentsSpecs and configurationDesignKeyboard and touchpadConnectivity and webcamPerformanceBattery lifeDisplay and audioExactly what businesses are looking forI took a first look at the HP EliteBook X G1a a few weeks ago, and without having a chance to test the laptop, found it to be a solid new addition to the field of best business laptops. Its attractive, well-built, and generally looks and feels a lot like the kind of laptop business users are looking for.Recommended VideosNow that Ive tested it, Im happy to say that it lives up to my original billing. Its very fast and offers up a host of commercial-friendly features. I tested it with its excellent OLED display option, but if youre looking for the best battery life, youll want to select the IPS panel instead.RelatedHP EliteBook X G1aDimensions12.29 x 8.45 x 0.52 inchesWeight3.3 poundsDisplay14.0-inch 16:10 FHD+ (1920 x 1200) IPS, 60Hz14.0-inch 16:10 2.8K (1880 x 1800) OLED, 120HzCPUAMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360AMD Ryzen AI 9 PRO 375GPURadeon Graphics 880MRadeon Graphics 890MMemory16GB32GB64GBStorage512GB SSD1TB SSDPorts1 x USB-C2 x USB-C with Thunderbolt 41 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 11 x HDMI 2.11 x 3.5mm headphone jackCamera5MP with infrared camera for Windows 11 HelloWi-FiWi-Fi 7 and Bluetoth 5.4Battery74.5 watt-hourOperating systemWindows 11Price$2,099+There are several configurations available for the EliteBook X G1a. If you visit HPs web store, youll find several configuration that are on sale, such as my review configuration that is currently on sale for $2,599, down from a list price of $3,949. That configuration includes an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 chipset, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 14.0-inch 2.8K OLED display. The base configuration is $2,099 list, with a Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a 14.0-inch FHD+ IPS panel.However, these prices wont be what a business will pay. Rather, prices will be most relevant when the laptop is purchased on a contract that will be a lot more attractive.Mark Coppock / Digital TrendsTheres no doubt that HP knows how to make a solid laptop. The EliteBook X G1a feels incredibly robust, with zero bending, flexing, or twisting in the lid, keyboard deck, or chassis. That makes sense, because the laptop is aimed at a commercial market that demands reliability.In terms of its aesthetic, the EliteBook X G1a is just about perfect that is, if youre a businessperson who wants a laptop that doesnt stand out but still comes across as attractive. HP toned down some of the design flourishes youll find on its consumer lineup, like the most recent OmniBook machines, while still giving the EliteBook enough smooth lines and cohesiveness that you wont feel like youre carrying the usual business machine.While the display bezels arent the smallest Ive seen, the laptop is still reasonably sized in width and depth. Its very thin at just 0.52 inches, not too far off from the insanely thin MacBook Air 15 thats 0.45 inches, while its not terribly light 3.3 pounds. Thats heavy enough that the EliteBook X G1a has a dense feeling to it, which does make it a little less comfortably portable.Mark Coppock / Digital TrendsHP has been making great keyboards for several years now, first in their Spectre lineup and now in their OmniBook and EliteBook machines. This one builds on that, with large keycaps, bold lettering, and plenty of key spacing. The switches are consistent across the entire keyboard and have a light, snappy feel. Its one of the best Ive used, right up their with my usual favorite, Apples Magic Keyboard.The touchpad isnt quite as good, as a mechanical version where Im starting to see more haptic touchpads in premium laptops. Its big enough and the button clicks are quiet and confident, but a haptic touchpad would have been welcome here. HP makes a great version thats on some of its OmniBook laptops, and I would have liked to see it make it to the EliteBook.Mark Coppock / Digital TrendsTheres plenty of connectivity, with a nice selection of modern and legacy ports. That makes sense, given the laptops commercial focus, and that includes the fastest wireless connectivity. Id like to see an SD card slot, which is becoming less and less common. Im also surprised theres no option for always-connected internet, which is available on some other commercial machines.Mark Coppock / Digital TrendsThe webcam is HPs high-resolution 5MP version, which provides a sharp, clear image that benefits from a host of AI-powered enhancements. The laptop is a Microsoft Copilot+ PC, and HP offers a number of conferencing benefits via the Poly Camera Pro software. Theres a Spotlight feature, excellent background blur and replace, filters, and auto framing. Its all powered by a fast Neural Processing Unit (NPU) that provides fast and efficient on-device AI processing.Mark Coppock / Digital TrendsThe EliteBook X G1a is available with one of several AMD Ryzen AI 7 and 9 chipsets, and I reviewed it with the highest-end Ryzen AI 9 HX 375. The PRO versions of the chipsets enables the kind of security and manageability that enterprises demand, and then theres the option of the sheer power of the Ryzen AI 9 chipset. Its a 12-core/24-thread chipset running at up to 5.1GHz and consuming a default of 28 watts configurable up to 54 watts.It also offers faster on-device AI thanks to an NPU that runs at up to 55 tera operations per second (TOPS). Thats faster than any other chipset available today, and that means faster AI processing with the efficiency of the NPU compared to using the GPU.HP is introducing its AI Companion software that enables a variety of AI features above and beyond what Microsofts Copilot+ PC initiative provides. AI Companion includes Analyze that lets you dig into files, along with a variety of other custom AI features. All of them run on-device, keeping things theoretically safer and more private and using the NPU to maintain efficiency.HP also updated its SmartSense feature to use AI to better manage performance and fan speed. Now, there are just two options available SmartSense and Best Performance meaning that users wont need to spend as much time managing the EliteBook X G1as performance, heat, and noise. Well have to wait until we can run benchmarks to determine how effective the new software is in managing things.Finally, as a member of HPs business lineup, the EliteBook X G1a has Wolf Security for enhanced security and privacy. Its so locked down that there were extra hoops I had to run through in running some of our standard benchmarks.The EliteBook X G1a was a strong performer for demanding productivity users, coming in at the top in our comparison group of thin and light laptops in multi-core processing speed. Some other chipsets, like Intels Lunar Lake and Apples M3 chipset, are faster in single-core performance. The AMD Radeon 890M integrated graphics are the second fastest in this group, but the EliteBook X G1a doesnt make for a strong gaming laptop or creative workstations.Cinebench R24(single/multi)Geekbench 6(single/multi)Handbrake(seconds)3DMarkWild Life ExtremeHP EliteBook X G1a(Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 / Radeon 890M)109 / 10952769 / 14786607236Acer Swift 14 AI(Ryzen AI 9 365 / Radeon 880M)110 / 8772795 / 14351565669Acer Swift 14 AI(Core Ultra 7 258V / Intel Arc 140V)121 / 5252755 / 11138925294HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14(Core Ultra 7 258V / Intel Arc 140V)116 / 5982483 / 10725997573Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition(Core Ultra 7 258V / Intel Arc 140V)109 / 6302485 / 10569885217Asus Zenbook S 14(Core Ultra 7 258V / Intel Arc 140V)112 / 4522738 / 107341137514HP OmniBook X(Snapdragon X Elite / Adreno)101 / 7492377 / 13490N/A6165MacBook Air(M3)141 / 6013102 / 120781098098Mark Coppock / Digital TrendsI reviewed the EliteBook X G1a with its high-resolution OLED display, which counters the reasonably sized 74.5 watt-hour battery. The AMD chipset isnt particularly efficient, and I saw just 7.5 hours of video looping with the EliteBook and 1.5 hours of running the Cinebench R24 benchmark as a demanding test.Thats not great, and in fact falls well short of laptops with more efficient chipsets like Qualcomms Snapdragon X and Intels Lunar Lake. Youll get much better battery life with the available FHD+ IPS display, and this configuration is for people who demand the best display quality. HP estimates battery life at greater than 17 hours with IPS, and thats a reasonable expectation.Mark Coppock / Digital TrendsThere are two display options with the EliteBook X G1a. I reviewed the 14.0-inch 16:10 2.8K (2880 x 1800) OLED display that runs at up to 120Hz. Its a gorgeous display with more than enough brightness, dynamic colors, and inky blacks. It also means youll take a hit on battery life. If thats a concern, then you can opt for the FHD+ (1920 x 1200) IPS display instead. I love OLED and 2.8K is just sharp enough for me, so I would opt for this one if I were making the purchase.According to my colorimeter, this is a very good OLED panel. Its plenty bright at 404 nits, well above our 300-nit threshold thats bright enough to use in anything but direct sunlight. Blacks are near-perfect, with a 28,280:1 contrast ratio. And colors are wide at 96% of AdobeRGB, 100% of sRGB, and 100% of DCI-P3, which phenomenal accuracy at a DeltaE of 0.59 (anything 1.0 or less in excellent for all uses).Choose the OLED display, and youll be set for any kind of use. Choose the IPS option if youre mainly doing productivity work and battery life is most important to you.Mark Coppock / Digital TrendsYoull enjoy the four-speaker setup, with two upward-firing tweeter and two downward-firing woofers. Laptop audio has gotten a lot better lately, and the EliteBook X G1a produces plenty of volume, clear mids and highs, and more bass than usual. Its up there with the best, including the Apple MacBook Air that also has a four-speaker configuration.The EliteBook X G1a success admirably at its objective of providing a laptop that will keep businesses happy. It offers a number of management and security features that large enterprises demand, along with a build quality that will hold up to the rigors of travel.Its also very fast and takes Microsofts Copilot+ PC AI initiative a step further with some nifty HP exclusives. If you want better battery life, youll want to opt for the more power-efficient display. But this is an easy laptop to recommend for all but budget-conscious consumers.Editors Recommendations