I Tested Hp's New Elitebook X G1i, And It's A Featherweight Champ In The Office

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The HP EliteBook X G1i is connected waste pinch prices starting astatine $1,549 for nan guidelines model.
• It is simply a sleek laptop pinch an outrageous 18-hour artillery life and very bully 5MP webcam.
• However, it's pricey, and it shares a fewer of nan aforesaid problems arsenic past year's model, namely, a inclination to tally hot.

Back successful 2024, HP announced that it was simplifying its laptop portfolio and combining everything into 2 caller commercialized lines: Omni for regular consumers and Elite for businesses. I've had nan opportunity to effort some sides, and I deliberation HP has done a standout occupation successful some differentiating nan lineups and hitting nan correct notes truthful far. 

As of July 2025, nan 2nd procreation of nan rebrand is rolling out. I precocious had nan opportunity to effort retired nan HP EliteBook X G1i, a laptop that is remarkably akin to the EliteBook X G1a from past year, pinch immoderate differences successful cardinal areas. 

Also: The champion HP laptops you tin buy

Its creation is nan first notable betterment you tin spot (and feel). The EliteBook X G1i is simply a small spot bigger, measuring 12.36 x 8.66 x 0.59; however, it is overmuch lighter astatine 2.6 pounds. I've spent nan past mates of months carrying astir hefty laptops, truthful walking pinch this featherweight instrumentality was a bully alteration of pace.

Office boss

Overall, nan show is okay. It has a WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200 pixel) solution touchscreen that covers nan full sRGB gamut, truthful colors are vibrant. I admit nan anti-glare coating complete nan glass, arsenic it made moving nether nan sun a batch better. My biggest problem pinch nan show is nan bezels. The solid is surrounded by these heavy achromatic bars, restricting what could've been a ample surface area. It still has a 14-inch display, but to me, nan surface looks small.

Also: This compact laptop dock streamlined my workspace - and it's bargain 1 get one

What's absorbing is that Windows 11 has a different layout here. Seemingly, successful an effort to compensate for nan mini surface area, nan taskbar is hidden by default, leaving only a virtual touch barroom denoting its location.

HP/ZDNET

Above nan show is simply a 5MP IR camera. It's 1 of nan nicest webcams I've seen successful a while. Colors were nicely balanced, and thing was oversaturated, nor was location a weird bluish tint for illustration pinch different laptops. Videos are changeable astatine a crisp 2,880 x 1,620 resolution. It's not an exaggeration erstwhile I opportunity that nan webcam is 1 of nan EliteBook's champion features. Keep that successful mind if you find yourself hopping connected a batch of calls passim nan day. 

Also: This Dell laptop is my apical prime for some activity and recreation - and it's connected waste for $420 off

I besides liked nan laptop's audio system. It houses 4 stereo speakers pinch discrete amplifiers, resulting successful a large and noticeably bass-forward output. The audio value isn't connected nan aforesaid level arsenic a soundbar, but it's clear enough. Spoken connection comes done nan speakers pinch nary distortion.

The keyboard is reasonably decent, too. Its cardinal caps are ample and evenly spaced out, allowing for comfortable typing. That said, I deliberation I've been spoiled by the HP OmniBook X Flip, which has a awesome lattice-style keyboard -- 1 of nan champion I've utilized this year. This peculiar exemplary can't clasp a candle to it, but it does person a amended trackpad. The trackpad takes up a larger area of nan wrist rest, moreover sporting a mini divet connected nan bottommost for comfortable scrolling.

HP/ZDNET

Port action is rather solid, too. Across its bladed frame, you'll find 2 Thunderbolt 4 ports, an HDMI 2.1, a 10Gbps USB-C, a headphone jack, and a azygous USB-A input. You person capable options connected manus that you won't request to supplement pinch a docking station.

Humble performance

When it comes to hardware performance, it's a mixed bag. The numbers uncover that it doesn't execute rather arsenic good arsenic nan EliteBook X G1a, which ran connected an AMD Ryzen AI 7 Pro 360 processor, compared to nan EliteBook G1i Intel Core Ultra 7 268V CPU. Below is simply a array comparing nan benchmark trial results of HP's EliteBook X Gl1 to past year's exemplary and the Dell 14 Plus.  

These numbers were reflected successful my different tests. In 1 instance, I edited 1 of EliteBook's high-quality photographs utilizing nan online image editor Pixlr. I besides had 10 different tabs open, 1 of which had a 3D rendering instrumentality running. Editing images tin beryllium a resource-intensive task, resulting successful immoderate capacity quirks. While utilizing nan Stamp tool, I noticed that nan on-screen reticle had a delay. Its activity did not lucifer my guidance -- it was a small off. However, erstwhile I closed nan different tabs, nan Pixlr hold instantly disappeared.

I yet noticed nan EliteBook has problem multitasking nether definite circumstances. When I had 50 unsocial tabs moving YouTube livestreams successful 1080p, looping GIFs, ZDNET reviews, and Amazon listings, everything was fine. There was nary slowdown. But nan browser-based photograph editing conscionable didn't beryllium correct pinch nan laptop.

HP/ZDNET

I should besides mention that nan exemplary has nan aforesaid inclination to lukewarm up arsenic nan older laptop. The keyboard gets a small lukewarm during a dense load, specified arsenic erstwhile I was benchmarking, but luckily, it ne'er sewage ace hot. I could comfortably support my hands level connected nan keys. Much of nan power is expelled done nan bottommost vents, however, truthful I don't urge placing nan EliteBook connected your lap.

Also: Dell's caller Pro Max lineup offers top-tier laptops for sky-high prices

If it's not nan highest-performing laptop of this year, it much than makes up for pinch longevity. This machine has an awesome artillery life, tin of lasting 18 hours connected a azygous charge. Recharge times were arsenic impressive. Plugging successful nan EliteBook for astir 35 minutes recharges its artillery to astir 50%. Plus, it's imaginable to get an moreover longer artillery life pinch nan correct adjustments.  

ZDNET's buying advice

The HP EliteBook X G1i is connected waste for $3,589, which is alternatively costly considering nan capacity didn't rustle maine away. If you want to prevention money, HP has different builds connected waste for arsenic debased arsenic $1,649. However, if capacity is much important, I propose going pinch the 2024 EliteBook X G1a instead, arsenic it's trading for $1,999.