Business laptops are boring, slow and bulky. That’s been our experience with the professional lineup over the years. But we’re finally seeing the trends change for good and HP is part of the new dynamics with its approach towards business laptops. The Elitebook Ultra, priced at Rs 1,69,934 for the base model, not only gives you a thin profile model, but also packs the new Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor which promises MacBook-like battery life.
But these AI laptops carry a heavy baggage of their price tags, and the Elitebook Ultra is looking to please the consumer by offering something extra. Does the new business laptop powered by AI features deliver on that promise? Here’s what our experience told us.
The Premium Style
HP’s premium lineup has captivated us with the design language and the Elitebook Ultra shows that business laptops shouldn’t be any different. The sleek and lightweight nature of the laptop at 1.34 kg shows its worth and you quickly realise it when you hold it in your hand. The overall design remains muted which is not a bad thing, as we have seen with other brands.
Having said that, we’re not a big fan of the material used for the surface which becomes a fingerprint magnet in seconds and cleaning them does take some effort. The thin frame means you make some cutbacks (more on that later) but the class quotient is definitely there to see.
Display Adds Further Charm
The Elitebook Ultra gets a 14-inch display and the bezels are relatively slim which gives you a bigger screen estate for viewing. Having an OLED panel means the screen is reflective but the colours are spunky and crisp.
It supports 2.2K resolution which is good enough for most content and even your work presentations. The screen supports touch input which is a bonus and helpful if people need it for a quick scroll down the screen.
Snapdragon AI Power Is Elite
We’ve already seen the power of the new Snapdragon Elite X processors and the Elitebook Ultra G1q benefits from the upgrade. The new AI processor is paired with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD storage, which can be upgraded to 1TB for those who need it.
The AI tools packed into the HP laptop includes its own suite to protect against dangerous malware, the AI companion app looking to work as a built-in assistant for analysing documents, taking notes etc. Then you also have the Copilot running through the shortcut key available on the layout for quick access and get other fun AI stuff like creating AI images, editing images and more.
Running through the benchmark tests showed us how the processor can turn up the performance levels and still keep it cool, and that’s what we noticed during our time with the laptop.
Some Limitations Exist
The keyboard on the Elitebook Elite G1q is good, spacious and the keys offer decent travel for a tactile feedback. The trackpad is huge and intuitive which makes it fun to use and we like the response time offered by it. However, the sleek laptop brings certain limitations and by that we mean the number of ports packed onto the machine.
You get two USB C ports, one USB A 3.2 port and the headphone jack, that’s it. The dimensions should not come at the cost of missing out on ports, especially the likes of HDMI on a business laptop. The audio output from the built-in speakers are powered by Poly Studio but nothing much to write about its quality.
You do get a 5MP IR camera to power Windows Hello for biometric security, a core ingredient for a Copilot Plus PC, and its performance will let you take video meetings without any glitches. Also, we have to highlight the inclusion of AI-enhanced features like auto framing, background blur and spotlight leverage that are being powered by the NPU on the machine.
The Sleek Workhorse Machine
Any talk about the new AI PC lineup is incomplete without looking at their efficiency levels i.e. battery life. The new processor has shown its range, not only when you put it through the grind but also keep it on standby.
And the battery drain is fairly negligible which bodes well for how the hardware behaves when it is put to rest. Having support for USB C to charge the laptop means you get it charged up quickly which is always a much needed boost.
HP Elitebook Ultra G1q shows its class with a premium design, sleek and lightweight nature which is not common for a business notebook and combine that with the AI prowess of the Snapdragon X Elite, you have a workhorse machine with the panache to become an obvious choice for the professionals.
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