HP EliteBook Extremely G1i evaluation: Luxurious AI laptop computer at a price

The HP EliteBook Extremely G1i is a “next-generation AI PC” from HP. I really feel like I’ve been listening to about AI PCs for years now, and it’s simple to tune that out. Regardless of the machine’s succesful {hardware} and engaging construct, HP’s main focus stays on AI. HP actually needs to speak about all of the AI software program it bundled with this PC, so I’ll attempt to focus extra on that on this evaluation than regular. Certainly, this can be a high-quality moveable PC with stable Lunar Lake {hardware}.

Assuming you don’t need a discrete GPU, it’s a superb decide. However that’s the catch, isn’t it? For plenty of native AI duties, you really do need a highly effective GPU. Or you could no less than need robust multithreaded efficiency and Lunar Lake doesn’t ship that. This machine is extra of a premium laptop computer with AI tips than an AI-centered workstation. With an MSRP of practically $2,429, that’s onerous to swallow.

HP EliteBook Extremely G1i: Specs

The HP EliteBook Extremely G1i is a laptop computer powered by an Intel Core Extremely (Collection 2) CPU. This collection is the road of processors codenamed Lunar Lake. Particularly, this machine has an Intel Core Extremely 7 268V processor. It’s mixed with 32 GB of RAM, and the Lunar Lake NPU handles a lot of the AI processing this machine is touting.

Nonetheless, you’re simply getting onboard graphics right here and that’s usually fantastic for a light-weight, ultraportable laptop computer. However, if I’m taking this machine’s AI aspirations severely, I’ll say I really feel that the Intel GPU isn’t the best match for what I’d image from an AI PC, the place plenty of workloads — Secure Diffusion picture era, for instance — nonetheless require a GPU.

• CPU: Intel Core Extremely 7 268V
• Reminiscence: 32 GB LPDDR5X RAM
• Graphics/GPU: Intel Arc 140V
• NPU: Intel AI Increase (as much as 48 TOPS)
• Show: 14-inch 2880×1800 OLED touchscreen
• Storage: 512 GB PCIe Gen 4 SSD
• Webcam: 1440p digital camera
• Connectivity: 3x Thunderbolt 4 (USB4 Sort-C), 1x USB Sort-A, 1x combo headphone jack, 1x Kensington nano lock slot
• Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
• Biometrics: Fingerprint reader and IR digital camera for Home windows Whats up
• Battery capability: 64 watt-hours
• Dimensions: 12.35 × 8.55 × 0.48 inches
• Weight: 2.68 kilos
• MSRP: $2,429, as examined

HP EliteBook Extremely G1i: Design and construct high quality

The 14-inch HP EliteBook Extremely G1i does have nice construct high quality. The chassis is on the market in a pleasant darkish “Environment Blue” colour with a black bezel across the show, giving it an unassuming but premium really feel. Magnesium makes up the chassis, giving it a stable but light-weight really feel attribute of a high-quality steel laptop computer. At 2.68 kilos, it’s a superb weight — not unusually heavy, however not going out of its method to be unusually mild, both.

The laptop computer’s AI aspirations aren’t precisely loud: The lid has an “HP” emblem, however nothing about AI. The one signal of these AI aspirations is the small blue “AI” emblem on the bottom-right nook of the keyboard, under the appropriate arrow key.

HP bundles varied apps right here, together with the HP AI Companion app, which features a help assistant that may reply questions based mostly on HP product manuals and alter PC settings. The HP AI Companion app has varied options that use GPT-4o within the cloud — the identical mannequin you might pull up with ChatGPT. Whereas the combination is fascinating and the AI options are a lot much less half-baked than they had been on early AI PCs, they most likely received’t sway many individuals to purchase this laptop computer specifically. (However maybe they could sway you!)

For the value, I want a number of the software program was rather less intrusive out of the field. As I write this, I see an “HP Wolf Professional Safety” pop-up that touts the software program’s AV-Take a look at score and urges me to register it for full safety. For $2,000 and up, we deserve a extra streamlined expertise out of the field.

HP EliteBook Extremely G1i: Keyboard and trackpad

IDG / Chris Hoffman

The HP EliteBook Extremely G1i’s keyboard feels glorious, and I say that as somebody who’s been spending extra time with mechanical keyboards recently. This isn’t a mechanical keyboard in any respect, however one thing about it feels crisp and aware of me. It’s not mushy in any respect. You press a key and get a crisp response with a fast carry. It feels nice to sort on.

The trackpad can also be a winner. HP has chosen to make use of a haptic trackpad right here — that’s one thing I’ve been asking for from PC producers. It’s a pleasant large, easy floor, and you’ll click on down wherever on the floor due to the haptic suggestions.

HP EliteBook Extremely G1i: Show and audio system

IDG / Chris Hoffman

The HP EliteBook Extremely G1i has a 2880×1800 OLED show with a variable refresh fee that goes as much as 120Hz and 400 nits of brightness. It’s a contact display screen, too.

It’s a gorgeous OLED display screen, and it seems to be nice.

The variable refresh fee also needs to cut back energy consumption, eliminating the necessity to continuously lock the laptop computer to 60 Hz. I’m an enormous fan of OLED shows, however simply keep in mind that this can be a pretty shiny show (no shock for OLED shows) and that 400 nits of brightness isn’t the brightest show you’ll discover. Which means the reflections on this display screen could be moderately intense, particularly in direct daylight. It’s simply one thing to concentrate on, it’s the character of a shiny show.

This laptop computer has a “quad speaker design,” in line with HP. They sound fairly good for a laptop computer of this dimension. They handle to succeed in a good stage of quantity and readability. There’s even perhaps a bit extra bass than I’d count on, however that is nonetheless a speaker system constructed right into a 14-inch light-weight laptop computer.

HP EliteBook Extremely G1i: Webcam, microphone, biometrics

The HP EliteBook Extremely G1i has a 1440p digital camera with a bodily shutter, which is at all times good to see. So far as AI options, you’ve bought each Home windows Studio Results (due to the NPU) together with Poly Digicam Professional in-built. Poly Digicam Professional presents a wide range of options like “magic backgrounds” for remodeling the best way your webcam background seems to be in any app — changing it, stylizing it, or making use of results. The webcam picture seems to be unusually top quality and clear, it’s glorious.

HP touts dual-array microphones that make for “loud and clear” sound. They sound fantastic to me, though I’ve heard clearer audio from another laptops.

This machine does have a wide selection of biometric {hardware}: each an IR digital camera for facial recognition with Home windows Whats up and a fingerprint reader on the top-right nook of the keyboard above the Backspace key.

HP EliteBook Extremely G1i: Connectivity

IDG / Chris Hoffman

The HP EliteBook Extremely G1i has a good variety of ports, assuming you’re on the lookout for Thunderbolt 4 (USB Sort-C) ports. On the left, you’ll discover a combo audio jack, a USB Sort-A port, and a Thunderbolt 4 (USB Sort-C) port. On the appropriate, the machine has two extra Thunderbolt 4 (USB Sort-C) ports in addition to a Kensington lock slot for bodily securing the machine.

That’s all — no microSD reader, for instance. And keep in mind that this laptop computer costs over USB Sort-C. For extra ports, you’ll want a dongle.

Due to Lunar Lake, this machine additionally has the {hardware} for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.

HP EliteBook Extremely G1i: Efficiency

The HP EliteBook Extremely G1i performs effectively in day-to-day desktop use. That’s no shock, as we’ve bought an Intel Lunar Lake CPU, a speedy SSD, and 32 GB of RAM right here.

As at all times, although, we ran the HP EliteBook Extremely G1i by our normal benchmarks to see the way it performs.

IDG / Chris Hoffman

First, we run PCMark 10 to get an concept of general system efficiency. With an general PCMark 10 rating of seven,324, the HP EliteBook Extremely G1i was slightly on the faster aspect in comparison with another Lunar Lake programs we in contrast it to. Nonetheless, it wasn’t as quick because the HP OmniBook Extremely 14 with its AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX {hardware}.

IDG / Chris Hoffman

Subsequent, we run Cinebench R20. This check is a closely multithreaded benchmark that focuses on general CPU efficiency. It’s a fast benchmark, so cooling beneath prolonged workloads isn’t an element. However, because it’s closely multithreaded, CPUs with extra cores have an enormous benefit.

With a multithreaded rating of 3799, this machine got here in behind another Lunar Lake programs and effectively behind different PCs with CPUs which have extra cores. Lunar Lake CPUs solely have eight cores, in order that they battle on this type of artificial benchmark. That doesn’t imply they battle in day-to-day laptop use, however they aren’t supreme for multithreaded compute-heavy duties.

IDG / Chris Hoffman

We additionally run an encode with Handbrake. That is one other closely multithreaded benchmark, however it runs over an prolonged time frame. This calls for the laptop computer’s cooling kick in, and lots of laptops will throttle and decelerate beneath load.

The HP EliteBook Extremely G1i completed the encode course of in 1,576 seconds — that’s over 26 minutes. It’s on the sluggish aspect even for Meteor Lake, suggesting throttling beneath load might happen. This isn’t the best system for sustained CPU efficiency.

IDG / Chris Hoffman

Subsequent, we run a graphical benchmark. This isn’t a gaming laptop computer, however it’s nonetheless good to examine how the GPU performs. We run 3DMark Time Spy, a graphical benchmark that focuses on GPU efficiency.

With a rating of 4,186, this machine delivers fairly normal Lunar Lake graphics efficiency. Intel’s built-in graphics are so much higher than they was, however they nonetheless can’t examine to a superb discrete GPU.

General, the HP EliteBook Extremely G1i delivered moderately normal Lunar Lake efficiency — slower on some benchmarks and sooner than others. There weren’t any large surprises right here.

HP EliteBook Extremely G1i: Battery life

The HP EliteBook Extremely G1i combines a 64 watt-hour battery with Intel’s theoretically power-sipping Lunar Lake {hardware}, so we’d count on to see higher battery life, however not so long as it could possibly be, as another machines have larger batteries.

IDG / Chris Hoffman

To benchmark the battery life, we play a 4K copy of Tears of Metal on repeat on Home windows 11 with airplane mode enabled till the laptop computer suspends itself. This can be a best-case situation for any laptop computer since native video playback is so environment friendly, and actual battery life in day-to-day use is at all times going to be lower than this.

We set the display screen to 250 nits of brightness for our battery benchmarks, and it’s value noting that the EliteBook’s OLED show has a little bit of a bonus, as OLED screens use much less energy to show the black bars across the video.

This machine lasted for 1,089 minutes earlier than suspending itself — that’s over 18 hours. It’s a considerable quantity that matches what we typically see with Lunar Lake-powered programs, though the Samsung Galaxy Book5 Professional 360 pulled approach forward of its opponents right here.

HP EliteBook Extremely G1i: Conclusion

The HP EliteBook Extremely G1i is a pleasant laptop computer: stable construct high quality, stunning OLED display screen, affordable all-around Lunar Lake efficiency, and severe battery life. That’s with out even contemplating the AI options and if I’ve to guage a laptop computer based mostly on its AI options, this is among the higher packages I’ve seen to date. HP positively made a robust effort right here.

Nonetheless, that is simply such an costly machine. At an MSRP of practically $2,500, you might select from so many different Lunar Lake-powered PCs. Contemplate the Samsung Galaxy Book5 Professional, for instance. It’s considerably cheaper and has for much longer battery life.

Moreover, in case you actually are on the lookout for an AI workstation, this machine isn’t it. Lunar Lake doesn’t actually ship the multithreaded CPU efficiency you may want, and the dearth of a discrete GPU means many extra demanding native AI duties are successfully out of attain. This limitation is important given the excessive price of the machine.

The HP EliteBook Extremely G1i is a stunning premium laptop computer, however its value simply means it’s not the appropriate match for most individuals.