Windows laptops are changing and no I am not referring to Windows 11, as the operating system, but the entire architecture and the way Windows PCs are perceived in the market. And all of that is because of two things – Windows Copilot+ PC and Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X series processors. The power of both the things HP has harnessed into its latest HP EliteBook Ultra G1q laptop.
The laptop is priced at Rs 1,68,990 and it is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor with Adreno graphics, 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD. The combination of the new processor and Windows Copilot+ PC brings a ton of AI-based features that Windows 11 offers. HP has added icing to the cake with its own suite of AI tools and features.
The EliteBook is HP’s long-running laptop series aimed at business-oriented users with features to back then needs and requirements.
So, it’s a business laptop meant to deliver serious business, and I decided to take it for a spin as my daily driver. Read on to find out more about the new HP laptop.
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Design and display
HP EliteBook – the entire lineup – has always been one of the most premium offerings from HP and the EliteBook Ultra G1 isn’t any different. The laptop carries a slim and portable design and every single bit of it screams premium. The entire laptop has metal construction and the Dark Blue colour here feels rich and professional at the same time. The matte finish design keeps the fingerprints, dusts away that keeps the laptop clean in longer run, even if you use it as your daily driver. In almost a month of using the laptop, I cleaned the laptop just once and never did it feel too dirty for me, wanting it to clean right away.
HP EliteBook Ultra G1q display
HP has also sorted out the port selection with the HP EliteBook Ultra G1 PC. It has got two USB Type-C ports – both supports fast charging – and a neatly engineered USB-A port in a laptop that’s this thin using a small flat that extends just like most laptops offer a LAN port. Apart from this, the laptop has a headphone jack on the right side.
The hinge of the laptop is sturdy and feels smooth and opens with one hand too. There’s no wobble or flex as such and this applies to the entire laptop, including the flap and the keyboard deck.
For me, the rounded corners and entire slightly rolled edges is a huge plus and it adds to the comfort while using the laptop.
HP EliteBook Ultra 14 G1 has a centrally placed keyboard without the number pad, the trackpad is big enough too. Although the keyboard is comfortable to type, has good feedback and has decent key travel it is a bit noisy and when typing at a speed, people sitting around me went nuts with the click noise. But for its worth, the typing experience is exceptionally good – does not feel mushy and offers a good tactile feel as well and it’s also backlit with three levels of brightness.
The trackpad is decently sized with support for all the multi-finger gesture support based by Windows Precision Driver. The traction is good, feels smooth and does not miss a single touch.
The EliteBook Ultra 14 G1 features a 14-inch display with 2.2K resolution. It’s an IPS panel with anti-glare coating. The brightness maxes out at 300-nits with 100% aRGB lighting.
The display quality is alright here. The colours, contrast, viewing angles and sharpness levels are unpromised. But I really wish that the panel was a little brighter as at times, even in the office, I felt wanting for more brightness from the display.
Overall, HP EliteBook Ultra 14 G1 delivers good build quality and display.
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Performance, Windows Copilot+PC features and more
Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor is new but not naive. What I want to say is that both Qualcomm and Microsoft have done the work here that’s needed to pull off the whole Windows on ARM idea.
So, that brings me to my first point – the real-life performance. Well, if you are buying the HP EliteBook Ultra 14 G1q for the right reasons and that is for work and education then you will be really surprised how well the system performs in every single task.
HP EliteBook Ultra G1q keyboard
It’s fast, smooth and opens apps almost instantly. There’s no lag or delay that I noticed while working simultaneously on multiple Word documents, Excel files and around 15 tabs in Edge browser.
Well, Edge is my browser of choice, considering most people use Chrome, I tried the same with Chrome and it performs the same as Edge and the system handles it without breaking a sweat.
But there are a couple of things that you need to keep in mind here. While most productivity, editing, apps have been optimised for the new Windows 11 ARM platform, there are a few that rely on the built-in emulator and that’s where the performance can be a hit. But there are some apps that are straightforward missing from these PCs. For instance, I use Apple Music, and the app isn’t available on Windows Copilot+ PCs and this is not alone, there are several other apps too. But that’s on developers and HP has nothing to do with it. As for the apps that are available natively, they work without any hiccups and issues.
HP EliteBook Ultra G1q ports
HP AI companion
But if you are looking for gaming needs, the HP EliteBook Ultra isn’t for you. Yes, you can play lightweight titles that are available on Microsoft Store. But, if you want to play triple-A title, you are out of luck, at least for now.
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AI features
Windows Copilot+ PCs come with a lot of AI-powered features including integrated Copilot, AI studio effects and more. Apart from this, there’s HP’s own AI Companion app. Let’s start with the HP AI Companion app. The app offers several built-in tools more like a chatbot but well integrated with the entire PC.
For instance, you can ask the AI Companion to perform a certain task for the PC and it will do that for you. Like asking it to turn down the display brightness works, setting up an alarm, lowering the volume are among the system-level tasks that it supports.
It seems to be useful, but there’s a nice little shortcut for it and that works faster for me.
Anyway, I also tried some other features of the AI app. So, there are mainly four features – Ask, Analyse, Discover and Perform.
Ask – This tool lets users explore new topics, summarize articles, or even draft content like papers and blogs.
HP AI companion
Analyze – It allows users to search and summarize their files stored on a private Azure drive, providing insights such as document comparison and data filtering.
Discover – This feature provides a curated newsfeed on AI-related topics, helping users stay updated and learn more about AI advancements.
Perform – The optimisation tool ensures that your PC runs efficiently by maintaining drivers, BIOS, and firmware, offering troubleshooting tips via HP Support.
You can use all these features using the HP account that you need to create to use them. It’s useful but I wonder how many people are going to use it. But it’s there and works perfectly in case you need it.
Battery life
HP EliteBook Ultra G1q offers great battery life, and it is perhaps the strongest suit of the laptop. In my testing as my daily driver, the laptop lasted for the entire day without any worries in full charging with almost 35% juice left. And this is under heavy load that includes 75% brightness, Wi-Fi connected all the time and around 30-40 Edge tabs running. Under moderate to normal usage, the laptop can easily last for two days.
Verdict
If you are looking for a laptop for home and office usage and gaming is not your priority, then HP EliteBook Ultra G1q has everything you will need. It has got solid build quality, powerful performance and most importantly battery life that can sustain longer even under heavy load. For me, the HP EliteBook Ultra G1q should be a top choicefor buyers looking for a productivity machine.
Rating: 8/10
