HP EliteBook Ultra 14 G1q review: Fantastic in every way apart from its underwhelming screen

HP EliteBook Ultra 14 G1q review: Fantastic in every way apart from its underwhelming screen

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The HP EliteBook Ultra 14 G1q is a rapid and trendy AI laptop computer with a battery that can last for days. Simply do not anticipate to be blown away by its screen.

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Pros

  • +

    Sensational battery life

  • +

    Compact and light-weight

  • +

    Zippy efficiency

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Embracing the values of HP’s more work-focused devices in its 2024 lineup was the HP EliteBook Ultra G1q.

Secret specifications

— Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite (12 cores)

— 16 GB LPDDR5X

— Qualcomm Adreno GPU

— 1 TB SSD

— 14-inch IPS HDR

— 2.98 pounds (1.34 kg)

— 12.32 x 8.80 x 0.44

— 31.3 x 22.4 x 1.1

This is a Windows 11 AI PC that’s marketed directly at “enterprise” users, as you might obtain from its bumper price, however that would not look too out of location in any context that requires trustworthy efficiency. Its qualities make it a possibly excellent laptop computer for coding and configuring — however there are enigma regarding whether it will pass muster.

Our evaluation design feels entry-level in contrast to more heavyweight designs out there– with simply 16 GB RAM and a basic IPS screen with a lower resolution than we ‘d anticipate. This device definitely looks great, thanks to its blue surface, and is one of the thinnest and lightest 14-inch designs we’ve seen in current months.

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Keumars is the innovation editor at Live Science, and is presently strolling the conference halls of CES 2025 searching for remarkable brand-new innovations and a robotic pet dog he can call his own. He has actually composed for a range of publications consisting of ITPro, The Week Digital, ComputerActive, and TechRadar Pro, and was formerly includes editor at ITPro.

HP EliteBook Ultra 14 G1q: Design

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( Image credit: Keumars Afifi-Sabet/Future )

The EliteBook Ultra 14 G1q is a stylish device with a sensational “Atmospheric Blue” surface. This is a welcome departure from the normal greys, silvers and blacks that control the area– and is extremely similar to the remarkable HP Elite Dragonfly G2. The trackpad and the secrets use some contrast with the surface of the outside, although the multi-toned pastel keyboard(specifically the leading row and power button)did feel a little out of location when attempting to opt for that advanced, superior feel.

Otherwise, it’s one of HP’s best-looking designs today which’s due not simply to its surface however likewise to its compact measurements. It’s by far among the thinnest laptop computers out there in the 14-inch bracket, with a 0.44-inch(11.2 millimeters)density. Unlike its cousin, the HP OmniBook Ultra 14, the EliteBook maintains curved edges however that softer appearance nicely matches its general classy visual.

Where there is a tint of frustration remains in the feel of the chassis and construct quality– which is because of using recycled aluminum and plastics. This isn’t to interfere with the total device which is likewise, thanks to the method it’s been developed, fairly light-weight at 2.98 pounds(1.35 kgs). Contrast this with the more economical OmniBook Ultra 14, which weighs 3.46 pounds(1.57 kg). The Acer Swift AI is lighter yet at 2.91 pounds( 1.32 kg ).

HP EliteBook Ultra 14 G1q: Display

(Image credit: Keumars Afifi-Sabet/Future )

The OLED shows suited the previous generation of HP designs (consisting of the Spectre x360 and Envy x360) were an emphasize of those devices– with a good brightness and dynamic colors. This leaves an especially bitter taste when you see how underwhelming the “low power” screen developed into this device is by contrast. By no methods is it an awful display screen– and it’s definitely sufficient for a lot of jobs that do not include extensive visual work– however its 2,240 x 1,400-pixel resolution is less than we ‘d desire, indicating you do not get the very same clarity that you carried out in HP’s previous laptop computers.

Similar to the OmniBook Ultra 14, which utilized the very same panel, we discovered it was too dim and kept accidentally tapping the secret to increase its brightness even when this was set to 100 %. Evaluating with a display screen calibrator enhanced our viewpoints, as we signed up a miserable 218 nits. This had to do with 50 nits dimmer than its OmniBook Ultra cousin and about 150 nits dimmer than the OLED panel suited the Spectre and Envy designs. Around 350 nits is a sufficient outcome, however we ‘d truly wish to be seeing designs in the 400-plus area.

Fortunately, unlike the OmniBook Ultra 14, the real colors on the screen were much more precise– with an extremely strong 99.9 % protection of the sRGB spectrum, along with 74.6 % protection of the Adobe RGB spectrum(for image modifying)and 83.7 % on the DCI P3 spectrum(for video modifying).

While we ‘d require to see 90 % or greater for a “good”

outcome, this is still much greater than we’ve seen in lots of other designs. It’s simply a pity the screen itself is so dim.HP EliteBook Ultra 14 G1q: Keyboard and touchpad

HP Elitebook ultra - keys and mousepad
(Image credit: Keumars Afifi-Sabet/Future )

The keyboard embraces the traditional HP design, with odd sizing of the Enter essential and up/down arrow secrets (while offering the left/right secrets double the area ), which is a little a knowing curve despite the design you get. As soon as you move beyond that, you will discover a good keyboard with affordable spacing and plenty of force feedback. The secrets are stylish and responsive; they’re likewise a little on the shallow side, however sufficient to invest a significant quantity of time typing with.

The extra-large touchpad in this design was likewise extremely responsive and smooth when sliding your fingers throughout its surface area. There have actually been a lot of HP devices in years passed on which the touchpad was either excessively delicate or not delicate enough, or too slippery, however the touchpad suited the EliteBook appears to have actually quashed those problems.

HP EliteBook Ultra 14 G1q: Performance and battery

( Image credit: Keumars Afifi-Sabet/Future)

By now you may understand what to get out of Arm-based Windows 11 AI PCs fitted with Qualcomm Snapdragon hardware– and if you do not, the response is zippy efficiency with a stonking excellent battery life. Under the hood is a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite (12 cores)CPU along with a Qualcomm Adreno graphics card and a Qualcomm Hexagon(45 TOPS) neural processing system(NPU). While you aren’t going to get the efficiency of a maker fitted with a high-end AMD or Nvidia graphics card, the EliteBook Ultra 14 G1q carries out well adequate if you’re aiming to carry out everyday jobs and even assemble some code.

Our screening with Geekbench 6 rendered near-identical outcomes to other devices fitted with the Qualcomm hardware, which is even more remarkable considering our evaluation design delivered with simply 16 GB RAM. This device signed up 2,298 in the single-threaded test and 14,035 in the multithreaded test. These ratings are a shade under those we saw in the 32 GB RAM-fitted Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 and the OmniBook Ultra 14, however the EliteBook does surpass the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 and Microsoft Surface Pro 11. A graphics rating of 20,464 is likewise a strong lead to our OpenCL test, when compared to all the abovementioned gadgets. The gains are minimal.

Where the EliteBook genuinely shines is its incredible 26 hours and 45 minutes battery life– double what we would have thought about a “good” outcome. It’s a nearly incredible outcome however a testimony to how effectively this laptop computer runs, and possibly a favorable compromise with its “low power” screen.

HP EliteBook Ultra G1q

: Ports and functions[
(Image credit: Keumars Afifi-Sabet/Future )

With the EliteBook Ultra G1q, you are restricted to a handful of ports that will serve you well in the majority of circumstances– consisting of 2 USB-C ports and USB-A port along with a 3.5 mm stereo earphone jack. You would maybe not anticipate far more in a laptop computer so thin– even the USB-A port is available just thanks to a flap that you should take down before plugging in your peripherals. It’s a pity this maker does not come with a couple of more choices, such as an SD Card reader. We ‘d likewise have actually chosen a USB-C port on either side.

The cordless requirements are likewise a little lower than we ‘d have anticipated– with the EliteBook suitable with Wi-Fi 6E(not Wi-Fi 7 )and Bluetooth 5.3. This absence of futureproofing is a little brief spotted, provided the OmniBook Ultra 14 does assistance Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 and costs a little less, too.

The AI functions, on the other hand, come mainly in the type of the HP AI Companion app. This resembles an onboard chatbot that you can utilize to handle your system, nevertheless the usages are still relatively restricted. We did discover the Poly Camera Pro function assists to enhance your image quality while you’re on a video call. It’s simply an embarassment the cam itself is simply 5 MP rather than the 9 MP that’s ending up being more widespread in high-end laptop computers.

HP OmniBook Ultra 14: Should I purchase it?[

(Image credit: Keumars Afifi-Sabet/Future)

The HP EliteBook Ultra 14 G1q does so numerous things ideal however likewise stops working to clear some fundamental difficulties. We actually delighted in utilizing it thanks to its density and light-weight feel, not to discuss how trendy it looks.

There are compromises you require to make if you do desire to invest in a maker that, rather honestly, is a little expensive.

You can rely on strong and reputable efficiency and a terribly long battery life that bests basically anything else we have actually seen. You definitely can not bank on its screen to charm you in a method that other laptop computers will. That stated, there is absolutely nothing naturally “offputting” about it beyond the bad brightness levels. It’s definitely great for indoor usage however we would not advise taking it outdoors or in intense, warm weather condition.

If the HP OmniBook Ultra 14 isn’t for you

If you’re aiming to get a comparable laptop computer that’s readily available for a lot less, we ‘d think about the HP OmniBook Ultra 14– it has the very same panel as the EliteBook however is a little bit better and carries out better. Even better, it’s offered for a couple of hundred dollars less.

We would likewise think about having a look at the Microsoft Surface Laptop 7– another Arm-based Qualcomm device that has equivalent efficiency however an extremely brilliant and crisp display screen.

Keumars Afifi-Sabet

Channel Editor, Technology

Keumars is the innovation editor at Live Science. He has actually composed for a range of publications consisting of ITPro, The Week Digital, ComputerActive, The Independent, The Observer, Metro and TechRadar Pro. He has actually worked as an innovation reporter for more than 5 years, having actually formerly held the function of functions editor with ITPro. He is an NCTJ-qualified reporter and has a degree in biomedical sciences from Queen Mary, University of London. He’s likewise signed up as a fundamental chartered supervisor with the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), having actually certified as a Level 3 Team leader with difference in 2023.

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