HP EliteBook X G1a Review: A Powerful, Sleek business Laptop

ZDNET’s main findings on HP’s EliteBook

• HP’s 14-inch EliteBook X G1a is equipped with AMD’s latest Ryzen AI Pro chip, starting at €2,200.
• This is a business laptop with plenty of I/O, a sleek form factor, and a comfortable keyboard.
• It is indeed expensive and can heat up under high workload.

Last year, HP revamped its laptop lineup, rebranding its high-performance business devices as the EliteBook X series. The first laptop I’m reviewing in this series is the 14-inch HP EliteBook X G1a – an impressive business machine.

This laptop targets professionals, aiming to blend the connectivity of a ThinkPad, the sleek design of a MacBook, and HP’s minimalist aesthetic.

The Keyboard is a Standout Feature

Several configurations are available,with the top-end model boasting an AMD Ryzen AI 9 processor – one of the fastest chips available – and an OLED display. However, I tested a unit with the AMD Ryzen AI 7 Pro 360 processor, 32GB of RAM, and a matte 14-inch WUXGA IPS display.

It’s minimalist on the surface, featuring a matte WUXGA display and a generous selection of ports. Opening it reveals a standard screen with 400 nits of brightness, a 60Hz refresh rate, and a compact, efficient keyboard.

The keyboard is truly one of its best features. It’s remarkably silent, with a rapid tactile feel and key travel that feels almost mechanical. The keys are spacious and smooth, and the backlighting is efficient and well-designed. The trackpad also feels responsive and premium, though the clicks are a bit firm.

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET

An Excellent Port Selection for 2025

I do wish it had a haptic trackpad; that would elevate the sleekness even further.