It seems that the laptop industry is at a crossroads. AI is clearly dictating hardware decisions, with almost all new CPUs and GPUs boasting some sort of AI functionality. The challenge for laptop manufacturers such as MSI, Acer, and HP is, "how much do I tailor a particular laptop to this specific market?"
The laptop I've been testing recently is one of a new breed of Copilot+ laptops that is taking the market by storm. It's the HP EliteBook Ultra G1Q and it sits in a very similar space to another laptop I recently reviewed, the Acer Swift 14 AI.
With this shift in direction, we've created a buying guide that contains all the best AI laptops. We're also keeping our best laptops for graphic design and photo-editing up-to-date because we recognise that not everyone needs an AI-only laptop.
The EliteBook Ultra G1Q won't deliver the power required by high-end creative professionals or gamers. You might therefore be more interested in our best laptops for 3D modelling and 'what Nvidia laptop do I need to revolutionise my creative workflow'.
Without further ado let's dive into the review and take a look at this laptop's design, build, price, features, and performance.
HP EliteBook Ultra G1Q Laptop: Key specifications
Design & Build
The HP EliteBook Ultra G1Q laptop is reminiscent of the MacBook Air design, although not quite as thin at the front end. The 18mm super-slim profile looks incredible and gives the instant feel of a laptop that is designed to be carried around.
You would be forgiven for thinking that the thin frame would mean a lack of strength, but this is not the case. The aluminium chassis delivers all the toughness required for a laptop that is going to be thrown into a bag and used here, there and everywhere. It'll be fine taking a knock or two, although don't push it too far.
One of my concerns looking at the specs, was the strength of the display. Oftentimes slim frames and small displays lead to an inherent lack of strength in the panel. That couldn't be further from the truth with the Ultra G1Q. I tried twisting the display but it hardly moved at all, comparable to my MacBook Pro.
The display itself is bright enough for use outside or in bright rooms. It's also touchscreen although I think the majority of users are unlikely to use this functionality. Maybe if the screen rotated a full 180 degrees and turned into a tablet then I could see it being useful.
The design also follows Apple's ethos when it comes to ports. There are only four to speak of and a distinct lack of an HDMI port. This is a laptop that is embracing the future at a potential cost to those who are not early adopters.
On the left side, there are two USB-C ports, one with a signalling rate of 40 Gbps and the other with 10 Gbps. On the right side, there is then a stereo headphone/microphone combo jack and a USB-A port. This has a neat little flap that opens up to provide access. This is essential given the 18mm thickness but I would be concerned that this could easily get broken and thereby make the port vulnerable.
All in all, this is a well-designed laptop that looks incredible. There is very little that I would change except maybe some additional ports and a smaller font size on the keys.
Features & Performance
We don't usually begin this section talking about the battery but that really is where the HP EliteBook Ultra G1Q shines the brightest. The long-life 3-cell, 59Wh Li-ion polymer battery provides enough juice to keep going all through the day. Out at the office or in classes all day? No problem. The Ultra G1Q will just keep on going.
When you do finally run out of battery life, HP Fast Charge will enable you to get all the way back up to 50% in only 30 minutes. All of this battery performance is a direct result of AI-specific power efficiencies as well as a maximum brightness that is rather low compared to many other laptops.
Moving on to the processing units. We tested the Snapdragon X Elite X1E-78-100 and Qualcomm Adreno GPU using Geekbench. The CPU single-core and multi-core scores came in at 2,422 and 14,129 respectively. This is comparable to the MSI Stealth 16 AI.
But before you think this HP Ultra laptop is cut out for gaming, think again. If we take a look at the Geekbench GPU score then we see it coming in at 20,550 compared to 160,998 on the MSI stealth. That's quite a sizeable difference.
The HP gives you amazing processing power that is ideally suited to AI tasks but there's not enough of a graphics punch to make it usable for Adobe packages or 3D rendering. We ran a PugetBench Photoshop test and the overall score was 5,709.
A final test that we performed was using Handbrake, where we transcoded a 10-minute, 34-second 4K video to 1080p. The Ultra G1Q did this in 7 minutes and 5 seconds which is by no means terrible but nowhere near as quick as the MSI Titan 18 HX that did it in 2 minutes and 47 seconds.
The Ultra G1Q is primarily a productivity laptop although its CPU will serve creatives well if they're focusing on AI-related features in packages such as Photoshop and Premiere Pro.
Price
The HP EliteBook Ultra G1Q is available for purchase at a range of retailers as well as on the HP website. The laptop has a price of £1,499.99 and will be delivered for free within two working days. There is also a pay monthly finance option if you want to spread your payments.
For the price, you'll benefit from a laptop that can boost your creativity and productivity, thanks largely to the onboard Copilot+ technology. If you want something a little cheaper but with all the AI qualities, then you could opt for the 14-inch Acer Swift 14 AI.
Who is it for?
The HP EliteBook Ultra G1Q is one of those laptops that doesn't have a clear target audience. We therefore have to look more closely at the specs to see who it might suit. One thing we can be sure about is the laptop's credentials for portability. The 14-inch size makes it light and easy to carry around while the incredible battery life means you can work anywhere without bringing your charger along for the ride.
The Snapdragon X Elite and Qualcomm Adreno processing units are not great for high-end creative professionals. It's probably better to think of this laptop as a productivity tool that will enable you to get everyday tasks done more quickly and efficiently. If you're looking for something that will deliver the power required for Adobe applications and 3D rendering then you'll need something more high-end.
Should I buy the HP EliteBook Ultra G1Q laptop?
Buy it if:
- You want the latest AI technology in a laptop
- You value portability
- You need outstanding battery performance
Don’t buy it if:
- You're a high-end creative professional
- You don't have a dedicated second monitor
- You need an NVIDIA GPU
