HP EliteBook Ultra G1q Review: Should ARM be the New Norm for Enterprise Laptops?

Qualcomm recently turned the PC market on its head with the introduction of ARM-based Snapdragon chips for consumer notebooks. While Intel and AMD-based x86 systems continue to dominate the laptop market, the ARM-based Snapdragon laptops have been on the rise in 2024.

So when HP sent me the EliteBook Ultra G1q, I was excited to see what all the hype is about and if the Snapdragon laptop can really live up to expectations. But before we get started, it is worth noting that the HP EliteBook Ultra G1q fetches a pretty penny, with a price tag of Rs 1,68,999 on HP World.

Design and Build

The HP EliteBook Ultra G1q lives up to its name, offering a sleek and premium design. The slim chassis is made from aluminium and features rounded edges, which was a departure from the sharp edges. The laptop features a slim and light design, measuring 0.44 inches thick and weighing around 1.5 kg, making it ideal for the frequent traveller.

The chassis on the EliteBook uses 50% recycled aluminium, 50% post-consumer recycled plastic on the keycaps, and 5% ocean-bound recycled plastic in the speaker box, while the packaging uses 100% sustainably sourced recyclable materials. The EliteBook Ultra G1q comes in an Atmospheric Blue shade that features a matte finish, which is susceptible to smudges.

I found the EliteBook Ultra comfortable to use, although the hinges could be sturdier as you might notice a bit of wobbling when adjusting the lid. The HP logo on the lid and subtle blue accents add to the laptop's premium aesthetics. The EliteBook Ultra is also MIL-STD 810H certified for military grade durability. The overall profile of the HP EliteBook Ultra G1q is clean and functional.

Despite its size, the EliteBook Ultra G1q has a decent selection of ports, including two USB Type-C ports (40Gbps & 10Gbps), a USB Type-A port (5Gbps), and a 3.5mm audio jack. The notebook also supports USB4, allowing for convenient connection to a docking station or an external monitor. Wireless connectivity options include Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E, although the lack of LTE or 5G was a bit disappointing.

Keyboard & Trackpad

The EliteBook Ultra features a clean keyboard that was excellent to type on. There is a little feedback when typing, offering a tactile response, while the keys are well spaced out to provide a comfortable experience. The keys feature different backlight levels so you can use the laptop in dimly lit environments.

Additionally, gesture controls and palm rejection on the trackpad work well and I didn't have to worry about accidentally moving the cursor around. Moreover, the trackpad surface was smooth, making it easy to navigate. The keyboard and trackpad on the HP EliteBook Ultra provide a comfortable experience when working on the move.

Display

HP's latest Snapdragon ultrabook opts for a 14-inch 2.2K (2,240 x 1,400 pixels) IPS LCD touchscreen with a matte-antiglare coating. The display has a peak brightness of little over 300 nits and a standard 60Hz refresh rate. The panel here has good viewing angles, while colours are accurately reproduced without looking washed or grainy.

The display here is nothing to write home about, it is good enough for everyday use, but misses the quality of an OLED panel, while its brightness level is just about acceptable. Colours were accurate enough but don't really standout, while touch responsive was good. The lack of HP's Sure View was another disappointment as the addition of a privacy screen would have been nice considering this laptop is ideal for on-the-go use.

Performance

For performance, the EliteBook Ultra G1q opts for the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chip. Performance has always been the bane of ARM laptops, but the new Snapdragon chip surprisingly exceeded expectations. Before we dive into the stats, the chipset here was accompanied by 16GB of LPDDR5x RAM and a 512GB M.2 SSD.

In Cinebench R23, the EliteBook Ultra managed a single-core score of 1,091 points and a multi-core score of 9,501 points. However, this dropped down to a multi-core score of 8,110 and a single-core score of 1,031 in the 10-minute throttling test. In Geekbench 6, the notebook managed a single-core score of 2,434 points and a multi-core score of 14,291 points.

The integrated graphics also managed an overall score of 20,472 in Geekbench 6's GPU compute test. Lastly, in the 3D Mark Time Spy test, the notebook managed to score 1,870 points. The EliteBook fared surprisingly well in our testing, and this translated to fluid multitasking. I used over 10 tabs on Chrome simultaneously with Microsoft Word and PowerPoint running simultaneously in the background without experience any lag.

We also put the graphics card to the test in some real-world scenarios, running titles like Valorant, Overwatch 2, and Far Cry 5. All three titles were playable, with both Valorant and Overwatch 2 pushing upwards of 50fps on Medium settings. Moreover, Far Cry 5 averaged 35fps on low settings. After playing Overwatch 2 for an hour on the EliteBook Ultra, I didn't experience any issues with heating.

AI Features

The EliteBook Ultra G1q comes with the HP AI Companion app. The app serves as a smart assistant and excellent productivity companion to aid with daily tasks. HP's new AI Companion aims to boost laptop productivity with AI-powered features like document analysis, system optimization, and information retrieval.

• Ask: A basic chatbot, similar to Microsoft's Copilot.
• Analyze: A more useful tool that can summarize documents and perform other tasks on local files, thanks to the device's NPU.
• Discover: A series of AI-powered prompts that you can interact with.

While HP's AI Companion is a promising step towards AI-powered productivity, there's room for improvement to make it an indispensable tool. Moreover, thanks to the NPU on the Snapdragon X Elite chip, all these tasks happen on-device and do not utilize the internet, so there's no worry about leaking any sensitive information.

Battery

The arm-chip here aids in delivering excellent battery life. I clocked in over 13 hours of usage when working on Google Chrome and MS Word simultaneously. In our video loop test, the EliteBook Ultra lasted little over 14 hours.

However, the notebook delivered enough juice to last me an entire 9-hour workday, while still maintaining some juice in the tank. Additionally, the notebook also supports fast charging through the USB Type-C port.

Audio, Webcam, and Other Features

The EliteBook Ultra G1q boasts a dual speaker system with discrete amplifiers that produce just enough sound to fill a room so long as you don't have a fan running in the background. You will hear a bit of distortion at maximum volume, so we recommend limiting to the volume to 80%. Moving on to the webcam, which incorporates a 5MP IR camera sensor with support for Windows Hello.

The camera is good enough for video calls and has a shutter for privacy. Yes, the G1q is quite expensive, but it is an enterprise-grade notebook, which means it will come with enterprise-focused security and management features that aren't offered on traditional consumer laptops. Moreover, it also runs on Windows 11 Pro. However, you aren't in the market for an enterprise-grade notebook, you can probably save a pretty penny.

Verdict

The HP EliteBook Ultra G1q is a solid choice for professionals who prioritize portability and performance. The Snapdragon chip delivers impressive performance, while the sleek design and comfortable keyboard make it a joy to use.

The AI Companion offers useful tools, though it could benefit from further refinement. However, the high price tag and average display might deter some buyers. Overall, the EliteBook Ultra G1q is a capable machine that offers a unique blend of performance and portability, but it's not perfect.