HP EliteBook X G1i laptop review: A solid and secure business laptop with a hefty price tag
HP EliteBook X G1i is a business‑class laptop that, on paper, is impressive. For anyone looking for a powerful, secure, and lightweight device, this laptop delivers everything you need: a high‑performance processor, a compact design, and HP Wolf security for peace of mind. The EliteBook Ultra G1i costs over ₹ 2 lakh, which is a significant investment. So, let us see whether this machine is truly worth the price.
When choosing a business laptop, four factors matter most: weight, performance, security and battery life. We will split this review into those four sections and examine how well the EliteBook X G1i fares in each.
Category Specification Display 14 inch WUXGA (1920 × 1200), IPS, anti-glare, 800 nits brightness, touch-enabled, 100% sRGB, HP Sure View 5 integrated privacy screen CPU Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 268V (up to 5.0 GHz Max Turbo frequency, 12 MB L3 cache, 8 cores, 8 threads) GPU Intel® Arc™ Graphics RAM 32 GB LPDDR5x-8533 MT/s (onboard, non-upgradable) Storage 1 TB PCIe® NVMe™ SSD Ports 2 × Thunderbolt™ 4 (USB-C, 40 Gbps, PD, DisplayPort™ 2.1, HP Sleep and Charge) 1 × USB-C (10 Gbps, PD, DisplayPort™ 1.4) 1 × HDMI 2.1 1 × USB-A (5 Gbps, powered)
1 × Combo headphone/microphone jack Connectivity Intel® Wi-Fi 7 BE201 (2x2) and Bluetooth® 5.4 Battery 68 Wh Li-ion polymer, 6-cell, Fast charging: 50% in 30 minutes Price ₹ 2,23,456
The EliteBook X G1i is an impressive device; it looks great and is very lightweight. Despite its 14‑inch display, it weighs just 1.18kg, making it one of the lightest in its class. The deep AtmosphereBlue colour and finish look fantastic, and at roughly 15mm thick, it can slide into any backpack with ease.
The chassis is constructed predominantly from magnesium alloy, which keeps the laptop sturdy while maintaining a low overall weight. Much of the metal used is recycled, as are the plastic components and even the packaging. The build feels solid throughout, with minimal flex on the lid, deck and keyboard area. You will notice a slight wobble at the hinge when opening, but otherwise the construction is robust and reliable.
The display features thin side bezels, though the top and bottom borders are wider to house the 5 MP IR wide‑angle camera and Windows Hello support. The keyboard and trackpad are straightforward in layout yet comfortable to use; the keys offer good travel, and the trackpad responds accurately. The inclusion of dedicated PageUp and PageDown keys is a small but much‑appreciated addition when scrolling through long documents.
Connectivity is well catered for on both sides of the laptop. You get two Thunderbolt 4 ports, one USB‑C port, an HDMI 2.1 output, a USB‑A port and a combined headphone/microphone jack. In everyday business scenarios, you're unlikely to need any adapters. In terms of design, the EliteBook X G1i is a solid device that offers all the practical features required of a modern business laptop.
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Intel's Core Ultra series processors are the finest x86 chips Intel has produced for mobile computing. They deliver substantial power, are highly efficient and include an integrated GPU capable of tackling everyday graphics tasks. The processor is also AI‑ready, thanks to a dedicated NPU that can accelerate machine‑learning workloads.
I'm no business user, so I couldn't replicate every enterprise scenario, but after two weeks of real‑world testing, I'm confident this laptop can handle most workloads without breaking a sweat. Whether juggling numerous Chrome tabs, analysing data in spreadsheets, or even running GPU‑intensive applications, the EliteBook X G1i performed flawlessly.
HPWolfSecurity is HP's multi‑layered defence solution, operating over, within and beneath the operating system. The privacy camera features a manual shutter to block the webcam lens, protecting your privacy from unauthorised access. The 14‑inch LCD display also sports a matte overlay that narrows the viewing angle, making over‑the‑shoulder snooping much more difficult than on a regular panel.
Besides these hardware safeguards, HP's software suite delivers further protection and enhanced privacy. HPSureSense uses deep‑learning models to secure the Windows environment, detecting malicious files and ransomware before they can launch an attack. HP SureClick isolates web sessions in secure containers to guard against malicious websites; it supports all major browsers, so your choice of browser does not compromise security.
The HP SureView privacy‑screen feature limits the display's viewing angle to shield sensitive data. It can be set to activate automatically if the system detects someone approaching from behind, or toggled manually via a dedicated function‑row shortcut on the keyboard.
Altogether, these features combine to provide a robust defence framework, ensuring your device and data remain secure in any business environment.
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The EliteBook X G1i comes with a 68Wh battery, which is possibly the biggest battery you'll find on a laptop this slim and lightweight. And since it runs on an efficient Core Ultra series processor, it manages to deliver at least 10 hours of battery life under typical usage. Here's how a regular workday went for me with this machine:
I charged the device to about 90% before heading to work. My day began with writing stories, which involved jumping between multiple tabs in Google Chrome for research. At the same time, I had over 25 Chrome tabs running in the background. During lunch, I watched a few YouTube videos. Later, I fired up Forza Horizon 5 and played for around 20 to 30 minutes just to take a break and refresh my mind before getting back to work.
By the time I was wrapping up for the day, there was still around 20% battery left, which is quite impressive. And throughout the day, not once did I feel like the laptop was running on battery; it didn't feel underpowered or restricted. Even while gaming, I didn't need to plug it in to get smooth, playable frame rates.
The HP EliteBook X G1i comes with a solid set of AI features that actually make a difference in everyday use. It runs on an Intel Core Ultra processor that includes a built-in NPU, which takes care of AI tasks without stressing the CPU or GPU. This means features like background blur, auto framing, and spotlight during video calls run smoothly and don't drain the battery. HP Smart Sense is another handy AI tool that adjusts performance and fan noise based on what you're doing. So if you're just browsing or working on documents, the system stays cool and quiet, but when needed, it ramps up performance without you lifting a finger.
There's also background performance tuning happening all the time. The AI learns how you use the laptop and keeps things running smoothly in the long term. One of the standout features is the AI Companion app. It can help you summarise or rewrite content, and even suggest ideas. You can upload your own files into the app and get answers or generate drafts from them, which is really helpful for reports or articles.
Poly Camera Pro is another smart addition. It gives you full control over your video settings like auto framing, background blur, and virtual backgrounds—all powered by the NPU to save battery. Audio is also taken care of with AI. The laptop can automatically level your voice and cut out unwanted background noise, so you sound clear even in noisy places. All in all, the AI features on this laptop aren't just there for the name, they actually make working on it smoother and more efficient.
Lightweight and premium build
Strong Intel Core Ultra performance
Long battery life with fast charging
Robust HP Wolf Security suite
Wide port selection
Non-upgradable RAM
A bit pricy
The HP EliteBook X G1i is a powerful, lightweight and secure business laptop that gets almost everything right. It's built well, performs great, and lasts all day on battery. If you're looking for a premium machine that blends power with portability, this one won't disappoint. That said, it does feel a bit expensive for the specs it offers.
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Disclaimer: Mint has an affiliate marketing partnership, which means we may get some commission on purchases you make through the retailer sites links provided. These partnerships do not influence our editorial content, which is free from any bias or marketing pitch. We strive to provide accurate and unbiased information to help you make informed decisions. We recommend verifying details with the retailer before making a purchase.
First Published: 22 Apr 2025, 10:09 AM IST
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