HP's EliteBook X 14 (G1i) balances security with AI functionality — "The momentum is real, and it's being unleashed"

Yahoo

05-02-2025

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When is a business laptop more than just a business laptop?
HP launched three new EliteBook business laptops at CES 2025, featuring new Intel Core Ultra 200V "Lunar Lake" vPro chipsets. In conjunction with all the benefits of the "Lunar Lake" architecture, the vPro series adds security features built onto the silicon.
At CES in Las Vegas earlier this month, Laptop Mag met with representatives from HP and Intel to discuss the co-engineering that went into these new EliteBook laptops. Cory McElroy, Vice President of Commercial Project Management at HP, explained to Laptop that "The vPro value proposition with the HP commercial and elite value proposition is very important." And from that combination of the Lunar Lake vPro and HP enterprise mindset, we get the EliteBook X.
I've been using the EliteBook X 14 for the last few weeks to experiment with its AI capabilities, as AI for business and the IT Workforce Experience Platform were two of HP and Intel's main focus points for the updated EliteBooks.
But what's new beyond the silicon?
HP EliteBook X G1i's starting price is $1,999. This model likely features an Intel Core Ultra 5 200V-series processor, 16GB of memory, 256GB of storage space, and a 14-inch (1920 x 1200) LED panel.
The EliteBook X G1i can be configured with an Intel Core Ultra 5 or 7 200V series vPro CPU, up to 32GB of memory, and up to 512GB of storage space. Display panel options include a 14-inch (1920 x 1200) LCD panel, a 14-inch (1920 x 1200) touchscreen, a 14-inch (1920 x 1200) low-power LED panel, or a 14-inch 120Hz (2560 x 1600) LED panel.
The pre-production test sample I have currently won't be available for sale as it features a 1TB SSD.
The prices for all other configurations have yet to be announced. The EliteBook X G1i is expected to launch in March 2025.
HP's EliteBook line maintains a minimalist business aesthetic but with new quirky colors for the AI PC generation. The EliteBook X G1i comes in either Atmospheric Blue or Glacier Silver. The Atmospheric Blue reads as a deep navy, while the Glacier Silver reads more white. While these colors aren't exactly eye-catching, they are a nice twist on the standard business laptop choices, which range from silver to dark gray or gunmetal.
The EliteBook uses up to 90% recycled Magnesium in its chassis, more than 20% recycled cooking oil in the bezels, 30% ocean-bound plastic in the speakers, and 30% post-consumer plastic and recycled fishing net materials in the keyboard. So, at least 70% of the major parts of the EliteBook X G1i are recycled materials. Impressive sustainability figures for HP.
Our EliteBook X 14 pre-production configuration also weighs just 2.81 pounds, while some configurations will weigh as little as 2.6 pounds. Coming in below 3 pounds is optimal for a business laptop, especially for those with lengthy commutes.
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Based on our hands-on time with the EliteBook and HP's product brief provided to the press before CES, we've pieced together the full list of ports on the EliteBook X 14:
2x Thunderbolt 4 (40Gbps signaling rate, USB power delivery, DisplayPort 2.1)
1x USB Type-C (10Gbps signaling rate, USB power delivery, DisplayPort 1.4)
1x USB Type-A (5Gbps signaling rate)
1x HDMI 2.1
1x Audio combo jack
1x nano SIM
That should be enough ports for most professionals, but you may want to invest in a laptop docking station or USB-C hub if you plan to power your office workstation using the EliteBook X 14.
Our preview configuration of the EliteBook X 14 G1i features a 60Hz (1920 x 1200) LED touchscreen panel with a matte finish.
HP rates the EliteBook X G1i FHD panel options at 100% sRGB color gamut coverage, and based on what my eyes can tell, the EliteBook X 14 meets that claim.
I pulled up the trailer for the upcoming suspense film Drop and was pleasantly surprised by the vibrance and deep contrast on the EliteBook's display, as much of the trailer takes place in dim and low-lit environments. The tense dinner scene between Meghann Fahy's Violet and Brandon Sklenar's Henry is dark enough to create a sense of tension, but, the colors on the EliteBook X 14's display were vibrant enough to catch the bright red details of Violet's date outfit.
HP rates the LED touchscreen at 800 nits. While we didn't get a chance to test this claim in the lab, based on how eye-searingly bright the Google homepage appeared when the display brightness was set to 100%, I'm inclined to believe the brightness comes close to HP's claim.
With an Intel Lunar Lake vPro processor onboard, we expect the EliteBook X to offer solid productivity performance. However, the Intel Core Ultra 200V series is designed for thin and light laptops that can last for a full day or more on battery life, so don't expect record-breaking performance scores.
While the vPro line differs slightly from the consumer-level Core Ultra 200V series, we expect similar performance to the Asus ExpertBook P5 (P5405). In my hands-on testing, I had no trouble loading multiple AI programs and running them simultaneously, even with a cluster of 15-20 Chrome tabs open.
In general, the Intel Core 200V series has kept cool under pressure, even in ultra-thin systems like the Zenbook S 14.
In my hands-on testing, the ExpertBook X 14 G1i remained cool, even after extended use with the display set to 100% brightness. The keyboard was a comfortable temperature, and the underside was just a bit warm but not unbearable to leave on your lap for extended periods.
AI features that could help businesses were one of the major points of my talk with Intel and HP about the new EliteBooks. McElroy tells Laptop Mag, "As we look at manageability, security, productivity, name your application, it's really great to see the right workload on the right XPU."
The AI for Business solutions showcased by Intel and HP do work across the CPU, GPU, and NPU as different software developers target different hardware accelerators.
Some of the demos shown by Intel and HP included video conferencing software that can use an existing recording and sync your mouth movements to new audio. Or Poly Camera Pro, which can control your video settings across multiple applications so you get a quality video feed regardless of whether you're using Zoom or Microsoft Teams. The two companies also showcased LLMWare, a private AI software for Intel PCs.
"It's really been great to see the flywheel really going... We put out a goal last year to try to get about 300 AI-enabled features, and we surpassed that. And, you know, we didn't do that alone. It took partners, the ecosystem team, and a lot of them doing on their own," enthused Carla Rodriguez, Vice President and General Manager of Client Software Ecosystem at Intel.
McElroy explained the decision to utilize the vPro line of Intel processors was mainly a response to the kind of users targeted by the EliteBook. "The EliteBook X is our flagship premium product for these kinds of managed IT environments. So it needs to have all the security and manageability and everything you need to deploy and support these devices, yet at the same time, it's really catering to highly mobile users."
Indeed, the Intel vPro line comes with additional security features including, built-in security on the CPU itself, faster on-chip security operations, isolation of sensitive operations and data to the processor for increased security, and a dedicated security engine for third-party firmware. The Intel Core Ultra 200V vPro chips have MITRE ATT&CK framework validation, meaning the chips have proven protection against over 150 real-world cyber-attack techniques.
HP has optimized the EliteBook X for its Workforce Experience Platform, designed to increase IT fleet control, offer better self-help solutions for employees, provide a collaborative work environment, and offer better endpoint security for companies upgrading to the EliteBooks.
HP has also included a TPM 2.0 embedded security chip, and Wolf Security for Business on the EliteBook X 14. That includes the BIOSphere, a 5th Gen Endpoint Security Controller, Sure Start, Sure Admin, Sure Recover (Cloud), Sure Click (Basic), Secure Erase, Privacy Camera, Tamper Lock, Seamless Firmware Updates, and Sure Run.
The EliteBook X 14 G1a comes with either Windows 11 Home or Windows 11 Pro, with the standard Microsoft applications pre-loaded like Edge, Copilot, and Clipchamp. HP proprietary software like Poly Camera Pro and HP AI Companion have also been pre-loaded.
Intel's vPro line of processors aims to increase security for employees and for IT departments, and HP has its own security solutions baked into the Wolf Security program and the Workforce Experience Platform. And with Intel's Lunar Lake vPro chips offering a powerful NPU, employees can use more in-depth AI while maintaining on-device security for those functions.
AI applications and AI features built into existing apps has seen exponential growth in the last year alone. While some of that AI exists in a legal gray-area like image generation, other AI features like video conferencing tools have become more needed than ever in a hybrid working environment.
As Rodriguez wrapped up for me during our discussion at CES, "the momentum is real, and it's being unleashed."
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