HP EliteBook Ultra G1i review: A Premium business laptop that has it all

Time of India

5 days ago

4/5
Laptops are getting smarter with AI integration and advanced chipsets. HP recently unveiled the new EliteBook Ultra G1i in India for a starting price of Rs 1,67,075. Built for working professionals, the 14-inch notebook is designed to handle modern tasks more efficiently with the help of AI – be it improving video calls, boosting performance or saving battery. The laptop comes with
Intel
's latest Core Ultra processors, a high-quality display, and new features focused on speed, security, and smarter multitasking.
But does all that make it worth the price? We tested the EliteBook Ultra G1i to see how well it performs in real-world use—and whether AI really makes a difference. Here's our review
Design and display: Sleek and subtle
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by Taboola
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Undo
The moment we picked up the
HP EliteBook Ultra G1i
, it felt like a device made for people who are always on the go. At just around 1.19 kg, it feels incredibly light weight, but without feeling flimsy. The matte finish on the aluminum chassis gives it a clean, professional look—no flashy logos, no fingerprints—just an elegant, classy-looking laptop that seamlessly fits anywhere, from a boardroom to a cafe.
The hinge is solid, with just the right amount of resistance. We could flip it open with one hand. The corners of the laptop are softly rounded. The design, as mentioned before, is so subtle and sleek that it can easily slip into a backpack without adding bulk.
When it comes to ports, the HP EliteBook Ultra G1i offers just the essentials. You get three Thunderbolt 4 USB Type-C ports, all capable of 40Gbps speeds, charging, and DisplayPort 2.1. These are great from plugging in external monitors to fast data transfers to charging.
There's also a USB Type-A port on the side and it supports 10Gbps speeds. We mostly used it for my wireless mouse dongle, but it's handy enough to be used for plugging in a pen drive or an external keyboard.
Lastly, there is also a headphone/mic combo jack which is useful during calls if you prefer wired earphones. One thing to note: no HDMI, no SD card slot, and no cables included in the box. So if you're planning to connect to projectors or older peripherals, you'll need to invest in a USB-C hub or adapters.
Coming to the display, this is where things start to feel a bit luxurious. We tested the 3K OLED panel, and it's honestly one of the best screens we have seen on a business laptop. Whether we were editing images, watching presentations, or just catching up on Netflix, the colors were sharp and vivid, and the blacks were truly deep—thanks to OLED. The 100% sRGB colour coverage means it's also good enough for light creative work. The display is touch-enabled which is a plus.
HP has also included its Eye Ease technology, which reduces blue light without making the screen look yellow. Brightness goes up to 400 nits, and during our testing, the laptop held up well even in bright daylight near a window.
Performance: Built for focus
From day one, the HP EliteBook Ultra G1i impresses with its smooth, stutter-free performance.. The performance is smooth, stutter-free, even with multiple-tabs opened. The model we used came with an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor (vPRO Evo edition), paired with 32GB LPDDR5x RAM. The device handled our day-to-day tasks like a champ.
Apps opened instantly, multitasking was effortless, and thanks to the built-in Neural Processing Unit (NPU), even AI-powered features like background blur or voice isolation during meetings didn't slow the system down. Throughout our testing, the device remained cool with no noticeable heating issues.
Talking about the keyboard, the layout is clean with a proper row of function keys for quick shortcuts. The keys have good depth, a soft but satisfying click, and are well spaced out—no cramping, even during long writing sessions. It's also backlit, so typing in dim lighting was never an issue.
The trackpad is generously sized and extremely responsive. Multi-finger gestures worked perfectly—scrolling, switching desktops, pinch to zoom—it was all smooth. It's also centered perfectly under the spacebar, which makes typing and navigation feel natural.
HP EliteBook Ultra G1i comes with a 9MP high-resolution IR camera, which is more than just your average webcam. It comes with
PolyCamera Pro
, a tool that lets you add visual effects to your video feed in real time. You can zoom in, adjust brightness, contrast, and saturation, and fine-tune how you appear during calls—whether you're in a dimly lit room or a bright office. And if you prefer using a different camera setup, the system also supports external webcams without any fuss.
Audio on the device is taken care of by a stereo speaker setup consisting of 4-speakers with Audio tuning by PolyStudio. Voice comes through crisp on calls, and there's enough depth in the audio to make music or YouTube videos enjoyable during breaks.
But where it really shines is in microphone performance. With Studio Mode, the laptop can capture voice with surprising clarity and depth. During long Zoom and Teams calls, the AI-based noise reduction kicked in, filtering out background sounds like typing, a fan running nearby, etc.
HP AI Companion app: Smart and useful
HP has also added its own AI Companion app to the EliteBook Ultra G1i. It is a preloaded tool that quietly works in the background to help you get more out of the laptop. At its core, the app enables one to do three major tasks: ask questions, analyze your own files, and tune system settings—all using AI. The first one is to ask tips, answer questions to your general queries. The second one comes handy when you want to break down a complex file/data into simpler, easy to understand terms.
The third and the last one – Perform – is helpful if you're someone who likes to customize their device setup but doesn't want to dig through endless menus. You can adjust power modes, battery usage, volume levels and even cooling preferences depending on how you're using the laptop.
Battery: Reliable
Battery life on the HP EliteBook Ultra G1i meets expectations for a commercial laptop. In our daily use—mostly writing, web browsing, attending video calls, and occasional streaming—the laptop comfortably gave me 8 to 9 hours on a single charge. Switching to 'Balanced' mode stretches the battery life to nearly 10 hours.
With the AI-based power management, the system learns your usage patterns over time and adjusts performance and background activity to save power. Charging is fast too. The included USB-C adapter topped the battery up from around 20% to 70% in under 45 minutes.
Verdict
In the times when AI is quickly becoming a core part of daily workflows, HP EliteBook Ultra G1i—positions itself as a forward-looking business notebook designed for professionals who demand performance, portability, and enhanced AI-driven experiences. Priced at a premium Rs 1,67,075, this 14-inch notebook isn't more than just a productivity machine—it's a glimpse into what the future of work might look like.
Built around Intel's new Core Ultra 5 and Ultra 7 processors with integrated Arc graphics and a dedicated NPU (Neural Processing Unit), the EliteBook Ultra G1i promises intelligent performance, seamless multitasking, and acceleration for AI-heavy workloads like real-time transcription, auto-framing during video calls, and smart noise reduction. Whether you're running complex business applications or hopping on back-to-back Teams meetings, this machine is engineered to keep up.
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