HP EliteBook Ultra G1i Review: A MacBook Air Alternative for C-Suite Execs

CNET

2 days ago

8.5
/ 10
SCORE HP EliteBook Ultra G1i $1,899 at HP Pros Excellent 2.8K OLED display
Beautiful design that's also compact and lightweight
Competitive application and AI performance from Intel Lunar Lake CPU Cons Very expensive when not on sale
Battery life is good but not great
HP EliteBook Ultra G1i
8.5/10 CNET Score
$1,899 at HP
The EliteBook Ultra G1i may be a new model with a new name, but it comes with a familiar design. With its thin and light, well-built chassis, the EliteBook Ultra G1i is the clear successor to the HP Dragonfly G4, which I really liked as a premium business laptop. The display aspect ratio has changed from a boxy 3:2 ratio to the more common 16:10 layout, and the color of the laptop went from a matte black to a deep blue, but otherwise, the EliteBook Ultra G1i is basically a rebranded Dragonfly G4. It lives up to its Ultra billing -- from its design to its features and performance -- and is a great pick for traveling executives or anyone who appreciates a small, lightweight premium laptop for work. Just be sure to wait for it to go on sale if your company doesn't qualify for a volume-pricing discount.
HP EliteBook Ultra G1i Price as reviewed $1,899 Display size/resolution 14-inch 2,880x1,800 120Hz OLED display CPU Intel Core Ultra 7 268V Memory 32GB LPDDR5-8533 Graphics Intel Arc 140V Storage 512GB SSD Ports 3 x Thunderbolt 4, USB 3.2 Gen 2, combo audio Networking Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 Operating system Windows 11 Pro 24H2 Weight 2.6 lbs (1.18 kg)
If you're trying to make sense of HP's new laptop nomenclature, then you first need to know that the OmniBook brand is the new home for the company's consumer models, with EliteBooks making up the commercial side of things. After that fork in the road, you'll next encounter a variety of models within each line, from entry-level units up to the flagship systems tagged with the Ultra suffix, such as the EliteBook Ultra G1i here.
As the "i" indicates, the EliteBook Ultra G1i is an Intel-based laptop. It features Core Ultra Series 2 processors from Intel's Lunar Lake series that power the 14-inch clamshell with a 2.8K OLED display with a variable refresh rate of up to 120Hz and touch support. HP rotates discounts through all of its laptop lines, and the savings can be sizable for the EliteBook Ultra G1i.
The entry-level EliteBook Ultra G1 has a Core Ultra 5 226V, 16GB of RAM, Intel Arc graphics, a 512GB SSD and a 2.8K OLED display. The full price for this model is $2,419, but I've seen it on sale for as low as $1,599. Our test system features a Core Ultra 7 268V and 32GB of RAM. While it lists for $2,909, you can often find it on sale for as low as $1,899.
As a business laptop, the EliteBook Ultra G1i comes backed with a one-year warranty that includes a year of HP's Wolf Security suite. With that, you get hardware-enforced threat detection, malware isolation, BIOS and browser protection and the ability to remotely lock and wipe the system if it's lost or stolen. You can extend the warranty to three years and also include on-site service; the standard one-year plan includes depot service.
A similar EliteBook Ultra G1i to our test system costs £1,752 in the UK and AU$3,870 in Australia.
HP EliteBook Ultra G1i performance
The EliteBook Ultra G1i's Core Ultra 7 268V processor is nearly identical to the more popular Lunar Lake offering in the Core Ultra 258V. You'll find the 258V chip offered widely, and I've tested a number of laptops with it, including the Acer Swift 14 AI, Asus Zenbook S 14 and Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i 14 Gen 10. The only difference between the two is that the 268V has slightly higher max CPU and GPU frequencies, along with a couple more GPU TOPS. Both processors have eight physical cores (four performance and four low-power efficient cores) and don't feature Intel's Hyper-Threading technology that allows a physical core to act as two virtual cores.
Matt Elliott/CNET
The EliteBook Ultra G1i's results on our lab tests were nearly identical to those of the aforementioned trio of laptops with the Core Ultra 258V -- strong single-core performance and less impressive multicore performance because of the lack of Hyper-Threading. Graphics performance from the Intel Arc 140V GPU is strong among integrated GPUs, but not to the point of forgetting that the EliteBook Ultra G1i is built for business and not gaming or demanding graphics work. On Procyon's AI Computer Vision benchmark that measures integer math proficiency for AI workloads, the EliteBook Ultra G1i's performance was on par with other laptops that feature modern AI processors.
Battery life was good but not great. On our YouTube streaming battery drain test, the EliteBook Ultra G1i ran for 13 hours and 39 minutes, which is long enough to get through nearly any workday but still hours and hours less than laptops with an ARM-based Qualcomm Snapdragon X series CPU, some of which can run for more than 20 hours on a single charge.
Ultra nice design
The EliteBook Ultra G1i shares the same thin, rigid frame and elegant matte finish as the Dragonfly G4, but now comes in a dark navy blue -- a look I prefer over the Dragonfly's jet black. The EliteBook Ultra definitely has a premium look and feel. The all-metal chassis feels MacBook Air-like in being exceptionally thin and light without feeling flimsy. The build quality is excellent, with solid rigidity and the matte finish is pleasing to both the eye and touch.
Matt Elliott/CNET
At 2.6 pounds, the EliteBook Ultra G1i is just a hair heavier than the 2.5-pound Dragonfly G4, which is not surprising since the 14-inch, 16:10 display is slightly larger than the Dragonfly G4's 13.5-inch, 3:2 display. For its size, the EliteBook Ultra G1i is very light. Most 14-inch laptops weigh closer to 3 pounds, and it's lighter than the 13.6-inch MacBook Air, which weighs 2.7 pounds. If you're looking for an even lighter 14-inch laptop, check out the Asus Zenbook A14, which weighs only 2.16 pounds. And among business laptops, Lenovo's flagship ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12 weighs only 2.4 pounds.
The keyboard is more MacBook than ThinkPad, which is to say the keys offer shallow travel and snappy feedback. If you prefer a deeper keypress with a more plush feel, then a ThinkPad is probably the way to go. But if you've used a MacBook and liked the typing experience and want a Windows laptop for work, then the transition to the EliteBook Ultra G1i will be pretty seamless.
The touchpad, too, is MacBook-like. It's huge -- even larger than the touchpad on the Dragonfly G4 -- and offers a lively and customizable haptic response.
Matt Elliott/CNET
The EliteBook Ultra G1i's audio output is surprisingly good. The quad speakers produce a clear and defined sound field with enough power to fill a small room. I could hear separation between the highs and mids, along with some bass response. At full volume, there was some degradation in the clarity, but only a bit. The sound would be impressive for any entertainment laptop -- and even more so given the EliteBook Ultra's business focus.
The display is outstanding. For starters, it's an OLED panel, so you get vibrant colors and excellent contrast with deep black levels. Next, its 2.8K resolution offers the perfect balance between pixel count and battery life for a 14-inch display. Images and text look crisp to the point that a 4K resolution isn't needed for this size panel and would only shorten battery life. (The more pixels a battery must power, the quicker it gets drained.) Also offering a great balance between display performance and battery life is the variable refresh rate that lets the display run at 120Hz for smooth movement but at a lower rate when it's not needed to extend battery life.
HP scrapped the boxy 3:2 aspect ratio of the Dragonfly G4 for a standard 16:10 panel that's found on most modern laptops. There's a good reason it's so popular: It offers the best balance between an old-school 16:9 widescreen and the boxy 3:2 ratio that never really caught on. At 14 inches, a 16:10 provides enough room for most people to work comfortably without needing to connect to an external display. And combined with the EliteBook Ultra G1i's thin bezels and thin design, you get this roomy-enough display in a lightweight, very portable package.
Matt Elliott/CNET
It's also a touchscreen, which is a nice option since most people have grown accustomed to tapping on screens. And it has edge-to-edge glass for a beautiful, seamless look befitting of its premium price.
I tested its color performance and brightness with a Spyder X Elite colorimeter and the display performed well. It covered 100% of the sRGB and P3 spaces and 94% of AdobeRGB while also hitting a peak brightness of 386 nits. That brightness figure might not wow you on its own, but an OLED display doesn't need to get as bright as an LCD panel because of its excellent contrast and effectively zero-nit blacks.
Above the display is a crisp, 9-megapixel webcam with an IR sensor for use with Windows Hello. HP's Poly Camera Pro app is well designed and offers AI-assisted options for automatic framing and blurring your background, among other effects.
Poly Camera Pro should let you connect an external webcam and use it simultaneously with the laptop's internal camera, but I was unable to get a two-camera shoot going as I could with the Dragonfly G4, which was the first laptop I've tested with dual-webcam support. It's a niche feature -- good for those who need to give online tutorials or create other content where a second camera could be useful -- but I've asked HP for guidance on how to use two cameras at the same time on the EliteBook Ultra G1i. I'll update this review with what I find out.
Matt Elliott/CNET
The port selection is minimal but useful. You get three Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports, which should suffice for most users. There's also a USB-A port, so there's no need to worry about an adapter for any of your USB devices. You'll need an adapter for an HDMI connection, however, since the USB-C ports are the only display output. Same goes for Ethernet.
Should I buy the HP EliteBook Ultra G1i?
At its sale price of $1,899, the EliteBook Ultra G1i is an excellent value and a great choice for your next work laptop. With a spectacular 14-inch, 2.8K OLED display powered by an Intel Lunar Lake CPU wrapped up in an elegant and compact enclosure, the EliteBook Ultra G1i is befitting of its Ultra label. Our test configuration is harder to recommend at its full price of nearly $3,000, so it's best to wait for HP's revolving and sizable discount to land on it if your purchase doesn't qualify for a volume discount.
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The review process for laptops, desktops, tablets and other computerlike devices consists of two parts: performance testing under controlled conditions in the CNET Labs and extensive hands-on use by our expert reviewers. This includes evaluating a device's aesthetics, ergonomics and features. A final review verdict is a combination of both objective and subjective judgments.
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Geekbench 6 CPU (multi-core)
HP EliteBook X G1a
14224
Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 7441
13471
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12
11919
HP EliteBook Ultra G1i
11032
Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i 14 Gen 10
11029
Asus Zenbook S 14
10948
Acer Swift 14 AI SF14-51T-75AF
10918 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance
Geekbench 6 CPU (single-core)
HP EliteBook Ultra G1i
2777
HP EliteBook X G1a
2729
Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i 14 Gen 10
2728
Acer Swift 14 AI SF14-51T-75AF
2701
Asus Zenbook S 14
2681
Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 7441
2448
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12
2321 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance
Cinebench 2024 CPU (multi-core)
HP EliteBook X G1a
991
Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 7441
739
Acer Swift 14 AI SF14-51T-75AF
610
Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i 14 Gen 10
583
HP EliteBook Ultra G1i
518
Asus Zenbook S 14
484
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12
488 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance
Cinebench 2024 CPU (single-core)
HP EliteBook Ultra G1i
123
Asus Zenbook S 14
122
Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i 14 Gen 10
121
Acer Swift 14 AI SF14-51T-75AF
121
HP EliteBook X G1a
112
Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 7441
109
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12
102 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance
3DMark Steel Nomad
Asus Zenbook S 14
882
Acer Swift 14 AI SF14-51T-75AF
871
HP EliteBook Ultra G1i
820
Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i 14 Gen 10
728
HP EliteBook X G1a
603 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance
PCMark 10 Pro Edition
HP EliteBook X G1a
7068
HP EliteBook Ultra G1i
6815
Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i 14 Gen 10
6812
Acer Swift 14 AI SF14-51T-75AF
6811
Asus Zenbook S 14
6684
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12
6178 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance
Procyon AI Computer Vision (integer)
Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 7441
1792
Asus Zenbook S 14
1790
Acer Swift 14 AI SF14-51T-75AF
1759
HP EliteBook X G1a
1753
HP EliteBook Ultra G1i
1705
Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i 14 Gen 10
1585 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance
Online streaming battery drain test
Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 7441
23:11
Acer Swift 14 AI SF14-51T-75AF
22:13
Asus Zenbook S 14
15:20
HP EliteBook X G1a
14:50
HP EliteBook Ultra G1i
13:39
Lenovo Yoga Slim 9i 14 Gen 10
13:27
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12
8:34 Note: Longer bars indicate better performance