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HP's EliteBook 8 G1a is the latest iteration of what used to be its EliteBook 800 series, available in a wide range of hardware configurations with either an AMD or Intel processor, and a focus on power efficiency, running cool, and performance.
I tested the 16-inch, loaded with 32GB of DDR5-5600 RAM, 512GB of local storage, and an AMD Ryzen Pro 350 CPU, running at 5 GHz, a solid configuration for a pro device, with plenty of bandwidth for multitasking, running industry-standard productivity apps, local AI tasks, and a nice selection of I/O.
Also: Why I'd choose this HP Windows laptop over a MacBook for work - especially at its latest price
It's a highly customizable product line, with more accessible loadouts going as low as $849, and scaling upwards of $2,400 and beyond, reflecting the flexible needs of business consumers or enterprise teams, but its physical build is utterly nondescript and doesn't exactly exude premium, despite its comfortable keyboard and trackpad.
The laptop's flexible form begins with the selection of I/O ports. You've got two Thunderbolt 4 USB4 ports (both of which support power delivery and DisplayPort 2.1) with a 40Gbps signaling rate, an HDMI port, a nano lock slot, USB-A, a third USB-C port at 10Gbps, a nano SIM card reader, and a 3.5mm audio jack.
I appreciate when laptop designers differentiate port speeds based on their positioning, and this is a thoughtful example. The two USB-C ports on the left support DisplayPort 2.1, allowing me to connect my external monitors there while keeping my mouse or headset dongle on the right side. All three support power delivery.
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