ZDNET's key takeaways HP's 14-inch EliteBook X G1a features AMD's latest Ryzen AI Pro chip, starting at $2,099.
It's a powerful enterprise laptop with lots of I/O, a sleek form factor, and comfortable keyboard.
It's expensive, and can run warm under a heavy workload. View now at B&H Photo Video View now at HP more buying choices
As part of HP's Black Friday in July sales event, the EliteBook X G1a is on sale for $1,599, a $500 discount.
HP rebranded its laptop lineup last year, renaming its high-performance business devices to the EliteBook X series. The first laptop from this series I've tested is the 14-inch HP EliteBook X G1a, an impressive enterprise laptop with a lot to like, but a few considerations that make it unique.
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This is a business laptop aimed at professionals, and it aims to combine the connectivity of a ThinkPad, the sleek form factor of a MacBook, and HP's signature minimalist, if non-descript, design.
There are a few configurations of this laptop, the most premium featuring an AMD Ryzen AI 9 processor -- one of the most cutting-edge chips on the market right now -- and an OLED display, but the one I tested had the AMD Ryzen AI 7 Pro 360 processor, 32GB of RAM, and a 14-inch matte WUXGA IPS display.
On the surface, it's minimalist and rather corporate-looking, with a matte WUXGA display and an abundant selection of ports. It passes the one-finger test and opens up to a rather standard display with 400 nits of brightness, 60Hz refresh rate, and a compact and efficient keyboard.
One of its best features is the keyboard. It's utterly silent, with a snappy tactile feel and a key travel distance that (almost) feels mechanical. The keys are spacious and smooth, and the backlighting is effective and well-designed. Similarly, the trackpad is responsive and premium, even if the clicks feel a little on the "heavy" side.
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