HP EliteBook X G1i: A Stylish, Efficient and Pricey Business Laptop

Introduction

HP’s EliteBook series has long been synonymous with professional productivity, premium build quality, and advanced security features. With the release of the HP EliteBook X G1i, the company refines this formula by delivering a lightweight, compact laptop with excellent battery life and optimized performance for business tasks. But as with many enterprise-grade devices, the high price tag may raise eyebrows—especially when compared to consumer alternatives offering similar or better specs.

In this in-depth review, we’ll take a look at everything the HP EliteBook X G1i has to offer—from its design and performance to technical features like display quality, sound, connectivity, and battery life. Let’s find out if it’s really worth the investment for your daily workflow or if it’s better to explore other options.

Design and Build Quality: Professional and Refined

One of the HP EliteBook X G1i’s strongest points is its looks. It stays true to the classic professional aesthetic but adds modern touches that give it a unique flair. The deep blue chassis adds a subtle sense of sophistication. Interestingly, depending on the viewing angle, the keyboard and trackpad reflect light differently than the rest of the chassis, creating a slight gradient effect.

The chassis is built from a magnesium alloy, which gives it a slightly rough but pleasant and durable feel. It feels solid in the hands, with no creaking or flexing under pressure—either on the base or the screen. However, the hinge does wobble slightly after repositioning the display, which might bother some users.

At 0.72 inches thick, it’s not the slimmest device, but its weight—just 2.72 pounds—makes it easy to carry in a backpack or briefcase. It’s significantly lighter than its predecessor, the EliteBook X G1a, making it a great travel companion.

Stability is ensured by a wide rubber foot at the back and two small front feet. When the lid is open, the rear edge slightly touches the desk surface, helping to direct hot air out through the sides instead of back into the intake—clever design thinking from HP.

Keyboard and Trackpad: Solid but Could Be Better

The keyboard is compact and backlit, with white illumination that improves visibility in low-light environments. The keys are nicely spaced and offer decent resistance, although the key travel could be a bit deeper and more defined for better feedback.

HP has managed to include dedicated Insert, Delete, and End keys in the top-right corner, and it even fits Page Up/Down keys next to the arrow keys, though they feel slightly cramped.

The glass-covered trackpad feels smooth and is a joy to use. It’s not particularly wide, but its height makes gesture control easy. It clicks with a soft, short press that gives a pleasant tactile response.

Display: Bright, Functional, and Glare-Free

The 14-inch IPS panel with a 1920x1200 resolution is one of the laptop’s most commendable features. The taller 16:10 aspect ratio is excellent for productivity, and the anti-glare coating makes it easy to work in bright environments.

With over 520 nits of brightness and 99% sRGB coverage, the display is more than capable for everyday work, video streaming, and even basic photo editing. Though it doesn’t boast 4K resolution or high refresh rates, it’s a practical and high-quality screen overall.

Touch functionality adds convenience, and although a higher refresh rate would have made the experience smoother, responsiveness is still decent. The anti-glare coating also helps hide fingerprints and smudges.

Audio: A Pleasant Surprise

HP surprises by equipping the EliteBook X G1i with four speakers—two on either side of the keyboard and two on the front edge. This is unusual for a business-focused laptop and delivers a great audio experience.

Volume levels are impressively loud, and sound clarity is maintained even at high levels. There’s a noticeable bass presence, which is rare in laptops of this class. While it won’t replace external speakers, it definitely exceeds expectations.

Webcam, Microphones, and Biometrics: A Mixed Bag

The 5MP webcam produces sharp images and is supported by IR sensors for Windows Hello facial recognition. However, in poor lighting, the image quality suffers with visible noise. Positioning yourself in front of a bright light source—like a window—helps a lot.

The privacy shutter is a good addition, but its placement is problematic. It sits right where you’re most likely to place your thumb when opening the lid, causing smudges that can impact facial recognition accuracy.

A fingerprint reader built into the power button offers a fast and secure alternative for logging in.

The microphones, unfortunately, fall short. While voice pickup is okay, they struggle with background noise and room echo. Ambient sounds like fans or air conditioners are clearly audible. This is surprising considering HP’s other models like the OmniBook X Flip 14 had much better noise cancellation.

Connectivity: Just Enough for Most Users

Connectivity options aren’t extensive, but they’re functional:

• 2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C with Power Delivery + DisplayPort 2.1)

• 1x USB-C 10Gbps (with Power Delivery + DisplayPort 1.4)

• 1x HDMI 2.1

• 1x USB-A 5Gbps

• 1x 3.5mm audio combo jack

• (Optional) SIM card slot

There’s no SD card reader or Ethernet port, but the three versatile USB-C ports compensate. You can even charge the laptop from either side, which is very convenient.

Wireless connectivity includes Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, both of which performed very well in our tests with fast pairing and strong signal stability.

Performance: Modest but Efficient

The HP EliteBook X G1i is powered by the Intel Core Ultra 7 268V, a low-power chip from the Lunar Lake lineup. It’s not built for heavy-duty tasks but delivers smooth performance for office work, web browsing, video calls, and basic media editing.

With 32GB of LPDDR5x RAM, multitasking is smooth and stable. The 512GB PCIe Gen4 SSD offers decent speeds, although testing suggests it may lag slightly behind Lenovo’s higher-end drives.

In synthetic benchmarks like PCMark 10 and Cinebench, the EliteBook X G1i performs reasonably well—better in single-core tasks than in multi-core scenarios, where AMD still holds an edge. In fact, its AMD-powered sibling, the HP EliteBook X G1a, completes encoding tasks 5+ minutes faster.

However, the integrated Intel Arc Graphics 140V help regain some ground. While this isn’t a gaming laptop, it handles multimedia and light creative work better than AMD’s Radeon integrated GPUs.

Battery Life: A True Workhorse

Battery performance is one of the strongest advantages of the EliteBook X G1i. In a 4K video playback loop test (at around 250 nits brightness), the laptop lasted nearly 21 hours—almost double the endurance of its AMD counterpart.

Real-world usage, such as writing, browsing, and working on documents, consistently exceeded 12 hours per charge. Combined with the low-power display and efficient processor, it’s easy to stretch a full day of use without looking for a charger.

The included 65W charger is compact and modular, with separate cables that can be replaced independently—a practical touch for professionals on the go.

Final Verdict: Is the HP EliteBook X G1i Worth It?

The HP EliteBook X G1i is a high-quality, professional-grade laptop with excellent battery life, a clean and modern design, and solid performance for typical business tasks. It’s quiet, efficient, and packed with features that cater to enterprise needs.

However, its high price may not be justified for everyone. If you don’t need HP’s corporate-grade features like Wolf Pro Security or remote management tools, there are more affordable consumer laptops—such as the Lenovo Yoga 9i or ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 Gen 10—that offer similar specs with even better value.

In conclusion, the HP EliteBook X G1i is a premium tool for productivity-focused professionals who prioritize portability and long battery life. But unless you’re in a corporate environment that requires its enterprise features, you may want to look elsewhere for better performance-to-price ratios.