Hands-On: HP EliteBook X G1a

While the first wave of Copilot+ PCs was dominated by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips, that's rapidly changing. This next wave includes systems like the HP EliteBook X G1a, a Copilot+ PC, which offers a very AI-heavy take on the EliteBook line. This laptop is particularly notable because it’s running an AMD Ryzen 9 HX processor, which is a pretty powerful CPU to have in a 14-inch business laptop. I tested a config with the AMD Ryzen 9 HX that's currently $1,799, and there's also a version with the AMD Ryzen AI 7 Pro 360 that's currently $1,599. 

That chip also gives it access to a Neural Processing Unit, or NPU, rated for 55 TOPS. That’s a measurement of how much AI processing a system can do locally, right on the machine. If you’re using AI, there’s a good chance you're using a mix of local and cloud-based tools, and you need that NPU to make sure you can run things locally for speed, privacy, and efficiency.

A focus on practical AI

HP is also taking advantage of the AI-friendly hardware by building several software hooks into this system. The most notable is HP's own AI Companion app. 

The app has three modes. First is a standard AI question-and-response function, similar to Copilot or just using ChatGPT. Then there's an analyze mode that lets you add a library of local documents and ask the AI specific questions about them. This is great for diving into data without having to worry about uploading your materials to an online service. 

The third mode can actually interact with the system and do things on the laptop for you in an agent-like way. I asked it to “turn down my brightness 50%,” and it just did it. It’s an interesting feature, especially if you don’t know the specific shortcut for a function. 

Photo: Dan Ackerman 

One great feature of the HP AI Companion is the ability to swap between on-device and cloud AI modes with a simple button click. On the FAQ page for the app, HP says it uses OpenAI's GPT-4o for cloud AI and Microsoft's LLM Phi 3.5 for on-device AI.  

AI extras for security and camera control

Another feature that makes use of the NPU is HP's Polycam app for the webcam. It has a bunch of extra features built in, like custom backgrounds and overlays. I put the performance monitor up on one side of the screen while playing with the Polycam app and could see the NPU usage spike as it handled background blurring and automatic tracking to keep me in frame. It’s a good example of using that onboard NPU to do more than a regular webcam app could.

And because it’s a commercial system, you also get HP's Wolf security suite, which has malware protection and threat containment built in. 

AMD-powered performance 

The AMD Ryzen 9 HX offered excellent performance, and benchmark scores are below. 

Hardware that feels right

For a business laptop, the EliteBook has a fairly compact 14-inch body and display with very thin bezels. It feels a little on the dense side, but that translates to a very sturdy build.

The keyboard was an unexpected highlight for me. It has wide, flat-topped keys with a soft-touch finish. And frankly, the fact that the letters on the individual keycaps are printed really big gives it a nice visual polish and makes typing easier. The touchpad is also an actual physical clickpad, not a haptic one, which is something you don’t see as often anymore.

Photo: Dan Ackerman

 

The port selection is what you’d hope for in a professional laptop these days. You get HDMI, a couple of USB-C ports which are also Thunderbolt, an audio jack, and a USB-A port. The 1,920x1,200 display also benefits from having matte screen finish. I’ve started using more laptops with matte screens recently, and I find it’s just much easier to see what you’re doing without a lot of glare. For anything outside of a gaming laptop, it's usually my preference. 

But my ultimate test for a laptop is to bring it with me, as my only laptop on a work trip. That's what happened when I recently took the EliteBook X G1a to Micro Center headquarters to shoot a companion video for this review. That also included using the system in the airport, on the plane, and in my hotel. 

If you work like me, you should be able to get about 10 hours from the 75Wh battery. I'm always on the look for good travel laptops, and the combination of power, features, and usability make this an easy one to grab for road trips.

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Dan Ackerman is the Editor-in-Chief of Micro Center News. A veteran technology journalist with nearly 20 years of hands-on experience testing and reviewing the latest consumer tech, he previously served as Editor-in-Chief of Gizmodo and Editorial Director at CNET. He is also the author of The Tetris Effect, the critically acclaimed Cold War history of the world's most influential video game. Contact Dan at dackerman at microcenter.com.