One of the most powerful work laptops I've tested this year is not a ThinkPad or MacBook

HP reorganized 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. 

Also: I tested Lenovo’s budget ThinkPad, and it’s a no-frills workhorse ready for the workday

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. 

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. 

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 400nit brightness and 60Hz refresh rate and a compact and efficient keyboard. 

The keyboard is one of its best features. It’s utterly silent, with a snappy tactile feel with key travel 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.

I do wish it had a haptic trackpad, however, as it would go a long way toward making it more premium, especially as a device geared toward a sophisticated demographic: business leaders and tech experts. When you consider the price of this laptop, it seems like a missed opportunity. 

During my testing, I found this laptop really enjoyable to use for long days at work, and a big part of that was due to the well-designed ergonomics of this laptop. Unlike other machines, which require the user to adjust to bold or unorthodox design choices, the EliteBook X G1a fits like a familiar glove right off the bat, making it a solid long-day-at-work type of laptop.  

 Also: I’ve tested dozens of ThinkPads – this model checks all the right boxes for me

If the keyboard and trackpad contribute to an enjoyable physical form, the abundant I/O selection solidifies its practicality. You’ve got an HDMI, three USB-C (one Thunderbolt 4 on each side — thank you), a USB-A port, 3.5mm headphone jack, and Kensington lock slot. This is, in my opinion, one of the best combinations of ports you can ask for in 2025, the only thing that would make it better would be an SD card reader. 

It can certainly pivot to creative tasks, as well, as video editing in industry-standard programs like Da Vinci Resolve was a breeze. By the same token, gaming on this laptop is possible, but I wouldn’t recommend this as a dedicated gaming machine with the 60Hz display and its heat dissipation (more on that later). 

While testing, I did encounter a hiccup connecting to an external monitor with the Thunderbolt 4 port. Both displays would flicker and restart intermittently, even after driver and Windows updates.

Issues like this can be the result of any number of things, including issues with the operating system, hardware, or even the USB-C cord itself, so I don’t necessarily fault the EliteBook, however this was the first time it happened to me after using dozens of laptops with that very connection and monitor. 

Also: One of my favorite laptops I’ve tested this year is ultraportable and has all-day battery life

A busy workday prevented me from troubleshooting for an extended period of time, but this is where the generous port selection came in clutch, allowing me to simply swap to an HDMI connection. It’s a perfect example of where redundant I/O access can solve tech problems, especially in the work setting. 

In terms of performance, the EliteBook X G1a is fast and responsive, with benchmarking numbers that back its claim of being a powerful enterprise machine. 

One thing I noticed during testing the EliteBook X G1a, however, was that it ran a bit hotter than other laptops in its class, kicking on the fans during sustained workloads in High Performance mode. When it’s not being pushed, however, it’s silent and cool, leading me to believe there’s simply a threshold here with the hardware. At no point did I see any evidence of throttling, however. 

Continuing its specialization in the professional sphere, the EliteBook X G1a features a 74.5Whr battery, which is on the large size for a laptop of this size, earning it just over 11 hours during our standard battery test. This is good, sure, but it didn’t quite translate to the spectacular duration I was expecting. Particularly when you compare this to competitors. 

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For example, this is about the same as what we got during our testing of the MacBook Pro M4, while that laptop’s price even comes in a little less, and, well, it’s a MacBook. Conversely, HP’s own OmniBook X 14 with the Snapdragon X Elite was an absolute marathon machine, earning over 20 hours. 

Of course, the hardware on the OmniBook is a bit more modest, but its 65Wh battery overperforms in a way that can’t be ignored. As I spent more time with this laptop, however, I came to understand its intended use case as a device that trades in the ultrathin and light form factor for raw power, making it a durable, reliable workhorse.

ZDNET’s buying advice

There are no shortage of thin and light laptops out there with marathon batteries. The HP EliteBook X G1a is, comparatively, more focused on providing reliable muscle during working hours. The beefy hardware takes full advantage of the large battery, the abundant ports keep your options open, and the comfortable keyboard acts as an ergonomic command center so you can hunker down and get work done. 

However, all that hardware can run warm when it’s pushed, and this is not a cheap laptop. If you’re looking for a 14-inch device that’s fully committed to the enterprise use case, it’s a solid option, but keep in mind that it’s quite specialized for that role. 

If you’re looking for a similar laptop for a little less, I recommend the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 – another workhorse laptop with lots of connectivity and the same processor around the $1,500 mark.