The HP EliteBook X G1a is a solid, if somewhat unexciting, laptop. The main selling point of this device is meant to be the AMD chip under the hood, though it doesn’t always live up to expectations.

The HP EliteBook X G1a looks like most of HP’s EliteBooks. The gray device has a modern, professional look that has become familiar by now. When we pick up the 14-inch laptop, we immediately notice the weight. 1.5 kg is quite a lot for a device of this size.

Specifications

That implies there’s something substantial under the hood. Indeed, HP has packed an above-average 74.5 Wh battery into the HP EliteBook X G1a. This powers a beefy AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX Pro 375. The AMD processor features four Zen 5 and eight Zen 5c cores and can reach a theoretical peak clock speed of 5.1 GHz.

Alongside that processor, HP includes a generous 64 GB of RAM. In times of memory shortages, this provides plenty of headroom. This device has been on the market for a little while, which partly explains the configuration. The price isn’t exorbitant for these specs: our well-equipped test unit costs 2,046 euros (excl. VAT).

For that price, you get a very nice screen. HP opted for an OLED panel with 2,880 x 1,800 pixels. Its maximum brightness of 393 cd/m² isn’t spectacular, but it is adequate. As long as you don’t sit by a window in direct summer sunlight, you’ll encounter few issues.

Color accuracy is also acceptable, though a deviation (DeltaE) of 3.3 is slightly higher than the threshold for graphics professionals. Blue tones deviate the most (DeltaE 5.8), as is often the case with OLED.

Chassis

At first glance, the HP EliteBook X G1a feels like a somewhat chunky but well-equipped and neatly finished laptop. The chassis is sturdy, as is the keyboard. The fact that HP has switched to a new keyboard is now an irreversible reality. The dark gray keys, combined with the aluminum chassis, strongly remind us of a much cheaper Chromebook. However, the quality of the keys is good and typing is pleasant. The touchpad is also high-quality.

Regarding ports, HP is generous. The laptop has USB-C and Thunderbolt on both sides, allowing you to easily connect a screen or dock on either the left or right. There is a third USB-4-C port hidden on the left, and on the right, we find a USB-A port. Even HDMI is present.

Battery put to the test

The question now is whether the HP EliteBook X G1a can deliver on the promises made by its specifications. We start with the large battery. At 74.5 Wh, it is significantly larger than the battery in the Qualcomm variant, the EliteBook X G1i (68 Wh). HP equips the EliteBook Ultra G1i with 64 Wh, and the Intel-powered OmniBook Flip only gets 59 Wh. Microsoft sticks to 50 Wh for the Surface Laptop 13.

The test results therefore surprise us, and not in a good way. The HP EliteBook X G1a falls significantly short of all the aforementioned devices.

The high-resolution OLED screen offers a partial explanation, but not entirely. For instance, the EliteBook Ultra G1i has the same screen but still lasts a bit longer.

The CPU seems to be the logical culprit. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX Pro 375 turns out not to be an efficient chip, despite the division between Zen 5 and the more efficient Zen 5c cores. Even with the extra-large battery, the HP EliteBook X G1a cannot match the endurance of the Intel Core Ultra Series 2, let alone Qualcomm's ARM processors.

In theory, you will still easily get through a workday without a power outlet with this laptop, as long as you stick to browsing, video, and office applications. That's not bad, but the difference compared to other laptops and configurations is striking.

Fast charging

HP and AMD can partially compensate for the limited endurance thanks to fast charging. HP includes a 100-watt USB-C (PD) charger in the box.

This pays off: the laptop might drain faster, but you can also refuel the battery much more quickly. In just half an hour, you have half a charge again. If you can plug the laptop in occasionally, it doesn't matter as much that the device lasts slightly less long on a single charge.

Performance

Because the AMD chip takes such a bite out of the endurance, we have high expectations for performance. After all, there should be something to show for that power consumption.

Unfortunately, it's one disappointment after another. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX Pro 375 is the least powerful chip in our comparison. Perhaps that shouldn't be surprising: the processor belongs to a series that was actually launched back in the summer of 2024. The other chips in this comparison are more recent, and Intel proved in 2025 with Lunar Lake that it still knows exactly what a good CPU should be capable of.

On paper, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX Pro 375 has high performance potential, both single- and multi-core. Unfortunately, it doesn't translate to reality. We see a peak clock speed of 4 GHz, which quickly drops to 3.6 GHz for the Zen 5 cores. The Zen 5c cores stabilize at 2.7 GHz. That's not bad, but it doesn't translate into high scores. Clock speed isn't the whole story, as AMD proves here. We do note that the laptop never gets very loud, even under heavy load.

In practice, the performance difference is less pronounced. When looking at the Microsoft office suite, the laptop scores quite average according to our older PCMark 10 test.

The newer Procyon test tells a different story. There, we see that other laptops, as expected, outperform this HP EliteBook X G1a. It is worth noting that the differences are not immense.

This can be explained by the storage speed. HP has put an above-average fast SSD in this EliteBook X G1a, matched only by the one in the EliteBook Ultra G1a.

This choice helps ensure the laptop performs smoothly. In daily use, the HP EliteBook X G1a is a fairly fast device, but we miss measurable high performance beyond office workloads. With 64 GB of RAM and the beefy AMD processor under the hood, we expected more.

Creative tasks

That being said, the device does stand out in one area: when you want to render video and visualize (3D) content, the HP EliteBook X G1a with its AMD chip finally comes into its own.

For photo and video editing, the laptop scores in line with other devices, but the 24 threads of the Zen 5 and Zen 5c processors, combined with the built-in graphics capabilities, ensure significantly faster results when it comes to rendering.

Video Calling

HP equips the HP EliteBook X G1a with its excellent Poly suite for video conferencing. In other words, you get a high-quality webcam, good speakers, and accurate microphones. In meetings, we come across clearly audible and highly visible.

The accompanying Poly Camera Pro application offers several other functions and filters. For example, you can ensure your contact details and company logo are always on screen during a meeting. You can also set standard backgrounds, smooth your skin slightly, and tweak the lighting.

If your laptop is far enough away, you can have the Poly webcam zoom in. When you move, the camera follows you very accurately. The 5 MP sensor behind the webcam is sufficient to achieve all this at high quality.

Verdict

We can't sugarcoat it: the HP EliteBook X G1a is better on paper than in reality. Despite the strong specifications, the performance of this laptop does not exceed that of other, even less powerfully configured devices.

The lower performance is not compensated for by longer endurance. While the battery capacity may be above average, the laptop still drains faster. Fortunately, charging is very quick.

The 64 GB of RAM provides plenty of room for multitasking and potentially editing photos and videos. The beautiful screen is accurate enough in color reproduction to support this in a semi-professional context. If graphic design is the goal and there is no margin for error with colors, you will need a different panel.

In HP's extensive portfolio, it is difficult to recommend exactly this device. The combination of sufficient performance and plenty of RAM does offer value, as does the beautiful screen. However, there are several devices in HP's range that score better on key points. The EliteBook X G1i from the same range, and the EliteBook Ultra G1i, are, in our opinion, better-balanced devices.

If your eye is still on this combination of AMD CPU, RAM, and a beautiful screen—for example, because the rendering performance appeals to you—don't let that stop you. As you can see above, the HP EliteBook X G1a performs less well in most tests than the other devices in our comparison, but that doesn't mean the laptop performs poorly. In terms of both performance and battery, this device also easily clears the bar.

Tested configuration: HP EliteBook X G1a B69DPET, AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375, 64 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD, 14-inch OLED screen (2,880 x 1,800 pixels, glossy), 2,046 euros excl. VAT VAT.