I tested HP's take on the MacBook Pro - and the HP ZBook X G1i is a surprisingly impressive mobile workstation for professionals and creators
· TechRadarTechRadar Verdict
The HP ZBook line has always been a powerful blend of processor, graphics, and connectivity, making a great device for power users, the ZBook X G1i feels like a continuation of that trend, offering compact power for creators, power users, and professionals alike. It's a surprisingly impressive business laptop designed for those who want a powerful machine in a classic, sleek HP case. The battery life is great, the power is great, HP has an integrated AI-accelerated platform to enhance productivity, and it's easy to toss in a backpack. What more could you want in a Windows machine?
Pros
- +Intel Core Ultra chipset
- +Up to 64GB RAM
- +Up to 2TB NVMe storage
- +Great port selection
Cons
- -Not as powerful as larger ZBooks
- -Powerful enough for pro-grade apps but not the most powerful GPU
- -Not the brightest displays
- -Price
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HP has a longstanding history of making powerful portable workstations packed with superb performance, solid battery life, and robust port offerings.
The ZBook X G1i is not only a continuation of that tradition, but it's also touted as the most mobile ZBook ever, still with high performance and a great battery.
It's a bold claim, and HP has successfully pulled it off. As an all-rounder, it's one of the best mobile workstations I've tested, performing very well in my tests and well-suited to business professionals, creators, and power-users.
HP ZBook X G1i: Unboxing and First Impressions
Given how powerful this machine is, I'm still shocked by how lightweight it is. Granted, it is a 16-inch unit, so it's not something you'd want to toss into a daypack or a shoulder sling, but it's still pretty portable for a workstation. As I always do, I left the charger in the box and will use my UGREEN or Anker power bricks, or one of the several docking stations I have set up across my different workspaces.
The next thing I do is log in to my Windows account and allow my sync to run, along with logging in to my proper accounts. I like using Windows Hello with both fingerprint and face recognition for easier, more secure sign-in. Once I got that taken care of, I made the proper updates and minimized my desktop to fewer apps, creating a clean workspace.
The HP ZBook X G1i is a very sleek and professional-looking laptop. It fits right into the business-tier design language, without being boring. It's got an elegant silver finish, it's easy to toss in a backpack, and it's got enough ports to power you through your day. This laptop is portable yet packs a full-size HDMI port, an RJ45 Ethernet port, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a USB-C port, a headphone jack, a USB-A port, and an optional Nano SIM Card and/or a Smart Card Reader.
All of that in a portable workstation is wild. To add to the insanity, there is a full-size numpad as well. While this isn't unbelievable to see on 16-inch laptops, it's definitely not so standard that it's not worth mentioning. For those who spend all day entering numbers, a number pad can absolutely cut down on that time and make it faster and easier.
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