I put this HP laptop to the test and the pen stole the show

Price When Reviewed

$2,024

Best Prices Today: HP EliteBook 8 Flip G1i

$2324

The HP EliteBook 8 Flip G1i is a 13-inch convertible laptop computer geared toward data employees. It’s a stable convertible PC with a considerate design.

This laptop computer has a built-in pen slot so you’ll be able to take your pen with you with out worrying about dropping it. That’s the form of glorious contact that hardly exhibits up on a spec sheet however actually issues in day-to-day use. It all provides as much as a snug day-to-day expertise, though the show’s specs are on the weak facet and also you shouldn’t purchase this machine if you happen to’re searching for an “AI laptop.”

HP just lately redesigned its product names, and the EliteBook is HP’s line of laptops geared toward enterprise customers. The 8 Series is the entry stage line of EliteBooks, and the “G1i” right here means this can be a first-generation mannequin within the new lineup with an Intel CPU.

HP EliteBook 8 Flip G1i: Specs

The HP EliteBook 8 Flip G1i comes with an Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processor — that’s an Arrow Lake-based chip, not Lunar Lake. Arrow Lake presents first rate efficiency, however its neural processing unit is just too sluggish for Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC necessities. Specifically, our assessment mannequin had an Intel Core Ultra 7 265U CPU. Worth noting: While Intel’s Arc graphics are spectacular, the Intel built-in graphics listed below are far behind what Intel is able to producing.

Business laptops are typically upgradable, so it’s value noting that the LPDDR5X RAM on this machine is soldered and never person upgradable. (The AMD-powered HP EliteBook 8 G1a I reviewed on the identical time does have user-upgradable RAM.)

The Intel NPU on this machine runs at as much as 12 TOPS, which is far too sluggish for Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC necessities. It’s 2025, and producers must cease releasing “AI PCs” that don’t run the built-in Windows AI options. Even if you happen to do have an app that makes use of an NPU for AI options, you’d desire a sooner NPU than this one.

If you don’t care about AI PC options, that’s fantastic, and that is nonetheless a stable machine. HP presents different G1i fashions with {hardware} that does meet Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC necessities, however there’s no G1i Flip mannequin that does meet this bar. (This shouldn’t be so sophisticated.)

• Model quantity: HP EliteBook 8 Flip G1i 13-inch
• CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 265U
• Memory: 16GB LPDDR5X RAM
• Graphics/GPU: Intel graphics
• NPU: Intel AI Boost (as much as 12 TOPS)
• Display: 13.3-inch 1920×1200 IPS show with 60Hz refresh fee and contact display
• Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD
• Webcam: 1440p webcam
• Connectivity: 2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB Type-C 40 Gbps), 1x USB Type-C (10 Gbps), 1x HDMI 2.1 out, 1x combo audio jack, 1x USB Type-A (5 Gbps)
• Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
• Biometrics: Fingerprint reader and IR digicam for facial recognition
• Battery capability: 62 Watt-hour battery
• Dimensions: 11.88 x 8.51 x 0.61 inches
• Weight: 3.08 kilos
• MSRP: $2,024 as examined

HP EliteBook 8 Flip G1i: Design and construct high quality

Foundry / Chris Hoffman

The 13-inch HP EliteBook 8 Flip G1i is offered in a “Glacier Silver” colour, and it has a metallic chassis that feels stable in a great way. At simply over three kilos, it’s an affordable measurement and feels premium and high-quality.

HP delivered a minimal design right here with out plenty of flash — silver metallic, a black bezel across the show, and some unobtrusive HP logos. For a transportable 13-inch convertible laptop computer, this machine has a shocking variety of ports.

My favourite convertible function right here is the “garaged pen” or “nested pen” — you’ll be able to insert the pen right into a slot on the facet of the laptop computer and retailer it there. You’ll all the time have the pen accessible with the laptop computer, and also you don’t have to fret about dropping it if the pen bumps in opposition to one thing in your bag. (I as soon as had a Microsoft Surface Pro 2, and I misplaced my Surface Pen someplace, as a result of the magnetic connection was so weak that it was all the time making an attempt to flee. It finally did.)

The hinge right here feels easy, stable, and secure. You can open it 360 levels to put the laptop computer flat or use it in tent mode, which is good if you happen to’ll be utilizing that pen on the display.

This machine consists of built-in HP Wolf safety. That can be a boon to enterprises who wish to remotely handle these PCs, however I didn’t just like the default end-user expertise as a person data employee — it pressured me to click on by way of further safety dialogs to run purposes like PCWorld’s typical benchmark instruments.

HP EliteBook 8 Flip G1i: Keyboard, trackpad, and pen

Foundry / Chris Hoffman

The HP EliteBook 8 Flip G1i has giant keyboard that’s responsive and feels good to make use of. While the keyboard right here feels prefer it doesn’t have as a lot journey because the 16-inch HP EliteBook 8 G1a I reviewed on the identical time, it nonetheless doesn’t really feel mushy. 13-inch convertibles aren’t recognized for his or her keyboards, so that is stable. I do want there have been full-size arrow keys, nevertheless, I take advantage of the arrow keys quite a bit. I’ll by no means get totally used to having the arrow keys be the smallest keys on the keyboard.

The trackpad right here is giant for a 13-inch laptop computer and makes good use of the accessible area. The floor feels good, and the click-down motion feels satisfying. I might’ve preferred to see a haptic trackpad, however this feels good.

This isn’t a glass trackpad, although — that’s a higher-end function for premium machines that makes the floor really feel even smoother. Additionally, the trackpad and keyboard are each quiet. This is good to have on a enterprise laptop computer the place you might not need plenty of loud click-clacking.

Foundry / Chris Hoffman

The pen is a standout function right here. It’s an lively pen that works nicely for writing notes in OneNote and drawing. But the storage is a critical innovation: Having the pen be “garaged” within the laptop computer itself ensures it’s all the time shut at hand and there’s no concern of dropping it. Plus, the pen costs itself contained in the laptop computer, so that you don’t should exit of your approach to cost it. The producers of different convertible laptops ought to study from what HP is doing right here. It could also be a bit thinner than another pens I’ve used, however I might maintain it simply fantastic and I feel many individuals would like having a barely thinner pen that’s all the time at hand.

HP EliteBook 8 Flip G1i: Display and audio system

Foundry / Chris Hoffman

The HP EliteBook 8 Flip G1i has a 13.3-inch 1920×1200 IPS show with a 60 Hz refresh fee. Those are fairly common show specs, which makes them low for a laptop computer on this worth vary. Our assessment mannequin had a show with 400 nits of brightness, which is nothing particular and HP even presents a mannequin with simply 300 nits of brightness, which sounds fairly dim.

The show is serviceable, and it seems to be fantastic, but it surely’s simply nothing particular. Many shopper laptops on this worth vary have shows with a better show decision, sooner refresh fee, extra brightness, or different nice-to-have specs like an OLED show. While the show right here is ok, that is the a part of the expertise that stings essentially the most. While HP presents variants with extra brightness and different options, you’ll be able to’t get this laptop computer with a higher-resolution show or a sooner refresh fee.

The Flip’s stereo audio system sound higher than I’d count on for a 13-inch laptop computer. To my ear, the sound on this machine even sounded higher than it did on the 16-inch HP EliteBook 8 G1a I reviewed on the identical time. These audio system can pump out a great quantity of quantity. I check every laptop computer I assessment by taking part in Steely Dan’s Aja and Daft Punk’s Get Lucky.

While you don’t get the form of crisp instrument separation right here that you’d with a higher-end audiophile setup, audio sounded “full.” In Get Lucky, the sound was moderately enjoyable, and the bass sounded higher than it had any proper to for the dimensions of the laptop computer, however you’d nonetheless wish to use headphones for the very best media expertise.

HP EliteBook 8 Flip G1i: Webcam, microphone, biometrics

Foundry / Chris Hoffman

The HP EliteBook 8 Flip G1i has a 5-megapixel 1440p webcam that HP appears happy with. It’s simply an ordinary enterprise webcam. I used to be anticipating a bit extra given how HP talked it up. It’s fantastic, but it surely’s just a little noisy and appears to do higher with vivid lighting. I wouldn’t wish to use this built-in webcam to document YouTube movies, however you’ll look clear sufficient in enterprise conferences. This machine does have a bodily privateness shutter so you’ll be able to cowl the webcam.

The dual-array microphones right here sound good however not superb, though the background noise elimination labored nicely. Business laptops typically give attention to microphone and webcam high quality, and this feels common for a enterprise laptop computer webcam. If you desire a higher-end, crisper illustration of your voice, you’ll need an exterior microphone. If you simply wish to be heard correctly on video calls, that is greater than ok.

This machine has each an IR digicam for Windows Hello and a fingerprint reader on the top-right nook of the keyboard. Both labored nicely on our assessment mannequin, and you’ve got the choice of signing in with both your face or a fingerprint.

HP EliteBook 8 Flip G1i: Connectivity

Foundry / Chris Hoffman

The HP EliteBook 8 Flip G1i has a beneficiant number of ports, particularly for a 13-inch 2-in-1 laptop computer. You get a complete of three USB Type-C ports and two of them are Thunderbolt 4 ports, too.

On the left facet, this machine has two Thunderbolt 4 (USB Type-C 40 Gbps) ports, an HDMI 2.1 out port, and a combo audio jack. On the precise facet, there’s one other USB Type-C port (10 Gbps), a USB Type-A (5 Gbps) port, and a safety lock slot.

Because there’s not less than one USB Type-C port on all sides of the laptop computer, you’ll be able to plug the charging cable in on both facet. That’s a terrific quality-of-life function.

HP additionally presents some fashions of this laptop computer with a Smart Card Reader and nano SIM card slot for mobile connectivity, however there are not any fashions with any sort of SD card slot.

The assessment unit HP offered had Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 radios. This machine helps the most recent wi-fi requirements, and I had no issues with wi-fi networking.

HP EliteBook 8 Flip G1i: Performance

The HP EliteBook 8 Flip G1i we reviewed had a contemporary Intel Core Ultra 7 265U CPU (that’s Intel Arrow Lake) with Intel graphics, 16GB of RAM, and an NVMe SSD. That’s stable {hardware} for getting good day-to-day efficiency from the net browsers, productiveness apps, and communication instruments you’d be working on a enterprise PC. But let’s dig deeper.

As all the time, we ran the HP EliteBook 8 Flip G1i by way of our standard benchmarks to see the way it performs.

Foundry / Chris Hoffman

First, we run PCMark 10 to get an concept of total system efficiency. With an total PCMark 10 rating of 6,968, the HP EliteBook 8 Flip G1i got here in a bit behind another current convertible laptops when it comes to total efficiency, however solely just a little bit, and it’s a smaller, extra compact machine.

Foundry / Chris Hoffman

Next, we run Cinebench R20. This is a closely multithreaded benchmark that focuses on total CPU efficiency. It’s a fast benchmark, so cooling beneath prolonged workloads isn’t an element. But because it’s closely multithreaded, CPUs with extra cores have an enormous benefit.

The HP EliteBook 8 Flip G1i and its 12-core CPU produced a Cinebench R20 multithreaded rating of 4,322. That’s a stable rating for such a machine, and let’s be trustworthy: You’re not shopping for a 13-inch convertible PC with a pen if you happen to plan on working CPU-heavy workloads. That’s not what this way issue is for.

Foundry / Chris Hoffman

We additionally run an encode with Handbrake. This is one other closely multithreaded benchmark, but it surely runs over an prolonged time frame. This calls for the laptop computer’s cooling kick in, and plenty of laptops will throttle and decelerate beneath load.

The HP EliteBook 8 Flip G1i completed the encode course of in a median of 1,515 seconds — that’s over 25 minutes. If sustained CPU efficiency is your aim, such a machine isn’t supreme for you, however you’ll be able to see Arrow Lake beating a Lunar Lake system (the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1 Gen 10 Aura Edition) by a bit right here.

Foundry / Chris Hoffman

Next, we run a graphical benchmark. This isn’t a gaming laptop, but it surely’s nonetheless good to verify how the GPU performs. We run 3Dmark Time Spy, a graphical benchmark that focuses on GPU efficiency.

With a 3Dmark Time Spy rating of two,362, the Intel built-in graphics on this machine didn’t impress. While Intel’s Arc graphics is now surprisingly good, don’t assume that every one Intel built-in graphics has change into spectacular. If you intend on taking part in PC video games or working demanding 3D purposes, search for a Lunar Lake PC.

Overall, the HP EliteBook 8 Flip G1i’s efficiency was fantastic. The story right here is simply the story of this Intel’s Core Ultra 7 265U. It’s fantastic, however the graphics efficiency actually chafes. After Intel confirmed it might ship critical graphics horsepower, I don’t like seeing $2,000 laptops with graphics efficiency this low.

HP EliteBook 8 Flip G1i: Battery life

The HP EliteBook 8 Flip G1i has a 62 Watt-hour battery, which is an affordable measurement for a 13-inch 2-in-1 machine. It delivered stable battery life in day-to-day use. Intel’s Arrow Lake CPU isn’t fairly as energy environment friendly as with Intel Lunar Lake and Qualcomm Snapdragon X processors, but it surely nonetheless delivers long-lasting efficiency.

Foundry / Chris Hoffman

To benchmark the battery life, we play a 4K copy of Tears of Steel on repeat on Windows 11 with airplane mode enabled till the laptop computer suspends itself. We set the display to 250 nits of brightness for our battery benchmarks. This is a best-case state of affairs for any laptop computer since native video playback is so environment friendly, and actual battery life in day-to-day use is all the time going to be lower than this.

The HP EliteBook 8 Flip G1i lasted a median of 964 minutes in our benchmarks — that’s over 16 hours. That’s a stable quantity, and whereas real-world battery life can be considerably much less, you must be capable to get all-day battery life from this machine relying in your workload. That’s what actually issues for enterprise customers, and the Flip delivers. But it might be good to see Lunar Lake-level battery life right here.

HP EliteBook 8 Flip G1i: Conclusion

The HP EliteBook 8 Flip G1i is strictly what it seems to be. As a machine for companies, HP has gone out of the way in which to make this laptop computer really feel premium with a thoughtfully designed metallic chassis, a spacious keyboard, and the very best pen storage and charging system I’ve ever seen on a laptop computer.

But not all elements of this machine are fairly so premium. I used to be anticipating extra from the webcam and microphone, and the show is the principle a part of the machine that doesn’t stand out.

As far as efficiency, the story right here is the story of Intel’s CPU troubles. After reviewing Lunar Lake laptops, I wince at seeing $2,000 Intel-powered productiveness laptops with considerably decrease graphics efficiency and energy effectivity. And the Arrow Lake CPU right here doesn’t ship noticeably sooner efficiency than Lunar Lake CPUs in our benchmarks.

If you’re searching for a long-lasting, power-efficient transportable PC, you must critically think about getting a Lunar Lake-powered machine.

But this laptop computer continues to be good, and in case your office will get one for you, you might simply like it, particularly if you happen to steadily use a pen and don’t wish to juggle it.