HP’s new business laptop has recorded the best Windows battery life in our testing. Unfortunately, its performance isn’t as impressive.
Say what you will about the creative power of AI in the new Microsoft Copilot+ PCs, but with the EliteBook Ultra G1q, HP suggests, “Why not bring it to the office?”
This laptop is purely business-oriented—it’s a 14-inch model in “atmospheric blue” (definitely not black). It features a minimalist design with only a silver HP logo on the lid and a set of half-height function keys that are slightly lighter in the shade. And let’s not forget the pale blue power button! HP knows how to sprinkle a bit of fun into even the most professional settings.
The feature set of this device is quite typical for the Copilot+ PC market, but its specifications are surprisingly basic. It has the slower Snapdragon X Elite X1E78100 processor, complemented by 16 GB of RAM and a 512 GB solid-state drive. The 14-inch touchscreen offers a resolution of 2,240 x 1,400 pixels, a step down from the more common 2,880 x 1,800 resolution found in many 16:10 aspect ratio screens.
The port selection is also lacklustre, featuring just two USB-C ports (one supporting Thunderbolt 40 Gbps and the other 10 Gbps) and a single USB-A port. In comparison, the Asus Vivobook S 15 offers two high-speed USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, HDMI, and a microSD card reader, making it a more versatile choice.
At 18 millimetres thick, the device presents a slim and elegant profile, yet its 3-pound weight is relatively heavy for a 14-inch laptop. This increased weight is probably attributable to its sturdy aluminium chassis, which contains 50 per cent recycled material, as well as keycaps made from 50 per cent plastic.
The design accommodates tough handling, whether it’s being thrown into a shoulder bag or used on an aeroplane’s tray table. Overall, the EliteBook is robust enough to accompany you on your travels without concerns about potential damage.
Unfortunately, the relatively low-end specifications of this device result in disappointing performance. Overall, the EliteBook has achieved the lowest benchmark scores among all the Copilot+ PCs I have tested so far.
The difference isn’t huge—2 per cent slower than the Microsoft Surface Pro in general CPU-intensive tasks and up to 10 per cent slower in most graphics tests—but it is measurable and sometimes noticeable in tasks such as Live Captions, where it struggles to keep up with faster-moving speech. As expected, the EliteBook faces the same lingering compatibility issues as other Qualcomm Snapdragon-based laptops that use ARM architecture. 
The standout feature of this laptop is its battery life. In a full-screen YouTube video test at maximum brightness, it ran for an impressive 17 hours and 20 minutes. This is the longest runtime I’ve recorded on any laptop except for the MacBook Pro M3 Max I reviewed last year, and it easily sets a new benchmark for Windows machines.
While this is a remarkable achievement, there’s a downside: the EliteBook’s overall screen brightness is quite low. Even at the maximum setting, it doesn’t feel bright enough, even in dimly lit rooms. If you prioritize a dazzling, cinematic viewing experience, this laptop might not be the best choice.
Audio, on the other hand, is solid, plenty loud, and capable of filling a room when needed. Unlike other Snapdragon devices I’ve tested so far, I managed to activate the EliteBook’s fan under heavy loads, but it remained almost silent and never distracting during operation. The laptop also stayed cool to the touch throughout my testing period.
This is a business-oriented laptop, with various features catering to the commercial market. One such feature is the integrated security software, HP Wolf Security NGAV, a new AI-based anti-malware platform. While it’s too early to definitively say if Wolf outperforms existing security solutions, I couldn’t manage to bypass its protection during testing.
The base model of the EliteBook Ultra G1q starts at $1,699, which is cheaper than a comparably equipped Surface Pro but still quite expensive. Given its specifications, features, and overall performance, I expected a price of at least $200 lower, regardless of its impressive battery life. And this is only if you believe a Copilot+ PC is the right choice for your needs.
