Why I’d choose this HP Windows laptop over a MacBook for work – especially at its latest price

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Work laptops don’t have to be boring hunks of gray metal. There are plenty of eye-catching models providing engaging experiences. People looking for these devices often gravitate toward MacBooks, and with good reason. Apple hardware is flashy and fun to use. If you’re a Windows user and want something similar, I suggest HP’s new EliteBook Ultra G1i

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Above the screen is a 9MP camera capable of recording video calls up to 1440p resolution. Image quality stays clear and pristine even in rooms with poor lighting. The lens is supported by Windows Studio Effects, which, through artificial intelligence, ensures that you stay in the middle of the shot, among other things.

For the most part, HP’s device did really well. I opened about 40 browser tabs running GIFs, videos, audio recordings, and Amazon product listings. There wasn’t even a hint of slowdown. The table below compares various benchmark tests to Samsung’s Galaxy Book5 Pro, another MacBook-esque laptop I’ve tested, and is priced similarly. As you can see in the numbers below, the EliteBook Ultra G1i boasts faster processing and browsing speeds.

However, it isn’t infallible. Performance plummeted when I attempted to run several YouTube livestreams in 4K. The bottom vents began expelling warm air to cool the insides. After turning the resolution down to 1080p and a brief cooling period, I saw immediate improvement. HP’s EliteBook Ultra outperformed the Galaxy Book5 Pro in the processing and internet browsing tests but fell behind Samsung’s machine in the photo rendering exam, as noted by the Cinebench results above.