HP EliteBook 13.3" 6 G1i Review

The HP EliteBook 6 G1i is a premium 13.3-inch ultraportable laptop that's incredibly light and has great modern ports like WiFi 7. However, its Intel Core Ultra 5 processor and integrated graphics offer only average performance, making it a poor value for anyone needing power.

If you're hunting for a super portable Windows laptop for business or school, the HP EliteBook 6 G1i is a solid contender. It's a 13.3-inch notebook with a 16:10 screen, Intel's latest Core Ultra 5 235U processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. Prices hover around $1,500 to $1,600, which puts it squarely in the premium ultraportable category. Our database shows it's one of the best on the market for compactness, but it's not built for heavy lifting.

Performance is a mixed bag. The Intel Core Ultra 5 235U is a 12-core chip, but our benchmarks put its CPU power in the middle of the pack. It's fine for office work, web browsing, and light multitasking, but you'll feel it strain with heavier tasks like video editing or complex spreadsheets. The integrated Intel Arc graphics are similarly average. They'll handle basic photo editing and streaming, but gaming is a non-starter. This thing scored an 8.2 out of 100 for gaming in our tests, so don't even think about it. The 16GB of DDR5 RAM and NVMe SSD are solid, though, keeping everyday tasks feeling smooth.

At $1,500 to $1,600, this EliteBook is expensive. You're paying for the compact, business-ready form factor and the latest ports like WiFi 7. For raw performance at this price, you'd get much more from a MacBook or a gaming laptop. We saw prices vary by about $112 across vendors, so shop around. If you find it closer to $1,500, it's a slightly better deal, but still a premium choice.

Let's name some rivals. The Apple 14" MacBook Pro (M4) is more expensive but delivers best-in-class performance and battery life. The ASUS ProArt PX13 is a similar-sized Copilot+ PC with an OLED screen and a much faster Ryzen AI 9 chip, though it costs more. The Microsoft Surface Laptop (Copilot+ PC) is a direct competitor in size and style, often with better battery life. If you need a Windows ultraportable, the Surface is a tough match. This HP wins on portability and having the latest WiFi, but loses on performance and screen quality.

Skip this laptop if you need power for gaming, video editing, coding, or heavy multitasking. Its average CPU and graphics won't cut it. Also skip if you want a stunning screen or all-day battery life. In those cases, look at the MacBook Pro, a Windows Copilot+ PC like the ASUS ProArt, or even a Lenovo Legion if you need Windows and raw performance.

Should you buy this? Only if your top priority is carrying a very light, well-built Windows laptop with modern business features. It's a good fit for students or professionals who move around a lot and just need to run Office, email, and web apps. But if you care about performance, screen quality, or battery life, there are better options even at this price. We can't recommend it for most people because the core specs don't justify the cost.