HP ProBook 14" 4 G1i Multi-Touch Review

The HP ProBook 14 G1i is a solid business laptop that gets the basics right. It packs 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD into a 1.4kg chassis, which is a great combo for multitasking on the go. It's got Windows 11 Pro, a touchscreen, and a backlit keyboard, so it's ready for work right out of the box.

But it's not trying to be a powerhouse. The Intel 255U CPU and integrated graphics are squarely mid-tier. This is a machine built for productivity, not for gaming or heavy creative work. It scores best as a compact travel companion, which makes sense given its weight and size.

Performance is exactly what you'd expect from the specs. The 12-core Intel 255U lands right in the 50th percentile for CPU power. It's fine for office apps, web browsing, and video calls. The 32GB of RAM is excellent and in the 81st percentile, so you can have a ton of tabs and programs open without a hiccup. The weak spot is the Intel integrated graphics, which also scores at the 50th percentile. It's not for gaming or 3D work, and the 60Hz screen won't help there either.

At $1590, the value proposition is tricky. You're paying a premium for that 32GB of RAM and the 1TB SSD in a thin-and-light frame. If you specifically need max RAM in a portable Windows Pro machine, it has a niche. For most people, though, that price feels high for a laptop with a mid-tier CPU, integrated graphics, and a mediocre screen. You're buying the configuration, not top-tier components.

Stack it up and the trade-offs are clear. The Apple MacBook Pro blows it away in CPU/GPU performance and screen quality, but costs more and isn't a touchscreen. The ASUS Zenbook Duo offers a revolutionary dual-screen setup for similar portability. For pure Windows power, the Lenovo Legion or MSI Vector gaming laptops offer vastly better performance for the price, but they're thicker, heavier, and have worse battery life. This HP sits in an odd spot: not the most powerful, not the most innovative, just a well-configured portable.

Buy this only if your top priority is having 32GB of RAM in a very portable Windows 11 Pro package. It's a good fit for a business user or IT pro who needs that specific memory configuration for virtual machines or massive spreadsheets on the go. For almost everyone else—students, general users, even most professionals—there are better values or more powerful options for the money.