HP EliteBook HP 13.3" EliteBook 8 FLIP G1i 2-in-1 Multi-Touch Review

The HP EliteBook 8 FLIP G1i is a bit of a specialist. It scores a 93rd percentile for compactness, which means it's one of the most portable 2-in-1s you can get. And with 32GB of RAM landing in the 81st percentile, it's got plenty of memory for juggling a million browser tabs and office apps. But its overall score of 70.8 tells you it's not trying to be everything. It's built for students and mobile professionals who need a lightweight, flexible machine, not for gamers or power users who crave raw speed.

Performance is a mixed bag, and the numbers show it. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265U CPU sits right at the 49th percentile. That's dead average for a laptop CPU. It'll handle your daily tasks and video calls just fine, but don't expect it to blaze through heavy workloads. The integrated Intel Arc graphics are also smack in the middle at the 50th percentile. It's fine for streaming and light photo editing, but the abysmal 9.4/100 gaming score confirms this is not a machine for anything beyond casual games. The real performance win here is the 32GB of LPDDR5x RAM. That's a ton of headroom for multitasking, and it's a spec you don't often see in such a compact device.

At around $2,500, this is a premium price for a device with average core performance. You're paying a lot for the compact 2-in-1 form factor, the high RAM capacity, and the business-grade features like Windows 11 Pro. If you specifically need a super-portable touchscreen laptop with tons of RAM for work, the price might be justified. But if raw performance per dollar is your goal, there are better values out there.

Compared directly to its rivals, the trade-offs are clear. The Apple MacBook Pro 14" with an M4 chip will run circles around it in CPU and GPU performance, but it's not a 2-in-1 and costs more. The ASUS Zenbook Duo offers a similar dual-screen, touch-friendly experience but likely with more performance punch for a similar price. Meanwhile, gaming laptops like the MSI Vector 16 HX or Gigabyte AORUS MASTER 16 offer vastly superior graphics (think 90th+ percentile GPUs) for the same money, but they'll be heavier, thicker, and have worse battery life. This HP carves its niche by being lighter and more flexible than those powerhouses.

This is a laptop for a specific person. If you're a student or a business user who values portability and multitasking above all else, and you really want that 2-in-1 touchscreen, the EliteBook 8 FLIP G1i makes a strong case with its top-tier compact score and great RAM. But for almost everyone else, the average CPU, weak GPU, and high price are hard to overlook. Look at the ASUS Zenbook Duo for a more balanced 2-in-1, or a MacBook Pro if you don't need the touchscreen.