A decade after the Portege laptop exited the consumer market, it’s back — and with a user-replaceable battery, too. On Friday, Dynabook — which, as Sharp, took over Toshiba’s PC business in 2018 and then renamed itself — announced the Portege Z40L-N, a $1,699 laptop based upon the Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processor. The laptops ship immediately, in fixed “EZ-Buy” configurations as well as Built-to-Order models that are configurable. The Z40L-N is a business laptop, and for the last decade Dynabook has sold its Portege, Tecra, and Satellite Pro laptops exclusively to commercial customers. As of today, that’s changed, and anyone can buy a Dynabook laptop at the company’s website. The Z40L-N is built inside a magnesium chassis, with a conventional mix of features such as the integrated NPU inside the Core Ultra 5 226V on up to the Core Ultra 7 268V (with vPro). Users have the option of either 16GB or 32GB of LPDDR5 memory and storage up to 2TB, all behind a 14-inch 1920×1200 screen and powered by a 65Wh battery. It’s not clear if users will be able to source a replacement battery from the Dynabook store, but the company is explicitly marketing it as user-replaceable, significantly increasing its lifespan. Dynabook The laptop is equipped with two Thunderbolt ports, and Dynabook will sell a variety of docks and other accessories to accompany it. The laptop will ship with a three-year warranty for the prebuilt EZ-Buy models and a four-year warranty for Built-to-Order devices. Read...

If you haven’t been paying attention to the news, heads up—prices for tech gear are shooting up. Tariffs are now in effect for goods imported from China, and they’ve doubled since their original announcement. The US government is now imposing an additional 20 percent tax, instead of 10 percent. Name any kind of tech device, and it’s affected: laptops, desktop computers, PC components, monitors, smartphones, e-readers, and much more. An overwhelming majority of electronics are produced in China. Big retailers have already warned about imminent price hikes, with the CEOs of both Best Buy and Target commenting on the breadth and immediacy of the tariff effects. Here at PCWorld, I’ve been wondering specifically about the impact on computers (surprise!)—laptops and desktop PCs are both major interests of our readers. To answer my own questions—as well as those of readers, friends, and family—I reached out to industry contacts to better understand what these tariffs mean for the cost of PCs…and what to expect in the coming days. Those who responded manufacture laptops, prebuilt desktop machines, and PC components. Much of this information is generally applicable to electronics overall. The short answer: Expect pain at the cash register. Businesses won’t be able to shield customers from these increases. As Falcon Northwest CEO Kelt Reeves said to me, “[The] PC industry is infamously low margin, so no one can afford to ‘cushion’ 20 percent. Prices already went up incredibly fast on almost every component we buy to build a PC. Stock that was already here vanished, as anything new will be minimum 20% more.” Ouch. For a fuller grasp of the situation, read on. I’ve broken things down into a series of questions and answers, so you can more quickly find the info you most want to know. Also, if you’re Canadian, I’m sorry to inform you—this affects you too. What is a tariff? First, a quick recap so we’re all on the same page. A tariff is a type of tax that governments impose on goods either entering (import) or leaving (export) the country. They can be fixed or variable. On their face, import tariffs are meant to help protect a country’s domestic industries. Let’s say a country wants to nurture its almond production. It could impose a tariff on imports of almonds from other countries, so that they become more expensive to buy—thus encouraging the purchase of domestically grown almonds instead. In practice, tariffs can become complicated. Other countries can respond with their own tariffs, kicking off what’s known as a trade war. Economists widely view tariffs as problematic, as they can cause slowed economic growth, damage to domestic industries, and rising costs for consumers without much return benefit. What are these tariffs? On February 1, 2025, the executive branch of the United States government announced tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China, to take effect on February 4. The tax was set at 25 percent for Canada and Mexico, with a lower 10 percent levy on Canadian energy resources (e.g., gas). For China, the rate was set at 10 percent. On February 4, the import tariff for China began. Those for Canada and Mexico were delayed to March 4. On February 27, the US government announced an intention to raise the tariffs on Chinese imports to 20 percent. On March 4, the higher tariffs for Chinese imports kicked in, as did the original tariffs for Canada and Mexico. However, the levies on Canadian and Mexican goods were later delayed again (and remain so at this article’s publishing). You can read this ABC News overview to see the full timeline for these tariffs, but the basic takeaway here is that tariffs started affecting Chinese products on schedule. Accordingly, prices already began rising on tech gear a month ago, but will jump even higher now. Which tech devices are affected by these tariffs? These tariffs are particularly unusual in that they broadly apply to all imports from the named countries. Previous tariffs during the last Trump administration hit more selectively. When I spoke with SilverStone, which manufactures an array of hardware for PC building, a representative from their U.S. office emphasized this point, saying, “Almost everything we sell are affected: cases, power supplies, coolers, fans, cables, expansion cards, adapters, etc.” Last time, the impact fell primarily on power supplies. So a overwhelming majority of electronics are affected—most companies have their devices and/or hardware produced in China. Those imports are all subject to the additional 20 percent tariff. Additionally, products made in the United States could be affected as well. If a domestic company can’t find an alternative source for materials or components made in China, the cost of those items will rise now, too. These days, most things we buy are global products—far fewer are made top to bottom within a single country. That’s especially so for anything related to tech. Are only US residents affected by these tariffs? Nope. If you live in another country, but are purchasing through U.S., the cost increases will spread to you, too. For example—SilverStone’s U.S. office said to me that because Canadian customers buy through its U.S. office, they have to pay the higher price as well. (Sorry, Canada.) However, some companies may be able to still keep costs down for other international customers, so long as they can export directly to their other offices across the globe. If you live outside of the U.S. and know (or suspect) what you’re purchasing could route through the U.S., you may want to look at alternative territories you could buy from. Are the price hikes equal to the size of the tariffs? Not necessarily.  When the tariffs first were announced, Acer’s CEO described their effect as “straightforward” on the retail price of laptops—a direct 10 percent jump.  In contrast, just a month later, I couldn’t get a precise percentage from most people I spoke with. Many avoided naming any figure. For example, a source who asked to remain anonymous said only, “Price changes will vary based on components and market demand, but we’re doing our best to minimize the impact and are exploring strategies to mitigate these effects.” The ones who did give numbers generally used a range, because the calculus is so variable. The spokesperson from SilverStone’s U.S. office told me Chinese-made products will “increase on average of 12 to 18 percent” from their current selling prices. (The company plans to raise prices starting next Monday, March 10.) Meanwhile, as I noted at the start of this article, Falcon Northwest believes that the hardware it buys for its custom PCs will start at a minimum of 20 percent more. Why the differences in response? SilverStone sells its computer components primarily to partners, like retailers. Falcon Northwest sells fully built PCs (both laptops and desktops) to consumers. Basically, the ultimate price effects we’ll see as consumers is a mix of: How much of the product is made in China The relationships the vendors have with their partners The retailer’s ability to absorb part of the tariffs Why can’t the companies absorb these costs? As mentioned above, the PC industry is considered “low margin.” For consumer gear, profit made on components can be as low as single-digit percentages, and often don’t extend above 20 percent.  Think under 10 percent for motherboards, and 10 to 15 percent for power supplies. These numbers climb a bit for premium hardware, but not enough to ever rival the margins seen in, say, software. There, you can see as much as 70 to 80 percent. Without a big cushion, companies can’t cut deeply into their profits to shield customers (be they consumers or fellow businesses) from the tariff hikes. The higher costs get passed on more directly. That said, multiple industry contacts said they’re working to spread the hit and lighten the load on consumers. Tech vendors know that increased prices mean fewer sales. My anonymous source told me they’ve already seeing sales slow and are trying not to pass on more any costs than necessary, saying, “We only raised prices to cover the tariffs we’ve paid.” That’s another important detail—these companies must pay these tariffs to get their products onto U.S. shores. They can’t sell anything otherwise. The same anonymous contact said to me, “As importers ourselves, we have to pay the tariffs upfront.” They can’t float the cost until sales happen. As for the retailers we buy from, you may see some variation in price due to their operating costs and margins. But it doesn’t sound like consumers can expect much help on that front, given those stark warnings made by Best Buy and Target’s CEOs about price increases. When do prices increase? Will it happen all at once? The first round of tariffs on Chinese goods went into effect on February 4, at 10 percent. The leap to 20 percent began this past Tuesday, on March 4. How fast that’ll be felt depends on the product. If a retailer has a decent amount of stock brought to the U.S. before the tariffs started, then their prices may not rise just yet. Most industry contacts I spoke with avoided naming an exact timeline, but SilverStone’s US office estimated the ramp-up period could extend until April. However if there’s little stock left in the channel, then the price jump may be immediate. How big is the impact on laptops and desktop PCs? Between the comments made by the CEOs of Acer and Falcon Northwest, you could assume a 20 percent increase at minimum.  Such an even application would put a serious dent in consumer buying power. If you apply that 20 percent as a straight increase, here’s what the prices would look like for laptops that PCWorld has reviewed just before the tariffs: Original MSRP10% tariff increase20% tariff increaseLenovo Legion 5i$1,399$1,539$1,779Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition$2,519$2,771$3,023Lenovo LOQ 15$799$879$959Asus Vivobook S 14$1,199$1,319$1,439Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360$1,699$1,869$2,039Lenovo Chromebook Duet$399$439$479 You’ll pay $100 more now for a previously $500 laptop after this new tariff. In that price range, that’s a sizable increase and can push a machine out of someone’s budget. On the flip side, other sources declined to state a figure, and I’ve yet to receive comment from large corporations like Dell. We likely have to wait for time to tell—much is up in the air, as I was repeatedly told. How big is the impact on PC components? The answer to this question is more complicated than for laptops and prebuilt desktop PCs. Component vendors sit more in the middle of the chain that leads to a computer you can sit down and use. As I covered above when discussing price, the specific impact will vary. Besides cost, consumers should also be prepared for less availability of parts. One contact told me that a “pressing concern is that several major AIB partners are reducing shipments to prevent costly overstock.” Basically, higher prices on hardware often means less interest, and no one wants to be left with excess stock they can’t sell. What hidden effects will the tariffs have? Besides ongoing price chaos, DIY builders should prepare for possible longer wait times to acquire parts. Likewise, those buying a prebuilt desktop PC made from off-the-shelf components may need more patience as well. Also, as Falcon Northwest said to me, list prices (MSRP) for components will likely become even more aspirational. Street prices will fluctuate as businesses continue to respond to unpredictable changes to U.S. economic policy—and if availability reduces, demand could cause even higher leaps in cost. Why can’t companies give more concrete answers? More than one person I spoke with referenced the tariff situation using words like “uncertainty,” and “unpredictability.” The short of it is, businesses are scrambling to react to these policy changes. Remember, the 20 percent tariff on Chinese-made goods was only announced on February 27th, just three days before it took effect. The tax’s size and its abruptness caused a lot of disruption. So right now, companies are still working out their responses to the tariffs. Discussions with partners and reassessing both financial and logistical impact takes time. An additional wrinkle is that vendors don’t know what to expect in the future, which complicates planning. Kelt Reeves, the Falcon Northwest CEO, says, “This is just a chaotic climate to try and run a business in.” Will vendors stop producing goods in China? Some companies intend to shift production across borders. AsRock, which produces PC components like motherboards and graphics cards, has gone on record with its intention to move manufacturing to other countries.  But that production may not go very far. My contact at SilverStone’s U.S. office said that a couple of its power supplies are made in Vietnam, and the company “will continue to transition more in the future.” However, the extent of the transfer won’t become apparent for a while—with the sheer amount of manufacturing China does, ramping up in alternative nations can’t happen overnight. For example, 90 percent of SilverStone’s products are made in China. Facilities that can handle the capacity for a wide-scale switch will take time. Can’t the U.S. just produce electronics on domestic soil? In a word, no. The infrastructure doesn’t exist—for now. The Biden administration did begin the U.S.’s attempt to reduce its dependence on China for production of key electronics, namely processors. The CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 set aside $280 billion to facilitate the building of new chip foundries on US soil.  However, building such facilities takes time, and their ability to ramp up output also can’t happen immediately. TSMC’s new Arizona foundry is already booked out until 2027. And more importantly, domestic production may never get a chance to take off—President Trump just proposed killing the CHIPS act, which would gut its funding. That could delay or even suspend the overall effort to ramp up the US’s self-sufficiency. Read...

As Microsoft Word and PowerPoint continually improve their feature sets, the two apps are slowly strangling one of Microsoft’s traditional Office apps: Microsoft Publisher. Microsoft now says that Microsoft Publisher will disappear in October 2026, where the (ahem) “perpetual version” of Publisher will be discontinued — at least in terms of support. At that time, Publisher will also be removed from Microsoft 365 and subscribers will not be able to access it from that date forward. If you’re a Publisher fan, Microsoft is throwing you a lifeline: You can download and use Publisher via M365 until the 2026 cutoff date. You can also buy Publisher. Even after the October 2026 date comes and goes, the perpetual version will still work, and you’ll be able to open and edit your Publisher files. But the app won’t be officially supported, so in the off chance that a vulnerability crops up, Microsoft won’t patch it. Microsoft won’t be adding any new features, either. Why is Microsoft doing this? Its support page (thanks, Windows Latest) suggests an answer: Because Word and PowerPoint are doing everything Publisher does. Microsoft is now referring Publisher users to use Word for such projects as envelopes or letterhead, and either Word or PowerPoint for designing your own business cards. Microsoft also recommends that Microsoft 365 subscribers convert their existing Publisher (.pub) files to some other format before the end-of-life date kicks in. To do so, Microsoft suggests a somewhat laborious process: Convert all Publisher files to PDFs by opening the file and then saving it in a .pdf format. You can then open the document in Word (or PowerPoint) and save it in the native format. The only problem? The layout may change. Microsoft suggests creating a macro to do this if you have years’ worth of Publisher files. And you just might. Wikipedia reports that Publisher was released in 1991, which means that the end-of-life date will be 35 years after it was first released, and later added to the Office 365/Microsoft 365 suite…where many people just used Word instead. RIP, Publisher. I hardly knew ye. Read...

DirecTV is trying to break up the pay TV bundle this year with cheaper, genre-based packages, but one genre in particular is standing in the way. When you look at DirecTV Stream’s new MySports, MyEntertainment, and MyNews packages, they all have one thing in common: Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC are included whether you want them or not. Those mandatory cable news offerings are likely adding around $5 per month to each package based on reported per-subscriber carriage fees. Cable news is still a lucrative part of the pay TV ecosystem, so programmers may be unwilling to break them off from any TV package. But the result for DirecTV is a trio of bundles that still feel a bit bloated. Breaking down DirecTV’s new bundles DirecTV has a web page showing all its new bundles, with channel lists for each one, but here’s the gist: MyEntertainment ($35 per month) includes a broad mix of entertainment channels and cable news, but no local or sports channels. Disney+ and Hulu (with ads) are also included, and Max will be added soon at no extra charge. Notable channels include HGTV, History, Discovery, and Bravo. MyNews ($40 per month) has the big three major cable news networks along with local NBC and Fox stations, plus CNBC, CNBC World, Fox Business, CNN International, i24, and Newsmax. MySports ($70 per month) has local ABC, Fox, and NBC channels; plus, ESPN channels, Fox Sports channels, Turner channels (TNT, TBS, and TruTV), all four league-specific channels, and USA, along with cable news. ESPN+ is included as well. DirecTV is also selling a $35-per-month MiEspañol package and some optional add-ons, including a $10-per-month MyCinema package and a $13-per-month MySports Extra package with NFL RedZone. You’re allowed to mix and match different genre packs, but DirecTV also still offers larger channel bundles (which it now calls “Signature Packages”) that start at $90 per month. Because cable news is included in each of the three main packages listed above, you’re paying for them even if you never watch them. Fox News was seeking per-subscriber fees of around $3 per month as of 2023 according to Vanity Fair, while CNN’s carriage fees were $1.01 in 2020 according to Variety and have surely increased since then. Assuming similar fees for MSNBC, the three channels combined likely add around $5 per month to every pay TV package. Who are DirecTV’s new bundles for? It’s hard to imagine the ideal customer for DirecTV’s MyNews pack at $40 per month when its three most popular cable news channels are included in every other DirecTV English-language package. DirecTV’s MyEntertainment package, for instance, is $5 per month cheaper, yet it includes Disney+, Hulu, and Max (a $17-per-month value on their own); plus, a bunch of entertainment channels. Compared to MyNews, it’s only missing some less popular cable news channels, such as CNBC and Fox Business. While MyNews does include local Fox and NBC stations, it’s missing ABC and CBS, so it’s not a complete replacement for basic cable. You might be better off trying to get local channels with an antenna, signing up for a bigger bundle, or looking at other ways to get broadcast TV programming. DirecTV’s $70 per month MySports package is more compelling for sports fans, or at least it will be if DirecTV manages to add CBS stations. An option to add regional sports—the package’s other big missing piece—will come to select markets by the time baseball season starts. Still, it’d be a stronger package if sports fans didn’t have to pay a cable news tax as well. Everyone gets cable news DirecTV isn’t alone in having to carry cable news. In January, Comcast launched its own “Sports and News” package for $70 per month, the same price as DirecTV MySports. Though it omits sports programming from Warner Bros. Discovery (including TBS and TNT), it still includes Warner’s CNN along with Fox News and MSNBC. Meanwhile, Fubo is planning its own “Sports & Broadcast” bundle, with sources telling TheDesk’s Matthew Keys that it will cost between $50 and $60 per month. That package will reportedly include Fox News and Fox Business as well, because Fox is still requiring distributors to bundle its sports and news channels together, one source said. (Fox, for that matter, plans to include both sports and news in its forthcoming standalone streaming service.) Cable news still represents some of the most popular programming on cable, with MSNBC and Fox News routinely landing in the top 10 for total annual viewers, so some folks might appreciate that it’s part of every emerging skinny bundle. But for those who get their news elsewhere—be it via free streaming news channels or, dare I say it, print journalism—cable news is an unnecessary expense that stands in the way of more flexible and more affordable packaging. Sign up for Jared’s Cord Cutter Weekly newsletter for more streaming TV advice. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Enjoyable keyboard  Vivid, high-contrast OLED display  High-resolution webcam and good microphone Strong processor and integrated graphics performance Lots of Thunderbolt 4 and USB-C connectivity Cons Modest audio quality Battery life falls behind the pack Expensive Our Verdict The HP Elitebook X G1a makes up for mediocre battery life with solid all-around performance, an enjoyable keyboard, and future-proof connectivity. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Premium business laptops are an unusual slice of the broader laptop arena. They tend to fall behind consumer laptops on performance-per-dollar, then make up for it with premium design and forward-looking connectivity. The HP Elitebook X G1a doesn’t stray too far from this path, but its overall performance is strong for the category. HP Elitebook X G1a: Specs and features The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 is the star of this show, and not only because it provides a 12-core GPU. It also has AMD’s Radeon 890M integrated graphics and an NPU that offers up to 55 TOPS. The model I reviewed also had 64GB of RAM, which is a ton. CPU: AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 Memory: 64GB LPDDR5x-8533 Graphics/GPU: AMD Radeon 890M Graphics NPU: AMD NPU up to 55 TOPS Display: 2880 x 1800 OLED Multi-touch up to 120Hz, 16:10 aspect ratio Storage: 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 solid state storage Webcam: 1440p 30fps camera with IR 3D camera for Windows Hello, physical privacy shutter Connectivity: 2x Thunderbolt 4 (with USB-C 4, DisplayPort, Power Delivery), 1x USB-C (with DisplayPort, Power Delivery, 10Gbps data), 1x USB-A (10Gbps data), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x 3.5mm audio Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 Biometrics: Windows Hello facial recognition, fingerprint reader Battery capacity: 74.5 watt-hours Dimensions: 12.29 x 8.45 x 0.72 inches Weight: 3.3 pounds MSRP: $2,749 The HP Elitebook X G1a has a fantastic keyboard that’s among best features. It offers a spacious layout with large keys—among the largest you’ll find in the 14-inch category. This is the most expensive Elitebook X G1a configuration and retails at $2,749. HP also sells a $1,999 entry-level model with an AMD Ryzen AI 7 Pro 360 (which still provides Radeon 890M graphics). It scales back the memory to 32GB and halves the solid state drive to 512GB. HP Elitebook X G1a: Design and build quality IDG / Matthew Smith The HP Elitebook X G1a doesn’t make a strong first impression. Designed for a corporate environment, it features a simple, understated chassis adorned only by a small HP logo. But the details matter, and they hold up well. I appreciate that the HP Elitebook X G1a incorporates rounded corners and beveled edges, giving the laptop a softer and more approachable feel. The shade of silver used is also appealing, and the materials feel premium to the touch. While it may not stand out as unique, it feels durable and expensive. Which is good, because it is, in fact, expensive.  HP’s online store lists the Elitebook X G1a’s height at up to 0.52 inches, but that measurement is, shall we say, a bit optimistic, as it doesn’t include the rather thick rubber feet on the bottom of the laptop. The materials HP provided to me as part of the review clarified that the laptop’s full thickness is up to 0.72 inches at the rear, which more accurately represents how the laptop feels. That’s a bit thick for a 14-inch workstation laptop with discrete graphics, but it’s mitigated by its weight of 3.3 pounds. Though certainly heavier than some alternatives like the Asus Zenbook S14, the Elitebook X G1a won’t feel like a burden when stowed in a messenger bag or backpack. HP Elitebook X G1a: Keyboard, trackpad IDG / Matthew Smith The HP Elitebook X G1a has a fantastic keyboard that’s among best features. It offers a spacious layout with large keys—among the largest you’ll find in the 14-inch category. Key travel is generous, and each key activates with a satisfying, tactile feel. It’s not a mechanical keyboard, to be clear, but it feels crisp and responsive. I also appreciate that HP uses a large font on the keycaps. This makes the keys easier to read, which is especially helpful if your vision isn’t perfect. A keyboard backlight is included, too, and because the backlight shines through the large-font keycaps, it remains easy to see after dark. The touchpad is less impressive. It measures a tad under five inches wide and about three inches tall, which is average for a 14-inch laptop. And while I found it responsive, the look and feel of the touchpad didn’t stand out. There is, however, one feature some users will no doubt appreciate and that’s the right or left click at the bottom of the touchpad reveals significant physical travel. HP Elitebook X G1a: Display, audio IDG / Matthew Smith Most HP Elitebook X G1a configurations, including the one I reviewed, have a 14-inch OLED touchscreen with a 16:10 aspect ratio and 2880 x 1800 resolution.  This is a common 14-inch display found across dozens of Windows laptops, but it’s popular for a reason. The OLED display provides vivid color, rich contrast, and excellent motion clarity with support for refresh rates up to 120Hz. It’s one of the best laptop display panels available, defeated only by a rare few OLED alternatives with a higher resolution, like the 14.5-inch 3200 x 2000 panel in the Dell XPS 14.  Brightness is the only potential issue, as the display hit a maximum measured SDR brightness of 403 nits. That’s typical for this panel but, because of the display’s glossy finish, it can seem dim when it’s used near a sunlit window or outdoors. A pair of upwards-firing speakers line each side of the Elitebook X G1a’s keyboard. They provide good volume and clarity but can sound boomy and harsh at higher volumes as the weak speakers try to overcompensate for the lack of bass. Still, the speakers worked well when watching YouTube or listening to music at lower volumes. HP Elitebook X G1a: Webcam, microphone, biometrics Business and productivity laptops like the Elitebook X G1a are often used for video calls and HP leans into that by bestowing the laptop with an excellent 1440p webcam. It provides a crisp, sharp image with good color reproduction. A physical privacy shutter is included to block the camera when it’s unwanted.  The dual-array microphone is solid, too. It captured my voice easily even when I spoke quietly and readily removed background noise caused by a nearby space heater. The audio can still sound a bit distant and hollow, but it’s great for video calls. HP provides two forms of biometrics. Windows Hello facial recognition is supported via the webcam, while fingerprint recognition is supported by a fingerprint reader in the power button. Both worked flawlessly in my testing, though the same is also true of most competitors with these same features. HP Elitebook X G1a: Connectivity IDG / Matthew Smith The HP Elitebook X G1a takes a modern approach to connectivity. It has two Thunderbolt 4 ports and one USB-C port, all of which support up to 100 watts of USB Power Delivery and DisplayPort. One Thunderbolt 4 and USB-C line the left flank, while the second Thunderbolt 4 is joined by the laptop’s lone USB-A port on the right flank. This setup means there’s limited support for connecting older USB-A devices. On the plus side, however, this configuration provides access to gobs of data and video bandwidth, as well as USB-C charging across three ports.  I also like that the Thunderbolt 4 ports are split with one on each side of the laptop, instead of both on one side, as that provides more versatility when connecting a Thunderbolt 4 dock or hub. Many competitors offer similar Thunderbolt and USB-C connectivity, but some place both Thunderbolt ports on one side—which is annoying if that’s not the side on which your dock or hub is located. The included 100-watt power adapter can charge the laptop over any of the Thunderbolt 4 or USB-C ports and has a lengthy, durable six-foot braided cord. HP Elitebook X G1a: Performance The HP Elitebook X G1a configuration I received for review is a powerful model with an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 processor that packs 12 cores and 24 threads, as well as AMD Radeon 890M integrated graphics. It had 64GB of LPDDR5x memory, too, plus a 1TB PCIe solid state drive. These are solid specifications, and the Elitebook X G1a’s performance lived up to expectations.  IDG / Matthew Smith The HP Elitebook X G1a got off to a weak start in PCMark 10, where it lagged behind the competitive set. The exact reason for this result isn’t clear, as the specification sheet suggests it should defeat the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition, but repeated test runs showed no difference.  IDG / Matthew Smith Fortunately, the story changed when I ran Cinebench R23. This is a multi-threaded test with a modest duration that leans heavily on CPU performance and gives the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 a chance to strut its stuff. The CPU’s relatively performant cores provide a major advantage over Intel Core Ultra competitors, which can’t sustain the same level of multi-threaded performance. IDG / Matthew Smith Handbrake, another multi-threaded CPU test but with a longer duration, once again puts the HP Elitebook X G1a in a solid position. While it only lands mid-pack in these rankings, it’s worth noting that only AMD’s own hardware provides significant competition and that the differences between AMD-powered laptops are slim. Laptops relying on Intel Core Ultra, like the Asus Zenbook Duo and ThinkPad X1 Carbon, fall much farther behind. IDG / Matthew Smith As mentioned, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 includes Radeon 890M integrated graphics. It’s an extremely capable solution with a total of 16 graphics cores (up from 12 on Radeon 880M). That translates to great performance for integrated graphics. Up until recently, any score above 3,000 was considered a great result for integrated graphics, but AMD’s Radeon 890M regularly scores around 4,000. Intel hasn’t sat on its hands, however, and the 140V proves itself competitive, though it is a tad behind, at least when considering this set of business laptops.  The Asus ProArt PX13, housing RTX 4050 graphics, doubles the HP Elitebook X G1a’s performance, which is to be expected for a laptop that has discrete graphics. The ProArt PX13 is in the same price range, however, and it’s a better choice for a creative professional who might use 3D-accelerated productivity apps. While the HP Elitebook X G1a doesn’t set records, its performance is solid for a 14-inch business laptop. Its performance is led by the Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 CPU, which delivers a big upgrade over similar laptops that have Intel Core Ultra processors. AMD’s lead in integrated graphics is much smaller, but the HP is still a fine choice for light-duty 3D acceleration including productivity apps and older or less demanding 3D games.  HP Elitebook X G1a: Battery life The HP Elitebook X1 G1a ships with a 74.5 watt-hour battery. That’s rather large for a 14-inch laptop, as most have a battery between 50 and 70 watt-hours.  However, the large battery didn’t translate to excellent battery life. The Elitebook X1 G1a endured our standard battery test, which loops a 4K video file of the short film Tears of Steel, for a tad under 11 hours. That’s a good result, but it’s still a long way from others. IDG / Matthew Smith My time using the laptop showed this was no fluke. I found the battery could drain quickly at times, losing up to half its charge in about four hours or less.  My use wasn’t light as I typically have many open windows, but most of my time is spent in Microsoft Word and the Microsoft Edge browsers, so I found the rate of battery drain disappointing. Even so, this level of battery life is fine in many situations, and could get owners through an eight-hour workday so long as demanding apps are avoided. Also, as mentioned, all the Thunderbolt 4 and USB-C ports support Power Delivery. The laptop is designed to consume up to 100 watts of power, but in most situations it will still charge when fed less power. That means you can more easily get away with leaving the charger at home, or pack a smaller, lower-wattage charger for emergencies.  HP Elitebook X G1a: Software & AI This HP Elitebook X1 G1a is considered a Windows Copilot+ PC and, to underscore that point, it also ships with a piece of software called AI companion. It provides access to a competent LLM that includes the ability to parse documents. However, the LLM does not run locally, and it doesn’t provide anything you can’t get from the free version of ChatGPT. I also installed LLM Studio and loaded several large language models, including DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 7B and Meta’s Llama-3.3-70B-Instruct. The Elitebook X1 G1a I received, with 64GB of RAM, can actually load Llama-3.3-70B-Instruct, but it generates at just 1.68 tokens per second, which is too slow to be useful in most situations. DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 7B, on the other hand, loaded quickly and generated text at about 14 tokens per second. Qwen2.5-Coder-14B also loaded quickly and output about 8 tokens per second, which is bit slow but usable for simple tasks.  In addition to its AI software, the Elitebook X1 G1a has a built-in IT management and security features, such as HP’s Wolf endpoint security. As I’m not running a corporate IT department, I can’t comment on its effectiveness, but it’s something for enterprise buyers to keep in mind.   HP Elitebook X G1a: Conclusion The HP Elitebook X1 G1a is a solid premium business laptop that sits between thin-and-light business laptops, like the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition, and more focused workstations or creative professionals, like the Asus ProArt PX13. It’s not quite as portable as the former or as powerful as the latter, but offers a good compromise between the two extremes.  Like most premium business laptops, the Elitebook X1 G1a will struggle to reach a wider audience, as it’s priced similarly to consumer laptops with more powerful hardware. HP says it’s meant for “business leaders,” and the Elitebook X1 G1a’s performance and design will hit the mark with that demographic. Read...

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