HP EliteBook 16" 6 G1a 2024, Ryzen 5 PRO 230, 16GB, 512GB SSD, Pike Silver Aluminum

The EliteBook 6 G1a's port selection is the absolute best part, landing at the 89th percentile with Thunderbolt, dual USB-C, dual USB-A, HDMI 2.1, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi 7. The Ryzen 5 PRO 230 and 16GB DDR5 handle business multitasking fine at the 67th and 60th percentiles respectively. But the 62.5% sRGB display and 18.3 gaming score make this a work-only machine, and the 34th percentile affordability means you're paying a premium for the EliteBook name.

The Ryzen 5 PRO 230 is a capable workhorse for business tasks. Six cores at 3.5GHz puts it at the 67th percentile in our CPU rankings, which translates to snappy performance in Office apps, browser tabs, and light development work. The 16GB of DDR5 RAM helps here too, landing at the 60th percentile. You can run a dozen Chrome tabs, Slack, and a couple of Excel workbooks without the machine breaking a sweat.

Graphics are where things get interesting. The retailer notes list integrated AMD Radeon 760M graphics, while the spec sheet mentions Intel Arc Graphics. Either way, this is integrated silicon, not a discrete GPU. The GPU score sits at the 69th percentile, which sounds decent until you realize that's compared against all laptops, including budget machines. For actual gaming, the 18.3 out of 100 score is one of the worst we've seen. Don't expect to play anything beyond 2D indie titles or very old games at low settings.

Stacked against the Apple MacBook Pro M4 Max, this EliteBook looks like a budget machine in every category except ports. The MacBook's display, CPU, and GPU are in a completely different league, though it costs significantly more. The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 and Lenovo Legion Pro 7i both crush the EliteBook in gaming and display quality, with discrete GPUs and high-refresh screens. The MSI Raider is similarly gaming-focused. The Dell Premium is probably the closest competitor in spirit, another business-oriented machine, but it likely offers better reliability scores. Where the EliteBook wins is connectivity, that 89th percentile port selection beats most of these competitors for sheer flexibility.

At USD 1,412 to 1,413 in the US, this EliteBook is not cheap. The affordability score of 34th percentile confirms that you're paying a premium for the business-grade build and manageability features. For the same money, you could get a laptop with a better display and a discrete GPU. But if your company is standardizing on HP EliteBooks for security and management reasons, the price is what it is. The CAD 1,935 listing in Canada and JPY 300,068 in Japan track similarly, though currency differences make direct comparisons tricky.

The HP EliteBook 6 G1a is a business laptop that knows exactly what it is, and mostly delivers. The port selection is the headline here, landing in the 89th percentile of our database. Thunderbolt, dual USB-C, dual USB-A, HDMI 2.1, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi 7 mean you'll rarely need a dongle. That's the kind of connectivity that makes IT departments smile and road warriors breathe easier.

The rest of the package is a mixed bag. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 230 with 6 cores at 3.5GHz sits at the 67th percentile for CPU performance, which is solid but not exciting. The 16GB of DDR5 RAM and 512GB NVMe SSD are fine for office work. But that 16-inch display with 62.5% sRGB coverage and 300 nits brightness is a letdown for anything beyond spreadsheets. And the gaming score of 18.3 out of 100 tells you everything about what this machine is not built for.

If you care about display quality, skip this. The 62.5% sRGB coverage and 300 nits brightness are disappointing for a USD 1,400 machine. Creative professionals will find the colors washed out and the brightness inadequate for bright rooms. Gamers should absolutely look elsewhere, the 18.3 gaming score speaks for itself. And if portability matters, the 1.75kg weight at the 29th percentile for compactness means this is a desk-bound machine, not something you'll want to carry around all day. The reliability score of 33rd percentile is also concerning for a business laptop that's supposed to be durable.

The HP EliteBook 6 G1a is a purpose-built business machine that nails connectivity and manageability but falls short on display quality and graphics. If your work is email, documents, spreadsheets, and video calls, the Ryzen 5 PRO 230 and 16GB of RAM will serve you well. The port selection is genuinely excellent. But that 62.5% sRGB display is a weak spot for a machine at this price point, and the gaming score of 18.3 means this is strictly a work device. Buy it for the ports and business features, not for the screen or any gaming ambitions.