The 2025 EliteBook 8 G1a 16 succeeds the older EliteBook 865 G10 with both refreshed internals and an updated external design. For the most part, the updates are largely positive which isn't always the case when manufacturers try to introduce too many changes simultaneously. HP has managed to slim down the model quite noticeably without impacting battery capacity while increasing the sizes of the clickpad and key font for improved usability. The number of USB-C ports has also gone up to better future-proof the model and make USB-C charging less of a hassle. The quality-of-life changes may be minor, but they add up for a better user experience over time.
One change, however, is a much smaller leap than we had hoped. The Ryzen AI 7 Pro 350 Zen 5 CPU replaces the Zen 4 Ryzen 9 Pro 7940HS in last year's EliteBook 865 G10, but benchmarks show that they are more or less neck-to-neck when it comes to raw multi-thread performance and graphics performance. Unless if your workloads rely on Co-Pilot+ or the improved NPU, then the performance levels between the two laptops will be about the same. Buyers will want the EliteBook 8 G1a 16 largely for its improved aesthetics and ergonomics instead.
Users can check out our review on the EliteBook 8 G1a 16 for more details and comparisons.
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Allen Ngo - Lead Editor U.S.
- 5410 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2011
After graduating with a B.S. in environmental hydrodynamics from the University of California, I studied reactor physics to become licensed by the U.S. NRC to operate nuclear reactors. There's a striking level of appreciation you gain for everyday consumer electronics after working with modern nuclear reactivity systems astonishingly powered by computers from the 80s. When I'm not managing day-to-day activities and US review articles on Notebookcheck, you can catch me following the eSports scene and the latest gaming news.
