HP EliteBook 850 G8 Review - Business laptop with a super bright screen and lots of extras
The 8th generation of HP’s EliteBooks is very impressive. Thanks to the silver-coloured metal housing, the new EliteBook laptops appear very premium. Our current review device is a 15-inch model with an 11th generation Intel CPU. A few months ago, we reviewed the HP EliteBook 855 G7 which was powered by an AMD processor. In this review, we will compare the EliteBook 850 G8 with other premium laptops from Lenovo, Schenker and even HP.
Likely Competitors
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 86.1 % v7 (old) | 08 / 2021 | HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.8 kg | 19 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
| 87.1 % v7 (old) | 05 / 2021 | Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen2-20W5S00100 i7-1165G7, GeForce MX450 | 1.9 kg | 19.1 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
| 85.9 % v7 (old) | 11 / 2020 | HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA R5 PRO 4650U, Vega 6 | 1.7 kg | 19.2 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
| 81.2 % v7 (old) | 06 / 2021 | HP Pavilion 15-eg i7-1165G7, GeForce MX450 | 1.7 kg | 17.9 mm | 15.60" | 1920x1080 | |
| 89.1 % v7 (old) | 06 / 2021 | SCHENKER Vision 14 i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1 kg | 15.6 mm | 14.00" | 2880x1800 | |
| 84.3 % v7 (old) | 03 / 2021 | Dell Inspiron 14 7400-VY8JW i7-1165G7, GeForce MX350 | 1.3 kg | 17 mm | 14.50" | 2560x1600 |
Case - Stiff display lid and robust hinges
This time around, the housing is made completely of metal. There are no plastic bits. The rigidity of the material is on a high level. However, we have to mention that the keyboard deck exhibits some flex because the material is not particularly thick in this area. The display lid is very rigid, though. The hinges also feel very solid.
The angular design is nothing new for the EliteBooks. A reflective HP logotype adorns the display lid of the EliteBook 850 G8. The ‘EliteBook’ inscription, the black keys and the thin silver accents around the touchpad and the fingerprint reader make the notebook appear very premium when it is open. The EliteBook 850 G8 looks significantly more flashy than a ThinkPad such as the T15 Gen 2.
The dimensions of the EliteBook 850 G8, which is a rather compact 15-inch laptop, are quite similar to those of the HP Pavilion 15. The ThinkPad T15 Gen 2 is bigger and weighs 100 grams more than the 850 G8.
Connectivity - Two Thunderbolt 4 ports
The EliteBook 850 G8 features two Thunderbolt 4 ports. Howbeit, there is no Ethernet port. The normal-sized HDMI output is 2.0b. The ports are located on the left and right sides of the laptop. There is plenty of space between the ports so that even bulky connectors will not get in the way of each other. The EliteBook 850 G8 can be charged via one of the USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports. The HP laptop also features a dedicated charging port, which can be used for charging with the included power adapter. The battery of HP’s notebook can also be topped up via the USB-A port.
Communication
The Wi-Fi/Bluetooth module comes from Intel (AX201). It supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5. It performed slightly better than the AX200 module in the AMD-based EliteBook 855 G7 in our Wi-Fi benchmarks. Users can also get a model with a 4G Intel modem or a 5G Qualcomm modem (Snapdragon X55 5G). There is also an NFC chip to mention.
Web Camera
The built-in HD web camera, which is quite unremarkable, is primarily intended for video conferencing. There is a physical shutter, which can be used to hide the video camera, but not the IR camera.
Security
The HP laptop features a smart card reader, a TPM 2.0 module and a fingerprint scanner. There is also a slot for an HP Nano Keyed Cable Lock and an IR camera. A lot of security software comes bundled with the HP notebook.
Accessories
The box contains the laptop and the USB-C power adapter. Additional accessories such as docking stations and carrying bags can be purchased via HP’s online store.
Maintenance
The bottom cover can be removed after all 5 screws on the underside are undone. However, plastic tabs, which help hold the bottom cover in place, can be easily broken, which is why we recommend proceeding with caution. Once the bottom cover is removed, the NVMe SSD, the Wi-Fi module and the battery, which is screwed into place, can be accessed by the user. The two SO-DIMM sticks are located under the metal shroud above the battery.
Warranty
The HP laptop comes with a three-year warranty without onsite service. HP offers a next-day service package, which should be of particular interest to businesses.
Input Devices - EliteBook 850 G8 has a solid keyboard
Keyboard
The black keyboard with the numeric pad spans almost the entire width of the chassis. The keys of the numpad are slightly smaller than the rest of the keys, except for the arrow and function keys, which are half the height of the normal keys. This results in a more clean look but makes the keyboard a little less comfortable to use.
The keyboard does not feel mushy. However, it does not provide the kind of tactile feedback for which ThinkPad keyboards are famous. The keyboard deck does not bend in when typing. When pressed, the keys do not produce a significant amount of noise, which is why the HP laptop can be used in quiet environments. The backlight offers two brightness levels. Those who do not mind the slim function and arrow keys will be happy with this keyboard.
Touchpad
The glass-topped touchpad, which measures 12 x 6.5 cm (4.7 x 2.6 in), has a very smooth surface. The only flaw of the touchpad is that it did not always manage to register inputs in the corners. In the worst-case scenario, dragging and dropping files can get a bit more difficult than necessary. In all other cases, the touchpad should work without any issues.
There are two physical buttons right above the touchpad. They are there to improve the usability of the TrackPoint. The physical buttons, despite being quite wide, work very well. The integrated buttons in the lower half of the touchpad also function well. All in all, there is no need for an external mouse, thanks to the inclusion of good input devices.
Display - EliteBook 850 G8 shines brighter than the sun
The 1080p IPS panel of the EliteBook 850 G8 has a 16:9 aspect ratio. HP claims that the EliteBook 850 G8 can achieve a brightness of 1000 cd/m². The 850 G8 features HP’s SureView technology, which helps users protect their privacy in public places by severely restricting viewing angles. According to our measurements, the screen has an average maximum brightness of 702 cd/m² and a brightness distribution of 77%. The brightness that we measured is significantly below the claimed 1000 cd/m². There are no major issues with screen bleeding.
The EliteBook 850 G8 has the brightest display by far when compared to its competitors, most of which feature relatively dim screens. There are also other screen options (250 cd/m² or 400 cd/m² displays without SureView and a 250 cd/m² touchscreen). Unfortunately, the screen of our review device suffers from low-frequency PWM flickering (312 Hz). This is why some users may experience headaches and/or eyestrain.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 77 %
Center on Battery: 629 cd/m²
Contrast: 3273:1 (Black: 0.245 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 6.22 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.86
ΔE Greyscale 7.69 | 0.09-98 Ø5.1
95% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
65% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
65% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
95% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.75
| HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA InfoVision X156NVF8 R1, I, 1920x1080, 15.6" | Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen2-20W5S00100 B156HAN02.1, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.6" | HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA ChiMei CMN1512, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.6" | HP Pavilion 15-eg Chi Mei CMN1523, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.6" | SCHENKER Vision 14 CSOT T3_MNE007ZA1_1, IPS, 2880x1800, 14" | Dell Inspiron 14 7400-VY8JW Chi Mei CMN1411, IPS, 2560x1600, 14.5" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | -37% | -34% | -33% | 11% | 4% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 40.18 | 41.73 | 42.9 | 75.4 | 65.8 | |
| sRGB Coverage | 95 | 60.2 -37% | 62.3 -34% | 64 -33% | 99 4% | 97.4 3% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 65 | 41.55 -36% | 43.18 -34% | 44.4 -32% | 76.4 18% | 67.9 4% |
| Response Times | -2% | 24% | 2804% | 33% | 46% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 47 ? | 48.8 ? -4% | 36 ? 23% | 22.8 ? 51% | 32.8 ? 30% | 29 ? 38% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 32 ? | 32 ? -0% | 24 ? 25% | 23.6 ? 26% | 20.4 ? 36% | 15 ? 53% |
| PWM Frequency | 312 ? | 26320 ? 8336% | ||||
| Screen | -28% | -29% | -25% | 4% | -8% | |
| Brightness middle | 802 | 353 -56% | 265 -67% | 294.3 -63% | 390 -51% | 360 -55% |
| Brightness | 702 | 348 -50% | 234 -67% | 251 -64% | 387 -45% | 327 -53% |
| Brightness Distribution | 77 | 95 23% | 83 8% | 76 -1% | 94 22% | 83 8% |
| Black Level * | 0.245 | 0.2 18% | 0.33 -35% | 0.26 -6% | 0.29 -18% | 0.45 -84% |
| Contrast | 3273 | 1765 -46% | 803 -75% | 1132 -65% | 1345 -59% | 800 -76% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 6.22 | 6.1 2% | 4.46 28% | 4.08 34% | 2.8 55% | 2.04 67% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 9.92 | 23.5 -137% | 18.23 -84% | 19.49 -96% | 4.4 56% | 4.69 53% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 7.69 | 4.6 40% | 1.59 79% | 3 61% | 3.5 54% | 2.84 63% |
| Gamma | 2.75 80% | 2.26 97% | 2.27 97% | 2.21 100% | 2.24 98% | 2.34 94% |
| CCT | 6135 106% | 6732 97% | 6496 100% | 6616 98% | 6174 105% | 6360 102% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 65 | 38.2 -41% | 40 -38% | 76.4 18% | 62 -5% | |
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 95 | 59.8 -37% | 62 -35% | 99 4% | 97 2% | |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 4.9 | 4.12 | 3.7 | 1.8 | 0.92 | |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -22% /
-26% | -13% /
-22% | 915% /
627% | 16% /
9% | 14% /
1% |
* ... smaller is better
Thanks to a low black value (0.245 cd/m²), the screen has a very high contrast ratio (3273:1). The EliteBook 850 G8 has the highest contrast ratio when compared to other competing devices. However, the Thinkpad T15 has a slightly lower black value. The colour space coverage is decent (95% of sRGB; 65% of AdobeRGB), but it is not sufficient for any sort of professional video or image editing.
Because the EliteBook 850 G8 has such a bright screen, it is usable outside. The display can easily overcome reflections in bright environments.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 32 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 19 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 13 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 85 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (20.7 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 47 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 22 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 25 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 79 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (32.4 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 312 Hz | ≤ 100 % brightness setting |  |
The display backlight flickers at 312 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 100 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting. The frequency of 312 Hz is relatively high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering. However, there are reports that some users are still sensitive to PWM at 500 Hz and above, so be aware. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8439 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
As long as the SureView function is disabled, the viewing angles are good. However, the screen surface is slightly more reflective than what is typical for matte panels. The contrast ratio drops significantly at very acute angles.
Performance - EliteBook 850 G8 cannot fully utilise the Core i7-1165G7
Our review device comes with the Intel Core i7-1165G7, two 16 GB SO-DIMM sticks (DDR4 3200 CL22) and a 1 TB NVMe SSD. Buyers can also get an EliteBook 850 G8 with an Intel Core i5-1135G7, 8 or 16 GB of RAM, and a 256 or 512 GB SSD. All in all, the HP laptop provides a very decent level of performance, which is why it should not get choked when working on a massive spreadsheet. We conducted all of our benchmarks in high performance mode using the balanced power plan.
Processor
The Core i7-1165G7 offers eight threads and has a base clock of 2.8 GHz and a boost clock of 4.7 GHz (4.1 GHz for all cores). The Tiger Lake processor has 12 MB of L3 cache and is the fastest U-series CPU from Intel at the moment. The processor supports PCIe 4.0 and Thunderbolt 4, unlike AMD’s U-series CPUs.
In the Cinebench R15 stress test, the EliteBook 850 G8 takes last place in our comparison chart. The Core i7-1165G7 in the 850 G8 does not throttle, but it runs slower than in other devices.
The multi-core benchmarks reveal that the EliteBook 850 G8 is not meant for taxing workloads. The EliteBook 855 G7 was about 50% faster in the multi-core section of the Cinebench R20. However, the EliteBook 855 G7 is powered by the AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 4650U. In the single-core benchmarks, the EliteBook 850 G8 does very well. Here, the 850 G8 gets close to the top of our comparison chart. In R Benchmark 2.5, the EliteBook 850 G8 actually managed to outperform all of the competitors.
When running on battery power, the HP laptop loses about 10% of its performance in heavily threaded applications.
Cinebench R15 multi-core loop
* ... smaller is better
System Performance
The Intel Core i7-1165G7 in the EliteBook 850 G8 achieved typical results for this type of CPU in PCMark 10. Here, the EliteBook 850 G8 was about 10% faster than the AMD-based EliteBook 855 G7. The EliteBook 850 G8 feels very responsive in day-to-day use.
| PCMark 10 / Score | |
| Average of class Office (2463 - 7578, n=78, last 2 years) | |
| HP Pavilion 15-eg | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen2-20W5S00100 | |
| SCHENKER Vision 14 | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1165G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (4531 - 5454, n=50) | |
| HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 7400-VY8JW | |
| HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA | |
| PCMark 10 / Essentials | |
| SCHENKER Vision 14 | |
| Average of class Office (5575 - 20841, n=78, last 2 years) | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1165G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (8997 - 11505, n=50) | |
| HP Pavilion 15-eg | |
| HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen2-20W5S00100 | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 7400-VY8JW | |
| HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA | |
| PCMark 10 / Productivity | |
| HP Pavilion 15-eg | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen2-20W5S00100 | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 7400-VY8JW | |
| Average of class Office (3041 - 10415, n=78, last 2 years) | |
| SCHENKER Vision 14 | |
| HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA | |
| HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1165G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (5570 - 7136, n=50) | |
| PCMark 10 / Digital Content Creation | |
| Average of class Office (2049 - 11108, n=78, last 2 years) | |
| HP Pavilion 15-eg | |
| SCHENKER Vision 14 | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen2-20W5S00100 | |
| HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA | |
| Average Intel Core i7-1165G7, Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs (4083 - 5550, n=50) | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 7400-VY8JW | |
| HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA | |
| PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 5616 points | |
| PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 3221 points | |
| PCMark 10 Score | 4905 points | |
Help | ||
DPC Latencies
Our LatencyMon test reveals that the EliteBook 850 G8 has problems with latency spikes. This is why it is not suited for work with real-time audio or video. These latency issues may be fixed in a future update.
| DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
| Dell Inspiron 14 7400-VY8JW | |
| HP Pavilion 15-eg | |
| Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen2-20W5S00100 | |
| HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA | |
| HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA | |
| SCHENKER Vision 14 | |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices
The HP laptop comes with a 1 TB NVMe SSD from Samsung. The PCIe 3.0 SSD in the EliteBook 850 G8 achieves exactly the kind of speeds that we would expect to see from such a solid state drive. However, the same SSD in the ThinkPad T15 is faster in most categories. The Samsung 980 Pro in the Schenker Vision 14 is able to achieve very high data transfer rates because of the PCIe 4.0 connection.
You can find out how the SSD in our review device stacks up against other storage devices on our HDD/SSD benchmarks page.
| HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR | Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen2-20W5S00100 Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR | HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA SK hynix BC511 HFM256GDJTNI-82A0 | HP Pavilion 15-eg Samsung PM991 MZVLQ1T0HALB | SCHENKER Vision 14 Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW | Dell Inspiron 14 7400-VY8JW Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR | Average Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6 | 32% | -36% | -17% | 86% | -1% | 4% | |
| Write 4K | 132.7 | 227.6 72% | 72 -46% | 141.6 7% | 240 81% | 127 -4% | 139.7 ? 5% |
| Read 4K | 47.05 | 75.5 60% | 34.01 -28% | 42.61 -9% | 90.9 93% | 42.72 -9% | 49.9 ? 6% |
| Write Seq | 1828 | 2100 15% | 1337 -27% | 4236 132% | 2025 11% | 2036 ? 11% | |
| Read Seq | 2172 | 2017 -7% | 1575 -27% | 4101 89% | 2205 2% | 2014 ? -7% | |
| Write 4K Q32T1 | 434 | 646 49% | 390.2 -10% | 397.8 -8% | 662 53% | 465 7% | 461 ? 6% |
| Read 4K Q32T1 | 441 | 728 65% | 347.7 -21% | 454.2 3% | 720 63% | 376.4 -15% | 499 ? 13% |
| Write Seq Q32T1 | 3026 | 2983 -1% | 793 -74% | 1648 -46% | 5222 73% | 3020 0% | 2903 ? -4% |
| Read Seq Q32T1 | 3489 | 3558 2% | 2143 -39% | 2388 -32% | 7102 104% | 3478 0% | 3479 ? 0% |
| Write 4K Q8T8 | 318.5 | 1491 ? | |||||
| Read 4K Q8T8 | 605 | 1499 ? | |||||
| AS SSD | 16% | -59% | -27% | 63% | 1% | -4% | |
| Seq Read | 2801 | 2694 -4% | 1633 -42% | 2030 -28% | 4899 75% | 2891 3% | 2553 ? -9% |
| Seq Write | 1362 | 2370 74% | 649 -52% | 1003 -26% | 3952 190% | 1398 3% | 2084 ? 53% |
| 4K Read | 54.7 | 68.4 25% | 39.59 -28% | 46.74 -15% | 83.8 53% | 56.1 3% | 53.1 ? -3% |
| 4K Write | 126.6 | 208.1 64% | 101.9 -20% | 164.2 30% | 205 62% | 138.4 9% | 131.2 ? 4% |
| 4K-64 Read | 1162 | 1961 69% | 591 -49% | 1098 -6% | 2938 153% | 1137 -2% | 1477 ? 27% |
| 4K-64 Write | 1913 | 1935 1% | 342.3 -82% | 891 -53% | 2077 9% | 1904 0% | 1805 ? -6% |
| Access Time Read * | 0.04 | 0.032 20% | 0.085 -113% | 0.053 -33% | 0.025 37% | 0.052 -30% | 0.04983 ? -25% |
| Access Time Write * | 0.03 | 0.081 -170% | 0.036 -20% | 0.062 -107% | 0.02 33% | 0.022 27% | 0.04222 ? -41% |
| Score Read | 1497 | 2299 54% | 794 -47% | 1348 -10% | 3512 135% | 1482 -1% | 1786 ? 19% |
| Score Write | 2176 | 2380 9% | 509 -77% | 1155 -47% | 2677 23% | 2183 0% | 2144 ? -1% |
| Score Total | 4377 | 5846 34% | 1671 -62% | 3149 -28% | 7939 81% | 4359 0% | 4826 ? 10% |
| Copy ISO MB/s | 2779 | 1088 -61% | 1583 -43% | 2100 -24% | 2098 ? -25% | ||
| Copy Program MB/s | 803 | 72.6 -91% | 682 -15% | 994 24% | 500 ? -38% | ||
| Copy Game MB/s | 1400 | 238.4 -83% | 1428 2% | 1859 33% | 1132 ? -19% | ||
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | 24% /
23% | -48% /
-52% | -22% /
-24% | 75% /
71% | 0% /
0% | 0% /
-1% |
* ... smaller is better
Graphics Card
The integrated Intel Iris Xe G7 graphics chip features 96 EUs and is significantly faster than previous integrated GPUs from Intel. Our review device does very well in the 3DMark benchmarks. It beats all other laptops without a dedicated GPU. In 3DMark Fire Strike, the iGPU performs about as well as the GeForce MX450.
When running on battery power, the iGPU got a physics score of 10303 points and a graphics score of 4774 points. When plugged in, the HP laptop achieved a physics score of 10548 points and a graphics score of 5192 points.
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 6946 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 17042 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 4486 points | |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | 1713 points | |
Help | ||
Gaming Performance
The iGPU is not meant for gaming. It can only handle older and non-demanding titles such as Dota 2 Reborn.
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Witcher 3 (2015) | 73.1 | 50.4 | 24.9 | 13.8 |
| Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 83.8 | 75.5 | 51.3 | 49.1 |
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 39.9 | 21.9 | 15.9 | |
| X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 17 | 19.1 | 17.6 | |
| Far Cry 5 (2018) | 45 | 23 | 22 |
Emissions - Cool surfaces and not a lot of fan noise
System Noise
In everyday use, the EliteBook 850 G8 remains silent most of the time. The fans kick in very rarely and when they do they are almost inaudible (26.2 dB(A)). Under load, the fans produce a quiet, rather high-frequency noise. The fans operate at a constant speed. As soon as the demanding task is completed, the fans quickly ramp down. We did not observe any abnormal sounds such as coil whine.
Noise Level
| Idle |
| 26 / 26 / 26.2 dB(A) |
| Load |
| 29.5 / 34 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min:  , med:  , max:  Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 26 dB(A) | ||
Temperature
During normal operation, the HP laptop always stays cool. The wrist rest area is always comfortable to touch. Under load, the top of the chassis gets as hot as 37.9 °C (100.22 °F). The temperatures at the bottom reach 39 °C (102.2 °F). The middle of the device gets the hottest. The stress test is an extreme case scenario which is very unlikely to occur in real life. This is why, in everyday use, the HP laptop should always stay relatively cool.
At the beginning of our stress test, the CPU ran at 4.1 GHz and the GPU at 1300 MHz (package TDP: 50 W). The temperatures quickly hit 95 °C (203 °F). Subsequently, the CPU clocks dropped to 1.2 to 1.7 GHz and the GPU clocks fell to 700 MHz (package TDP: 20 W). Eventually, the temperatures settled at around 62 °C (143.6 °F). During the stress test, the CPU ran most of the time at 1.2 to 1.3 GHz and the GPU ran at about 700 MHz. Under load, the CPU can throttle so hard that the CPU frequency falls below the base clock. If users try to run demanding applications for an extended period of time on the HP laptop, the CPU performance may drop significantly.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 37.9 °C / 100 F, compared to the average of 34.3 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 39 °C / 102 F, compared to the average of 36.8 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26.5 °C / 80 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 29.6 °C / 85.3 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.6 °C / 81.7 F (-2 °C / -3.6 F).
Speakers
The Bang & Olufsen-tuned speakers, which are located right above the keyboard, have no trouble faithfully reproducing the mids and the highs. However, the lows are almost completely missing. The speakers are fine for Zoom and Skype calls, but they are not ideal for listening to music. There are also two microphones which help to filter out noise during video and voice calls. The volume is sufficient to fill a small room with sound. External audio devices can be connected via a 3.5-mm headphone jack, USB ports, HDMI port or Bluetooth.
HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA audio analysis
(-) | not very loud speakers (70.8 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 22.2% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 1.6% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (7.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.8% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (2.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (15.8% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 15% of all tested devices in this class were better, 5% similar, 80% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 21%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 22% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 73% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Dell Inspiron 14 7400-VY8JW audio analysis
(-) | not very loud speakers (70.1 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 21.6% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.3% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (16.9% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 21% of all tested devices in this class were better, 6% similar, 73% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 21%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 28% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 65% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Energy Management - Mediocre battery life
Energy Consumption
When idle, we measured an average power consumption of 8.4 W. Most other laptops with the same CPU draw less power. The EliteBook 850 G8 takes next-to-last place in our comparison chart. It is only ahead of the Lenovo ThinkPad T15. Because the power draw fell quickly from about 60 W to 17 W during our stress test, the included 65-W power adapter should have no trouble supplying the EliteBook 850 G8 with enough power even under load.
| Off / Standby | 0.5 / 0.9 Watt |
| Idle | 5.8 / 8.4 / 9.9 Watt |
| Load |
33 / 60 Watt |
   
| |
Key:
min: ,
med: ,
max: Metrahit Energy | |
| HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR, I, 1920x1080, 15.6" | Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen2-20W5S00100 i7-1165G7, GeForce MX450, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.6" | HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA R5 PRO 4650U, Vega 6, SK hynix BC511 HFM256GDJTNI-82A0, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.6" | HP Pavilion 15-eg i7-1165G7, GeForce MX450, Samsung PM991 MZVLQ1T0HALB, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.6" | SCHENKER Vision 14 i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, Samsung SSD 980 Pro 1TB MZ-V8P1T0BW, IPS, 2880x1800, 14" | Dell Inspiron 14 7400-VY8JW i7-1165G7, GeForce MX350, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR, IPS, 2560x1600, 14.5" | Average Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 96EUs | Average of class Office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | -18% | 24% | -31% | -38% | -3% | -11% | 1% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 5.8 | 4.5 22% | 3.6 38% | 4.9 16% | 9.8 -69% | 3.1 47% | 5.41 ? 7% | 4.63 ? 20% |
| Idle Average * | 8.4 | 8.8 -5% | 6.6 21% | 7.9 6% | 12.5 -49% | 7.3 13% | 8.6 ? -2% | 7.59 ? 10% |
| Idle Maximum * | 9.9 | 11.6 -17% | 9.5 4% | 14.2 -43% | 13.7 -38% | 9 9% | 10.9 ? -10% | 8.98 ? 9% |
| Load Average * | 33 | 60 -82% | 27.6 16% | 64.3 -95% | 39.3 -19% | 47 -42% | 45.4 ? -38% | 42.3 ? -28% |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 34.3 | 39.2 -14% | 55.6 -62% | 44.8 -31% | 46 -34% | |||
| Load Maximum * | 60 | 68.5 -14% | 36.4 39% | 65.4 -9% | 72.8 -21% | 65.4 -9% | 67.6 ? -13% | 62.6 ? -4% |
* ... smaller is better
Power Draw - Witcher 3/stress test
Battery Life
The EliteBook 850 G8 comes with a 56-Wh battery. The HP laptop lasted 8h 29m in our standardised Wi-Fi test (brightness set to 150 cd/m², web browsing simulated with a script), which is the kind of result we were expecting. However, the AMD-based EliteBook 855 G7 lasted 12h and 14m in the same battery test. This was a very impressive result. In our video test, the 850 G8 achieved a battery runtime of 6h 34m, which is a normal result for an office laptop. All in all, the battery life of the EliteBook 850 G8 is on a normal level for this type of device.
| HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, 56 Wh | Lenovo ThinkPad T15 Gen2-20W5S00100 i7-1165G7, GeForce MX450, 57 Wh | HP EliteBook 855 G7-23Y52EA R5 PRO 4650U, Vega 6, 56 Wh | HP Pavilion 15-eg i7-1165G7, GeForce MX450, 41 Wh | SCHENKER Vision 14 i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, 53 Wh | Dell Inspiron 14 7400-VY8JW i7-1165G7, GeForce MX350, 52 Wh | Average of class Office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | -6% | 40% | -35% | -13% | -14% | 35% | |
| H.264 | 394 | 803 104% | 401 2% | 755 ? 92% | |||
| WiFi v1.3 | 509 | 476 -6% | 734 44% | 396 -22% | 366 -28% | 438 -14% | 668 ? 31% |
| Load | 140 | 101 -28% | 74 -47% | 114.7 ? -18% | |||
| Reader / Idle | 901 | 1254 ? |
Pros
Cons
Verdict - Uniquely feature-rich
The build quality of the EliteBook 850 G8 is quite impressive. Both the housing and the input devices are very well-designed. The keyboard is the best example of the philosophy behind the EliteBook series: Not only do the squarish keys look good, but they also offer great tactile feedback. However, the layout, which makes the keyboard look pretty, is not particularly ergonomic. The function and arrow keys are just half the normal key height. Here, the ThinkPad T15 shows what happens when delivering the best typing experience becomes the primary focus.
The HP laptop features two Thunderbolt 4 ports, which can be used to connect a wide array of external devices to the notebook. The Thunderbolt 4 ports can also be used to expand the number of video outputs or add an RJ45 connector. The display is very good. It is bright enough for outdoor use, and it is also very colour-accurate. However, the low PWM frequency of 312 Hz can cause some problems for sensitive users.
HP’s EliteBook 850 G8 offers many interesting features, but it does not offer a great level of performance.
The EliteBook 850 G8 is powered by the Intel Core i7-1165G7, which is handicapped by HP’s laptop. After a short boost period, the CPU clock rates drop significantly, which is reflected in our benchmarks. However, the integrated GPU offers a very high level of performance, easily beating the Vega 7 graphics chip in the EliteBook 855 G7.
The plastic tabs, which connect the bottom cover to the chassis, will make device maintenance much more complicated than it should be. All in all, we cannot give the EliteBook 850 G8 the ringing endorsement. However, if you are interested in the many features that the HP laptop offers such as a SureView screen, a 5G modem, active noise control, NFC, smart card reader and a fingerprint sensor, then you should go for it, provided you can live with the keyboard layout.
Price and Availability
The EliteBook 850 G8 with an Intel Core i5 1145G7, 16 GB of RAM, and a 256 GB SSD is currently available on amazon.com for $1753.
HP EliteBook 850 G8 3C7Z8EA
- 08/05/2021 v7 (old)
Marius Schell
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