HP EliteBook 845 G10 review: The almost perfect business laptop with AMD Zen4

The EliteBook 840 series is HP’s category of high-quality 14-inch business laptops that compete directly with Lenovo’s ThinkPad T14s series. Just like Lenovo, HP offers the model with both Intel CPUs (EliteBook 840) and AMD processors (EliteBook 845). Above the EliteBook 840 is the EliteBook 1040 flagship, which (like the ThinkPad X1 Carbon) is only available with an Intel CPU.

The 10th generation comes with minor updates, but the basic case design remains unchanged. Our test device is the HP EliteBook 845 G10 818N0EA for EUR 2,249 (or EUR 1,835 for students) and offers the new Zen4 processor AMD Ryzen 9 Pro 7940HS as well as a new 120 Hz screen with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,600. Other features include a 1 TB SSD, 32 GB of RAM, and a 5G modem.

HP mainly uses aluminum for the case of the EliteBook 845 G10 and the build does not differ from last year’s G9 model . The silver-colored case is overall very restrained and does not have any color contrasts apart from the reflective HP logo on the lid and the black keyboard. The surfaces are overall very fingerprint- and dirt resistant.

The stability of the base unit is very good and no creaking noises are emitted. The hinges are well adjusted and the maximum opening angle is 180 degrees. The display lid itself is a little more flexible, but we were unable to elicit any image distortions.

The screen bezels on the sides are very narrow and only a bit thicker above and below, but there is no camera hump. At 1. 466 kg, the EliteBook 845 G10 is no lightweight and also lands in last place in our comparison group.

It is also a little wider than rival devices, but not quite as thick. The very compact 65-watt power supply adds another 300 grams to the scales. The port selection is very good.

Apart from a card reader, all important ports, including a SmartCard reader (e. g. for company ID cards), are available.

The two USB-C ports support the USB 4. 0 standard and thus allow the connecting of external graphics cards. The WLAN module comes from Realtek (8852CE) and also supports the current Wi-Fi 6E standard.

We were able to connect to the corresponding 6 GHz network of our Asus reference router without issue in our tests. Transfer rates and signal stability are excellent, and the results are better than those of the competition. A network port is not available, but can be added via an optional USB adapter.

In addition, a 5G modem from Fibocom is installed in our test device (FM350GL) and you can use either a nano-SIM card or an eSIM. HP installs a 5 MP camera and the image quality is significantly better than the usual 1080p models, especially in terms of image sharpness. The color accuracy is not optimal, but you can easily do without an external webcam, especially for video conferences.

An IR camera is also installed for facial recognition via Windows Hello. The base plate is secured with five regular Phillips screws and is easy to remove. The maintenance options are overall very good because there are two RAM slots next to the SSD.

These are located under additional covers, but they are only clamped. The WLAN and WWAN modules are also plugged in. The keyboard of the EliteBook 845 G10 is one of the best laptop keyboards on the market.

Key travel is around 1. 5 mm and the feedback is very precise. Subjectively, we prefer this keyboard more than in the current ThinkPad models.

The only two aspects that require getting used to are the small arrow keys and the power button, of which the latter is integrated into the top right of the keyboard. The fingerprint scanner is located below the keyboard. HP has been doing away with the pointstick in the middle of the keyboard and the accompanying dedicated mouse buttons for some time now and uses a regular ClickPad instead.

However, this is not necessarily a drawback and the ClickPad works very well. The smooth surface offers good gliding properties and implements all inputs (including multi-touch gestures) without limitations. HP offers various displays for the EliteBook 845 G10.

We cannot recommend the 250 nits IPS display (which is not available in all regions) or the SureView display (up to 1,000 nits, but poor subjective image quality). On the other hand, the 400 nits IPS display (Full HD) is a solid screen that offers the best runtimes thanks to lower power consumption. The optional 120 Hz IPS display with 2560×1600 and an anti-glare surface is installed in our test device.

The screen is not completely matte, but reflections are minimal. Our subjective impression of the picture quality is overall very good because colors look vivid and content is very sharp. Bright areas appear slightly grainy at very short distances, but this is not an issue at a normal sitting distance.

HP specifies a brightness of 500 cd/m², which is clearly exceeded by our test device at an average of 560 cd/m². The black value of 0. 38 cd/m² suffers a little under the high brightness, but the overall contrast ratio is still nearly 1500:1.

PWM is not used and the response times are very good for an IPS panel, but there are slighly visible halos, especially at the upper edge. The panel is already very well calibrated in its delivery state. Our analysis with professional CalMAN software (X-Rite i1 Pro 2) reveals that the grayscale display is already on the reference level and no color cast is visible.

In terms of colors, only blue is above the important deviation of 3, which are unable to correct via our own calibration. The P3 color space is fully covered, but there is no option to switch the color space to sRGB. Thanks to the high screen brightness, you can often find a place outdoors where you can work properly.

However, direct sunlight should be avoided. The viewing angle stability is good overall, but the image brightens up quickly, especially from an above angle. Better IPS panels are available here.

HP offers the EliteBook 845 G10 with the latest Ryzen CPUs from AMD. Our test device uses the fastest option, the 35-watt Ryzen 9 Pro 7940HS . Ryzen 5 or Ryzen 7 models of the U series are also optionally available.

Our test device is also equipped with a 32 GB RAM module, which has a negative impact on graphics performance. Of course, this is not the most important factor in a business laptop, but it makes little sense not to utilize the hardware. We also ran some GPU and gaming benchmarks in dual-channel configuration (2x 16 GB DDR5-5600).

HP doesn’t offer any additional energy settings; the regular Windows profiles are used instead. The Ryzen 9 Pro 7940HS consumes a maximum of 51 watts, but 35 watts in the most energy-efficient mode. That is also the disadvantage of the HS processor because users don’t always need that much power in everyday office use.

The U-series chips should have an advantage here because they can be configured with lower power limits. The Ryzen 9 Pro 7940HS stems from AMD’s current Phoenix generation and offers 8 Zen4 cores. The chip is manufactured in a modern 4 nm process and can run a maximum of 16 threads simultaneously.

The chip consumes a maximum of 51 watts and 41 watts permanently, which leads to very good results in the benchmarks. Overall, performance remains very stable and all other comparison devices are clearly surpassed, at least in the multi-core benchmarks. The advantage over last year’s EliteBook 845 G9 with its Ryzen 9 Pro 6950HS is 19% on average, but single-core performance has increased only minimally.

Intel still has an advantage here with the performance cores, although the power consumption is also higher. On battery power, CPU performance remains constant. More CPU benchmarks are available in our tech section .

The EliteBook 845 G10 is a very responsive laptop in everyday use and the RAM’s single-channel configuration does not have a negative impact here either. The synthetic benchmark results are also good; only in the cross-system CrossMark test do AMD systems perform a little weaker. No issues occurred during testing and we were able to upgrade the RAM without any problems.

The test device shows no limitations in our standardized latency test (web browsing, 4K YouTube playback, CPU load) with the present BIOS version. Hence, the use of real-time audio applications without errors is possible. HP equips the EliteBook 845 G10 with a fast PCIe 4.

0 slot for M. 2 2280 SSDs and our test device has the 1 TB version of the SK hynix PC801 installed, with 895 GB available upon booting up for the first time. Transfer rates are very good overall and no performance drops occur under prolonged load.

More SSD benchmarks are available here . Graphics processing is handled by the integrated Radeon 780M . The preview driver from April was still installed on our test device upon delivery, but we installed the new Adrenalin, version 23.

7. 2, which did not confer any speed advantage. Graphics performance is severely limited by the RAM’s single-channel configuration and so the 780M is unable to unfold its full potential as a result.

Consequently, graphics performance is roughly on par with the Iris Xe Graphics G7 from Intel and only slightly ahead of the old Vega 8 from AMD. Users can very easily boost graphics performance with a dual-channel configuration, although this is certainly not a priority for a business laptop. A second RAM bar delivers 65% higher results on average, as already shown in our test of the iGPU .

All in all, performance remains almost on the same level as the old Radeon 680M . GPU performance is not reduced in battery mode and the values remain stable under sustained load. More GPU benchmarks are listed here.

If you want to play on the EliteBook 845 G10 after work, you should definitely install a second RAM stick because the advantage over the single-channel configuration is a whopping 55% in the gaming benchmarks. Overall, performance values remain comparable to the old Radeon 680M . In practice, this is sufficient for smooth gameplay in 1080p at medium to high details in numerous games.

Performance remains constant in battery mode and no performance drops occur during long gaming sessions. Probably the biggest weakness of the EliteBook 845 G10 is the single fan and 35-watt processor combination. When idle, the latter is almost always deactivated, but even light tasks cause the fan to fire up too quickly.

This also applies to the most efficient performance mode, since the CPU can still consume 35 watts here. Fan noise increases quite quickly to 43 dB(A) under load, which is clearly audible. Furthermore, the fan speed always pulsates a bit, which sounds restless and can be annoying in the long run.

Again, we believe that models with a U-series processor perform better in everyday use. Otherwise, no other electronic noises were heard in our test device. No issues of temperature arise in everyday use, but if you stress the processor for long periods of time, the central rear area on the underside heats up significantly and we measure temperatures of more than 50 °C here.

Due to the single fan, the left side of the case also gets noticeably warmer. This is also apparent when typing under load, but there are no restrictions here. The CPU quickly settles at a consumption of 41 watts and remains constant at this level.

The two stereo speakers can get very loud and deliver very good quality overall, especially for a business computer. The two modules only lack vigor, which is why we recommend headphones or external speakers for louder music and films. Speech intelligibility, such as during conferences, is very good.

The EliteBook 845 G10 with the 120 Hz display is more economical than the SureView display, but also consumes more power than the low-power 1080p panel. It becomes somewhat problematic under load because the 65 watt power supply constantly reaches its limit due to the high power limit and is unable to charge the battery in this scenario. A 90-watt power supply would have been a better choice for the HS processor.

HP installs a relatively small, 51 Wh battery that, together with the high-resolution panel, only allows for average runtimes. At a brightness of 150 cd/m² (corresponding to 45% of the maximum brightness in our test device), our video test runs for just over 9 hours and the WLAN test for almost 8 hours. In contrast, the WLAN test at maximum brightness lasted a little more than 5 hours.

If you find this insufficient, you should choose a configuration with the low-power display. A full charge with the device switched on takes 2 hours, but 50% of the capacity is already available after about 34 minutes. The EliteBook 845 G10 is not HP’s flagship business notebook (but rather the EliteBook 1040 G10; review will follow shortly), but it is certainly one of the best business devices at the moment thanks to its fast AMD processor, sturdy aluminum case and excellent keyboard.

Apart from the slightly more flexible display lid, the workmanship is very good and the CPU performance high. Theoretically, the laptop has a clear advantage over the Intel competition in terms of graphics performance, but this advantage is canceled out in our test device due to the RAM’s single-channel configuration. We don’t think many EliteBook customers will need more than 32GB of RAM, so a 2x 16GB configuration would certainly make more sense for the vast majority of customers.

Other advantages include the extensive security features, the good maintenance options, the large selection of ports (including USB 4), and the extensive service and warranty options. The EliteBook doesn’t have to shy away when it comes to the display either because the high-resolution 120 Hz screen offers great image quality without PWM flickering and is also very well calibrated ex works. However, the panel also requires more power than the regular 1080p version with 400 cd/m².

HP gets a lot right in the EliteBook 845 G10 and offers the best business notebook with an AMD processor and, at the same time, one of the best business models ever. The CPU performance of the new Ryzen 9 Pro 7940HS is very solid and stable, but we believe that models with the U-series chips (e. g.

the Ryzen 7 Pro 7840U ) would be the better choice for the EliteBook 845 G10 in view of the cooling and the overactive fan. Although our test device is one of the most expensive models, the cheaper versions of the EliteBook 845 G10 are also an interesting alternative thanks to the modern AMD processors. The model with the Ryzen Pro 5 and the LowPower 1080p display is already available for just over EUR 1,000 and the models with the 7840U start at around EUR 1,500 (these models do not appear to be available in the US at present).

However, we would advise against the optional SureView display. Among the competition, we’re especially curious about the new ThinkPad T14s G4, and we’ll also be looking at the more expensive EliteBook 1040 G4 shortly. If you need more graphics power, you should take a look at the Schenker Vision 14 with its RTX 3050 Ti .

The base version of the EliteBook 845 G10 is priced at US$2,007. 00 in HP’s US webstore . Users have numerous configuration options, such as the processor, RAM and display, among other things.

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