HP ZBook Firefly 14 G8 review: Upgraded CPU and GPU, but screen options and battery life disappoint Review

HP proceeds to identify its sleekest and most moveable laptops soon after flying insects. The 13.3-inch Elite Dragonfly 2-in-1 convertible not too long ago saw an remarkable G2 enhance, and now HP has updated the 14-inch ZBook Firefly, which is a very little heavier but also gives a lot more heavyweight general performance as the “smallest and lightest” of the company’s Z-collection of cellular workstations. 

In numerous means, the ZBook Firefly 14 G8 is a traditional 14-inch laptop, missing the convertible layout and 4K show of the Dragonfly G2. Having said that, it does deliver authentic workstation-course general performance in a trim and light-weight layout that will enchantment to information creators, architects and other specialist customers. 

Design and style & capabilities

This eighth-generation (G8) update is effectively a ‘speed bump’ that introduces Intel’s most recent (11th generation) processors and Nvidia’s T500 GPU to the assortment.  

The simple layout hasn’t altered because the G7 version that we reviewed earlier this 12 months, measuring 323mm huge by 21.5mm deep by seventeen.9mm thick, and weighing just 1.4kg. The make top quality stays remarkable way too, with the Firefly’s sturdy — and recycled — aluminium casing conference the navy-grade MIL-STD-810H standard for resistance to heat, shock and humidity. That rugged layout might be overkill for the Adobe Resourceful Cloud customers that HP highlights on its internet site, but it will be welcomed by architects or engineers who have to have to check out constructing internet sites and other out of doors spots. 

The keyboard feels company and cozy way too, with a row of navigation keys on the much ideal, and a fingerprint sensor just under that. HP receives a very little carried away with the trackpad capabilities, while. As you would hope, you can ideal-click by tapping with two fingers, but there are also still left/ideal buttons in the reduced corners of the trackpad, as well as two individual bodily buttons above the trackpad itself, and even a pointing adhere found on the key keyboard. 

Like its predecessor, the Firefly G8 has two USB 3.1 ports on the still left-hand aspect, despite the fact that the two USB-C ports over on the ideal have been upgraded to aid Thunderbolt 4. There is an HDMI port on that aspect way too, which you may most likely have to have for an external keep an eye on, supplied the Firefly’s modest created-in show. There is no Ethernet port, so you may have to have an adapter if you have to have a wired link in an place of work. 

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Oddly, this G8 version of the ZBook Firefly at present lacks the 4K show possibility that was available with its predecessor. Our overview device experienced a non-touch IPS show with normal FHD (1920 x 1080, 157.3dpi) resolution, which was vivid and colourful, thanks to its remarkable 1000 nits brightness, aided by a welcome anti-glare coating for out of doors use. It also features HP’s SureView privacy mode that’s built to combat ‘visual hacking’ (an individual hunting over your shoulder) by sharply limiting the display’s viewing angles. Head you, the viewing angles aren’t terrific even with SureView turned off, so the Firefly might not be the finest possibility for giving shows exactly where you do want other folks to be able to see the display. 

Yet another oddity is that the show on our overview device only supported 72% of the NTSC colour gamut. There are other show options available that aid touch and the sRGB and DCI-P3 colour specifications for graphics and online video get the job done, but these all share the exact same 1080p resolution. There is a individual fifteen.six-inch version of the Firefly that features a 4K possibility — but, of course, this is bigger, heavier and a lot more high priced, which will be a disappointment for customers who are captivated to the really moveable layout of this 14-inch design. 

Price tag & options

The pricing situation for the ZBook Firefly G8 is a very little complex way too, with differing requirements and customisation options available in the British isles and US. 

Pricing in the British isles commences at £1,169 (ex. VAT £1,402.eighty inc. VAT) for a Firefly G8 functioning Windows ten Professional sixty four, with a quad-core Core i7-1165G7 processor functioning at 2.8GHz (up to 4.7GHz with TurboBoost). That selling price also features 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and discrete Nvidia T500 graphics with 4GB of committed online video memory. The 1080p show for that design is very modest, while, with only 250 nits brightness and forty five% of the NTSC colour gamut. Our overview device stepped up to 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD and, as mentioned, the show supported 72% of NTSC with 1000 nits brightness, bringing the total selling price to £1,389 (ex. VAT £1,666.eighty inc. VAT). 

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Shoppers in the US seem to be to encounter a little bigger pricing, with the entry-stage Firefly G8 costing $1,889 whilst working with a a lot more modest Core i5 processor, 16GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD and Nvidia’s T500 GPU. Just after that, the US version of the Firefly G8 skips previous its British isles counterpart, opting for a a little faster Core i7-1185G7 processor (3.0GHz, with TurboBoost to 4.8GHz) with 32GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, costing $2,489. There are a assortment of customisation options available, despite the fact that it stays puzzling that the numerous show options are all constrained to just 1080p resolution. 

Effectiveness & battery lifetime

The ZBook Firefly G8’s general performance confirms its situation as HP’s entry-stage cellular workstation for Second and specialized layout get the job done. It has the exact same Core i7 processor as the lightweight Dragonfly convertible, with the Dragonfly producing Geekbench 5 scores of 1565 for solitary-core general performance and 4330 for multi-core. The ZBook Firefly G8 springs no surprises with a solitary-core score of 1,590, but comfortably eases into the guide with a score of five,450 for multi-core general performance.  

The built-in Iris Xe GPU of the Dragonfly was no slouch when it arrived to graphics, acquiring a score of 85fps in the Cinebench R15 OpenGL graphics benchmark, and 16fps for the a lot more demanding Unigine Valley 3D assessments. Having said that, the Firefly G8’s discrete Nvidia T500 GPU jumps ideal in advance to 165fps on the Cinebench exam. Its general performance with the heavy-duty Valley benchmark doesn’t make improvements to very so drastically, while, nudging only a little in advance to 19fps. This confirms that the ZBook Firefly is finest suited to Second graphics and a lot more simple 3D get the job done. 

The Firefly G8’s Core i7 processor does also have its possess built-in Iris Xe GPU, of course, and this allows you to change involving built-in and discrete graphics as demanded. Employing the Iris Xe in our assessments continue to allowed the Firefly to put up a respectable 95fps in Cinebench and 16fps in Valley, so you could use the built-in graphics for a lot more program responsibilities in get to preserve battery lifetime. 

That might be essential way too, as the Firefly’s battery lifetime was not remarkable — in particular for a laptop with a modest FHD-resolution show. Employing Wi-Fi to stream online video constantly — with built-in graphics chosen, and brightness at fifty% — the Firefly lasted just 7.five several hours, which is close to a comprehensive day’s get the job done, but barely superb for a modern-day laptop. We’ve seen assessments of Firefly products with 250 nits shows, which recorded greater battery lifetime, so the 1000 nits of our overview device appears to occur at a charge, even when decreased a little during our battery assessments. 

Conclusions

HP’s ZBook Firefly G8 is a little something of a blended bag. It can be a moderately priced entry-stage cellular workstation that features powerful general performance for information creation, Second graphics and specialized layout get the job done, wrapped up in a lightweight but sturdy layout. Having said that, the constrained show options seem to be relatively small-sighted for this kind of a powerful laptop, and the battery lifetime undoubtedly leaves home for advancement. Expert customers who get the job done outdoor all working day long might favor a laptop with a lot more strong battery lifetime, but the Firefly G8 will continue to be a good possibility for place of work use, doing the job from household, and occasional visits to off-website spots.

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