HP EliteBook 845 G11 14in business laptop review

The HP EliteBook 845 G11 is a sleek, silver 14in enterprise laptop that means business. This premium WIndows 11 unit features an AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS processor and Radeon 780M Graphics, 32GB RAM, and 512GB storage - which is more than enough to power productivity throughout the day. 

As one of the best business laptop lines out there, the EliteBook is smart and professional, with MacBook pretensions once you crack open the lid to expose a well-spaced, backlit keyboard of black against the silver frame. In use, it’s comfortable and intuitive (any typos are strictly my own), although as with so many thin laptops, key travel can feel stubby and shallow.

I’ve always had a hit-and-miss experience with HP laptops - they often feel cheap and plasticky, lids soft and hollow, keys shallow. So there was relief taking hold of the all-metal EliteBook 845 G11. In hand, it doesn’t feel quite as nice or durable as the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s I recently reviewed, but there’s a comforting robustness and weightiness to the device. 

Performance-wise, this laptop offers exactly what you’d expect, and everything you hoped. It blazes through the likes of web browsing, Microsoft Office and G Suite apps. I experienced no performance-related issues, whether writing and editing in the notoriously resource-hungry Chrome or taking conference video calls. Having said that, during prolonged use, both the underside and palm rests get fairly warm, which is especially noticeable when the device is charging. 

Overall, an excellent business laptop, with plenty of scope for coding, use on campus, and regular home use, too. The lack of decent GPU renders this laptop less useful for high-resolution video editing and 3D rendering. But CPU and RAM are more than sufficient to deliver a smooth experience for everyday office tasks. 

HP EliteBook 845 G11: Price & availability

You should have no difficulty picking up the HP EliteBook 845 G11, which is widely available from online retailers and direct from HP. Even older EliteBooks are readily available. Prices for the laptop start at $1790 / £1200.  

HP EliteBook 845 G11: Design & features

Weighing in at 1.42kg, measuring 12.4 x 8.83 x 0.64in, the HP EliteBook 845 G11 has a good weight and feel. Constructed with an all-metal chassis “based on high quality aluminum and magnesium” according to the manufacturer, I felt this was a laptop that can take a few knocks on the commute, or being shunted from hot-desk to hot-desk.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, 14in is the ideal size for a business laptop. Not too small, not too bulky, perfect for extended use without weighing you down too much. This EliteBook fits nicely into this category. Here, the display on the base model is a 14in anti-glare rocking a 1920x1200 resolution and a disappointingly average 300nits brightness. That’s fine in the home and office, but you’ll struggle more to see the screen outdoors in bright light. On the other hand, HP offers a range of alternative panels, with low blue light and touch features, and 400, 500, and 800nits options.

Above the panel is a 5MP webcam that does the job but not much more. Again, you can upgrade to the 5MP IR webcam, or strip out the camera if you never again want to endure another Zoom presentation. What I especially like here is the physical camera cover - fast becoming a necessity for business laptops. Neatly sliding the ridged switch to the left ‘grays out’ camera, disabling it in the settings rather than simply masking the lens.

Using the keyboard is a comfortable experience. It features a backlight of soft white, which automatically turns off to preserve the battery after a few minutes of inactivity, for low-light and night-time use. Keys are not too spongy like for instance the Microsoft Surface, but gentle and firm enough to take a battering when bashing out a report, spreadsheet, or writing a laptop review. While it can’t quite compare to the excellent keyboards you typically find on the best Lenovo ThinkPad laptops - by far the best I’ve used on any business laptop - the spacious design really lets the fingers flow, creating a good rhythm when typing. The welcome addition of a keyboard backlight of soft white, which automatically turns off to preserve the battery after a few minutes of inactivity. I did experience a few near-misses with the arrow and Pg Up/Pg Dn keys so clustered together, but these were few and far between. 

The trackpad is broad, allowing for sweeping gestures without being hindered by physical buttons here. Just be careful not to brush the palm of your hand against it while typing, as I did on occasion, sending the cursor to all kinds of unwanted places. 

For everyday usage, connectivity is good. It’s a thin laptop, and thin laptops typically mean as few ports as possible, but you’ll still find a HDMI, two USB Type-A 5Gbps ports, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, nano-SIM card slot, and a 3.5mm audio jack. You may still need to invest in any of the best laptop docking stations, although there’s plenty of space here to connect key peripherals or hook up a second monitor. 

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HP EliteBook 845 G11: Performance

I tested this laptop for normal business use - the type the HP EliteBook 845 G11 is built for, straight out of the box. Running plenty of Google Docs and Sheets, jumping into the odd meeting, light photo editing, opening more tabs than necessary open in the web browser. And, of course, in time honored tradition, writing this review on the laptop. Equipped with all that RAM, the EliteBook breezed through all these tasks in almost total silence. 

I can’t say it’s the best laptop for photo editing. If you’re a pro, a dedicated content creation station like the MacBook Pro will serve you better - not least because the screen’s brightness and 100% sRGB color space coverage leaves something to be desired in a professional design setting. But for undemanding Photoshop work, social media imagery, lower resolution video editing for your website, HP’s machine capably serves its purpose. 

Battery life was ok - I got around 6-7 hours of use, getting through most of the day before I needed to charge up. And that was under standard operation - mostly Google Docs and content management systems. That’s pretty standard for a laptop like this, which has to balance heavy batteries with portability, but I would’ve liked to see it last a bit longer. 

As mentioned, the laptop did run warm after a lot of use, even more so than the Lenovo T14s. This was the only real issue I found, and an expected one at that for a powerful business laptop like this. Otherwise, for productivity and performance, the EliteBook 845 G11 shines.

HP EliteBook 845 G11: Final verdict

There’s a lot to like about the HP EliteBook 845 G11, and not much to dislike here. It’s well-built, well-designed machine that easily handled all the tasks I threw at it. I also found the keyboard very comfortable to use even over long periods - and while it’s not quite up to ThinkPad standards in this department, in almost every other way, the EliteBook gives Lenovo’s business line-up a serious run for its money. 

The screen may be a deal-breaker for some - with its average 300nits brightness and low color space coverage, it’s not going to suit those who need to do more than basic image editing and creating online assets. But with plenty of RAM and a powerful CPU, my whole experience using this as a day-to-day business laptop was seamless and silent. At times, it did get hot around the underside and palm rests, but not to the point where the laptop became unusable or too uncomfortable. Elsewhere, though, this is a very well-built machine that, though not a rugged device with an assortment of IP and MIL-STD ratings, feels reliable and robust. 

Should I buy the HP EliteBook 845 G11?

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