HP ZBook Firefly 14 G7 review: A compact and durable entry-level mobile workstation Review

Cell workstations really don’t have to be large, hefty 17-inch behemoths, and HP proves the level with its ZBook Firefly fourteen G7 — its smallest and lightest ZBook gadget. Powered by a tenth generation Main i7 processor with Nvidia Quadro graphics, the ZBook Firefly’s fourteen-inch show can go up to 4K (3840 x 2160) resolution. 

If it were put among the quite a few typical fourteen-inch laptops, it would be tricky to decide on out the HP ZBook Firefly fourteen G7 as a mobile workstation. It truly is somewhat slim and compact, whilst it weighs one.41kg many thanks to a strong MIL-STD 810H-tested construct. I could scarcely bend the lid much more than a portion in my arms, for case in point.  

The ZBook Firefly fourteen G7 occupies just 32.3cm by 21.forty six cm of desktop house, and is one.seventy nine cm thick. The styling is restrained, with mid-tone slate grey predominant both of those within and out. It loosens up a little bit with the attribute ZBook ‘Z’ on the lid, which is to some degree reminiscent of a superhero’s marque. 

A different notable styling level is the angled style and design of back again edge of the chassis and base of the lid. It truly is a subtle feature, showing great notice to element.

The laptop’s a hundred and seventy-degree screen hinge doesn’t pretty access flat to the desk, which is a pity but not a offer-breaker. HP fairly optimistically calls the screen bezels ‘narrow’ in its product information and facts, but no measurements are given in the product specs. The top bezel effortlessly accommodates the 720p webcam which has its individual sliding privateness include some versions, such as my evaluate unit, also have an IR sensor for Home windows Hi authentication and an ambient light-weight sensor. 

There are two configurations for the fourteen-inch screen out there off the website page in the Uk. My evaluate unit experienced a 4K (3840 x 2160) IPS panel with an anti-glare finish. It does reflect a minimal little bit, but not sufficient to be irritating. At its most 400 nits the show was far too shiny for day-to-day functioning, but it would deliver shows incredibly. 

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Normal FHD (1920 x one,080) resolution is also out there, with both 250 nits or a thousand nits brightness. This lower-resolution choice arrives in touch and non-touch versions and can include HP’s SureView privateness, which makes it near-difficult for people today to the still left or right of the laptop computer person to watch the screen. 

As perfectly as a respectable webcam, significant-high-quality audio is increasingly significant in the remote-functioning/video clip contact period. The ZBook Firefly fourteen G7 has speaker grilles flanking the keyboard, with the Bang & Olufsen speakers directing their output upwards and outwards. They deliver plenty of volume, and spoken phrase audio is seriously crisp, whilst I might have appreciated richer bass tones. 

The keyboard has perfectly-spaced, nicely weighted keys that I uncovered quick to touch-variety on at my usual velocity. The seem is a little bit clacky, and fairly loud for functioning in peaceful spaces if you really don’t want to irritate all those about you. There is a pointing stick amongst the G, H and B keys and two actual physical buttons created for use with it earlier mentioned the touchpad. The pointing stick is responsive and quick to work with, whilst it takes some obtaining applied to the way the cursor accelerates the further more you drive it. 

The Fn row features a programmable crucial that can accommodate up to 4 capabilities — on your own, and with both Shift, Ctrl or Alt. These array from opening an application, web-site, file or folder, executing a predefined crucial sequence, or entering a pre-saved textual content. This is just not a new idea from HP, but it truly is awesome to see it here. A fingerprint reader on the significantly right of the wrist rest offers an alternate to the Home windows Hi webcam for authentication. 

My evaluate unit did not match any of the four off-the-shelf configurations on HP’s Uk web-site at the time of crafting. It experienced a tenth generation Intel Main i7-10610U processor with 32GB of RAM, discrete Nvidia Quadro P520 graphics with 4GB of committed video clip RAM, and a 1TB SSD. Pre-configured versions commence at £1,258.80 (inc. VAT £1,049 ex. VAT). All have the Nvidia GPU, with the entry-level specification such as a Core i7-10510U processor, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and a 250-nits FHD touch-screen. 

The top-finish £1,558.80 (inc. VAT £1,299 ex. VAT) Uk configuration has a Main i7-10510U processor, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD and a 400-nits 4K show. Bespoke configuration choices top out at 64GB of RAM and 2TB of SSD storage. 

Ports and connectors include an optional SmartCard reader on the still left edge, along with a 3.5mm headset jack and a pair of USB 3.one ports, a single with charging capability. On the right edge there’s a whole-size HDMI port, a round-pin power connector and a pair of USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports. If the optional mobile broadband is configured, there will be a Nano SIM slot on the right side far too. 

A single space where by this laptop computer could permit buyers down is battery daily life. HP claims ‘up to’ fourteen hrs from the ZBook Firefly fourteen G7’s 56Wh battery, but my evaluate sample experienced a 4K screen, which could have contributed to the battery falling from one hundred{d11068cee6a5c14bc1230e191cd2ec553067ecb641ed9b4e647acef6cc316fdd} to sixty three{d11068cee6a5c14bc1230e191cd2ec553067ecb641ed9b4e647acef6cc316fdd} in just a few hrs of somewhat light-weight workloads for a mobile workstation. I was functioning into net apps and performing some video clip and audio streaming, fairly than functioning demanding creative apps, for case in point.  

With light-weight workloads, you could possibly get all-day (8-hour) battery daily life, but you need to anticipate considerably less if you drive this laptop computer hard. Fortuitously, speedy charging is out there: HP claims 50{d11068cee6a5c14bc1230e191cd2ec553067ecb641ed9b4e647acef6cc316fdd} in about 30 minutes, and at a single level when the battery reached 37{d11068cee6a5c14bc1230e191cd2ec553067ecb641ed9b4e647acef6cc316fdd} I plugged in for fifty percent an hour and it lifted to 65{d11068cee6a5c14bc1230e191cd2ec553067ecb641ed9b4e647acef6cc316fdd}. 

Conclusions 

Smaller, light-weight and fairly nippy, HP’s ZBook Firefly fourteen G7 has what it takes to be a great entry-level mobile workstation. But ‘entry-level’ is the crucial phrase here, with tenth generation Intel Main i7 processors across the board and FHD screens on a lot of versions. Battery daily life is disappointing far too, at minimum if you choose for a 4K screen, as on my evaluate unit.  

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