A Review of the HP EliteBook 850 G6

The HP EliteBook 850 G6 is a member of HP’s premium business laptop series, designed to meet the demands of professionals who need a blend of power, portability, and security. Building on the success of its predecessors, the EliteBook 850 G6 aims to offer enhanced performance, superior build quality, and advanced security features. This review evaluates its design, performance, display, battery life, connectivity, and overall user experience.

Design and Build Quality

The EliteBook 850 G6 showcases a sleek and sophisticated design with its silver aluminum chassis, which not only looks premium but also feels robust and durable. Weighing approximately 3.84 pounds (1.74 kg), it strikes a balance between being portable enough for travel and sturdy enough to withstand the rigors of daily use. The laptop has passed MIL-STD 810G tests, ensuring its durability and reliability in various conditions.

The keyboard is one of the highlights, offering a comfortable and responsive typing experience with well-spaced keys and a tactile feel. The backlit keyboard allows for use in low-light environments, and the touchpad is smooth and precise. Additionally, the laptop includes a fingerprint reader and an optional IR camera for facial recognition, enhancing security and ease of access.

Display

The HP EliteBook 850 G6 comes with a 15.6-inch display, available in several resolutions including FHD (1920 x 1080) and 4K UHD (3840 x 2160). The FHD option is particularly popular, delivering crisp and vibrant visuals with excellent color accuracy and wide viewing angles, making it suitable for both productivity tasks and media consumption. The anti-glare coating on the screen helps reduce reflections, improving visibility in bright environments.

Performance

Powered by Intel’s 8th generation Core processors, up to the Intel Core i7-8665U, the EliteBook 850 G6 delivers robust performance for a variety of tasks. The laptop supports up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM and offers multiple storage options, including fast PCIe NVMe SSDs up to 1TB. This configuration ensures smooth multitasking and quick application load times, catering well to professionals who run demanding software.

For graphics, the EliteBook 850 G6 includes integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620, with an option for discrete AMD Radeon RX 550X. While the integrated graphics are adequate for general productivity tasks and light media editing, the discrete graphics option provides a significant boost for more graphics-intensive applications, such as photo and video editing or light gaming.

Connectivity

The EliteBook 850 G6 excels in connectivity, featuring a wide array of ports to accommodate various peripherals and accessories. It includes two USB 3.1 Type-A ports, one USB Type-C port with Thunderbolt support, an HDMI 1.4b port, a headphone/microphone combo jack, an RJ-45 Ethernet port, and an optional SIM card slot for mobile broadband. The laptop also supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0, ensuring fast and reliable wireless connectivity.

Battery Life

Battery life is a critical factor for business laptops, and the EliteBook 850 G6 performs admirably in this area. Equipped with a 56Wh battery, it delivers up to 14 hours of battery life under typical usage conditions, allowing professionals to work through an entire day without needing to recharge. The laptop also supports HP Fast Charge, reaching 50% battery in just 30 minutes, which is convenient for users who need to quickly top up their battery during short breaks.

Security Features

HP has integrated a comprehensive suite of security features into the EliteBook 850 G6, making it a strong choice for enterprise users. These include HP Sure Start, a self-healing BIOS technology that protects against firmware attacks, and HP Sure View, a built-in privacy screen to guard against visual hacking. The laptop also features a TPM 2.0 chip, a Smart Card Reader, and options for fingerprint and facial recognition authentication, providing multiple layers of security.

Usability and User Experience

The EliteBook 850 G6 offers a smooth and efficient user experience, thanks to its powerful hardware and thoughtful design. The keyboard and touchpad are comfortable and responsive, enhancing productivity. The wide range of ports ensures that users can connect all necessary peripherals without needing additional adapters. The laptop operates quietly and remains cool even under load, thanks to its effective thermal management system.

Conclusion

The HP EliteBook 850 G6 is an excellent choice for professionals seeking a high-performance and secure business laptop. Its robust build quality, powerful internals, extensive connectivity options, and comprehensive security features make it a standout in the competitive business laptop market. While it may not be the best option for those requiring extreme portability, it excels in providing a large, high-quality display and powerful performance for demanding tasks.

Overall, the HP EliteBook 850 G6 combines functionality, security, and a large display in a sleek and durable package, living up to the high standards expected of HP’s EliteBook series.