How to open HP EliteBook 860 G11 – disassembly and upgrade options

Undo the 5 Phillips-head screws on the bottom panel.
Use a lever tool to pop the zones close to the top two edges and lift the middle of the rear.
Finally, pry the sides and the front using a thin plastic tool.

Note: The inside of the bottom plate includes thermal pads for the WWAN slot and SSD.

Battery Removal

This device is equipped with the default 56Wh battery, but you can opt for a 76Wh variant.
To remove it, detach the connector from the motherboard and undo the 4 Phillips-head screws that secure the battery.

Note: The 56Wh battery provides around 10 hours of video playback.

Memory and Storage

The metal shrouds protecting the memory and SSD can be removed by gently lifting their attached fabric handles.
The two SODIMMs support up to 64GB of DDR5-5600 MHz RAM in dual-channel mode. The CPU can handle up to 96GB.
The NVMe drive has a small cooling pad underneath it for heat dissipation.

Additional Features

The Wi-Fi card is located on the right of the thermal system.
The WWAN slot for optional 4G or 5G connectivity is positioned below the fan.

Cooling System

The cooling system includes one large fan, two heat pipes, a top-mounted heat sink, and a heat spreader.

HP EliteBook 860 G11 in-depth review

The EliteBook 860 G11 seems like a good choice for office or hybrid employees because of the security features. You get a Tamper Lock protection, a self-healing BIOS, a Lock slot, a privacy shutter, and a dTPM2.0 chip. If that's not enough for you, HP offers many optional goodies. This includes a fingerprint reader, IR Web camera, NFC, eSIM, and a vPro CPU. We can spot the Intel Evo certification in the specifications which isn't standard but it enhances the battery life. You can achieve longer autonomous work if you pick a device with a U-series Meteor Lake processor and an optional 76Wh bat[...]

Read the full review

Pros

Metal build
The matte finish is almost fingerprint-proof
Good dimensions for a 16-incher (1.729 kg / 9.02 mm - 16.35 mm)
The Core Ultra 7 155H maintains 2.70 GHz / 2.22 GHz P and E core clocks in medium loads
Wide viewing angles + 16:10 aspect ratio (CMN1638)
317 nits of max brightness (CMN1638)
1540:1 contrast ratio (CMN1638)
Great spill-resistant keyboard
Smooth glass touchpad
2x Thunderbolt 4 + 2x Type-A ports
The fan is nearly quiet in "Performance" mode during heavy CPU loads
Almost silent fan in "Smart Sense" mode during heavy CPU loads
Long battery battery life considering the modest 56Wh capacity and the 28W CPU (10 hours of video playback)
5MP Web camera with a privacy shutter
Well-cooled NVMe
Lid with a lever design
Solid base
Quality sound
Smart Card Reader, NFC, fingerprint reader, IR Web camera, vPro, Intel Evo, eSIM, backlit keyboard (all are optional)