HP ZBook Firefly 16 G10 review – the CPU clock under heavy load is low but the battery life is impressive

Name: HP ZBook Firefly 16 G10
Brand: HP

LaptopMedia.com Reviews and Analysis HP ZBook Firefly 16 G10 review - the CPU clock under heavy load is low but the battery life is impressive Page 10

From: Nikolay Palaozov 31 October 2023 / 18:04 | 0

10. Verdict

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Verdict

The HP ZBook Firefly 16 G10 left us with a lot of positive impressions. It also has two major cons – the high price and the low performance. A potent hardware is a must for a notebook that is branded as a workstation. Sure, the CPU can maintain high core clocks in short and medium loads, but in longer processor stress, the power limit is just 17W which leads to unimpressive frequencies and that’s a pity for such a laptop. It looks like HP has tuned this notebook for comfort over performance. In CPU-intensive tasks, the fan is unexpectedly quiet and the keyboard is just warm, but not hot. In daily usage, the single fan is almost dead silent.

The build quality is good. The aluminum build feels premium and the base is solid. The lid can be opened with a single hand and it raises the back of the laptop at a very wide angle of opening. In this case, the lever function isn’t beneficial for the cooling – we tested that. The input devices are great for work. The keyboard is comfortable for typing while the touchpad is smooth and fast. Keep in mind that the backlight is optional.

The I/O isn’t super wide but the port selection is modern thanks to the two Thunderbolt 4 ports and the optional Smart card reader and LTE connectivity. Speaking of which, the Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 are standard for all devices which is nice to see. If you need a fingerprint reader or an IR camera, you have to pay extra for these two features.

The display 16″ 16:10 IPS display (BOE BOE0A4F) is appropriate for a laptop meant for long hours of work. It’s PWM-free, it has 94% sRGB coverage, wide viewing angles, and high maximum brightness. The color accuracy can be additionally enhanced with the aid of our “Design and Gaming” profile.

The battery life with the optional 76Wh battery is very long – 25 hours of Web browsing is a great result! The two SODIMMs can handle up to 64GB of DDR5-5200MHz memory in dual-channel mode which is up to the standards for a workstation. On the flip side, there is just one M.2 slot for Gen 4 SSDs.

The HP ZBook Firefly 16 G10 is branded as a mobile workstation but we can describe it as a comfortable premium office device because its performance under heavy loads is too low. Aside from that, the build quality is good, the battery life is impressive, and the portability is nice for a big-screen laptop.

You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/hp-zbook-firefly-16-g10/

Pros

Many CPU options
No PWM (BOE BOE0A4F)
The spill-resistant keyboard is great for typing
Wi-Fi 6 and optional LTE support plus optional fingerprint reader and IR Web camera
Modern I/O with Thunderbolt 4 ports
Good portability for a 16-incher
Type-C charging
94% sRGB coverage + wide viewing angles and high maximum brightness (BOE BOE0A4F)
Quiet during CPU-intensive tasks
Low CPU temperatures under heavy loads
High P and E core clock in short and medium stress
Long battery life
2x SODIMM slots