HP is a company that offers a large amount of workstations in almost any price category. Some of them are really impressive like the HP ZBook Studio 16 G10 which is portable, pricey, and powerful. This time around we will show you the HP ZBook Firefly 16 G10. The price of this one is also on the high side but at least the device can attract future buyers with good portability for a 16-inch laptop, metal build, and tons of CPU options. Yep, you can choose among eight processor variants including 15W and 28W Raptor Lake U and P models. In terms of power, all looks good, at least at first sight. There is a dGPU pro-grade NVIDIA RTX model for the ones who need such a chip for graphics-heavy tasks. Display-wise, the top panel is an OLED variant with a 2880x1800 resolution. If you don't need such a thing, the base one is a 1200p IPS unit and there is also a touchscreen option. The rest looks normal for a modern workstation - Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, modern I/O, Web camera with a privacy shutter, and optional LTE connectivity. You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/hp-zbook-firefly-16-g10/ Specs, Drivers, What's in the box Drivers All drivers and utilities for this notebook can be found here: https://support.hp.com/in-en/drivers/selfservice/hp-zbook-firefly-16-inch-g10-mobile-workstation-pc/2101497520 What's in the box? Inside the box, you'll find some paperwork and a 110W USB Type-C charger. The not-so-powerful models come with a 65W adapter. Design and construction The device features an aluminum build. The design is up to date with its rounded edges, silver color, and matte finish. The starting weight is 1.72 kg and the profile is 19.9 mm. The dimensions are looking good for a machine with a big 16" 16:10 screen. The rigidity of the chassis is on point. The lid is a bit flexible but the base is very solid. Also, the surface doesn't attract a lot of smudges. Compared to the predecessor, the big "Z" logo on the lid is gone and it's replaced by a standard "HP" branding. You can easily open the lid with a single hand, the hinge mechanism seems very well-tuned. Around the panel, you'll spot thin bezels and a 5MP Web camera (or optional 5MP IR iteration) with a privacy shutter placed above the display. The lid can be opened to almost 180 degrees. The lower part of the panel slightly raises the back of the base but this happens only when the angle of opening is very wide which isn't very comfortable for work. No complaints regarding the spill-resistant keyboard. The backlight is optional, but the board is quiet while typing, it has a full-sized NumPad section alongside long key travel and clicky feedback. The optional fingerprint reader is placed on the right palm-rest area. The touchpad is nothing but great - it's large, smooth, responsive, and accurate. The bottom panel houses two long rubber feet, a pair of speaker cutouts, and a big ventilation grill. The heat is guided through a vent on the back of the laptop that aims directly at the hinge. Sadly, some amount of hot air is reaching the display during heavy CPU and GPU loads. Ports On the left, you can see an HDMI 2.0b connector, a USB Type-A 3.2 (Gen. 1) port with charging capabilities, two Thunderbolt 4 connectors (both support USB Power Delivery, DisplayPort 1.4, and HP Sleep and Charge), and an optional Smart Card reader. Then, on the right, there is an Audio combo jack, one more USB Type-A 3.2 (Gen. 1) port, a security lock slot, and a SIM card tray. Display quality, Health impact (PWM), Sound HP ZBook Firefly 16 G10 is equipped with a WUXGA (Wide Ultra XGA) IPS panel, model number BOE BOE0A4F. It comes with a 60Hz refresh rate. Its diagonal is 16.0" (40.6 cm), and the resolution - 1920 x 1200p. Additionally, the screen ratio is 16:10, the pixel density – 141 ppi, and their pitch – 0.18 x 0.18 mm. The screen can be considered Retina when viewed from at least 61 cm (from this distance, the average human eye can’t see the individual pixels). Viewing angles are comfortable. We offer images at different angles to evaluate the quality. Also, a video with locked focus and exposure. The maximum measured brightness is 410 nits (cd/m2) in the middle of the screen and 389 nits (cd/m2) average across the surface with a maximum deviation of 9%. The Correlated Color Temperature on a white screen and at maximum brightness is 6410K. In the illustration below you can see how the display performs from a uniformity perspective. The illustration below shows how matters are for operational brightness levels (approximately 140 nits) – in this particular case at 61% Brightness (White level = 140 cd/m2, Black level = 0.09 cd/m2). Values of dE2000 over 4.0 should not occur, and this parameter is one of the first you should check if you intend to use the laptop for color-sensitive work (a maximum tolerance of 2.0 ). The contrast ratio is good – 1580:1. To make sure we are on the same page, we would like to give you a little introduction to the sRGB color gamut and the Adobe RGB. To start, there’s the CIE 1976 Uniform Chromaticity Diagram that represents the visible specter of colors by the human eye, giving you a better perception of the color gamut coverage and the color accuracy. Inside the black triangle, you will see the standard color gamut (sRGB) that is being used by millions of people on HDTV and on the web. As for the Adobe RGB, this is used in professional cameras, monitors, etc for printing. Basically, colors inside the black triangle are used by everyone and this is the essential part of the color quality and color accuracy of a mainstream notebook. Still, we’ve included other color spaces like the famous DCI-P3 standard used by movie studios, as well as the digital UHD Rec.2020 standard. Rec.2020, however, is still a thing of the future and it’s difficult for today’s displays to cover that well. We’ve also included the so-called Michael Pointer gamut, or Pointer’s gamut, which represents the colors that naturally occur around us every day. The yellow dotted line shows HP ZBook Firefly 16 G10's color gamut coverage. Its display covers 94% of the sRGB/ITU-R BT.709 (web/HDTV standard) in CIE1976 and 78% of DCI-P3. Our “Design and Gaming” profile delivers optimal color temperature (6500K) at 140 cd/m2 luminance and sRGB gamma mode. We tested the accuracy of the display with 24 commonly used colors like light and dark human skin, blue sky, green grass, orange, etc. You can check out the results at factory condition and also, with the “Design and Gaming” profile. Below you can compare the scores of the HP ZBook Firefly 16 G10 with the default settings (left), and with the “Gaming and Web design” profile (right). The next figure shows how well the display is able to reproduce really dark parts of an image, which is essential when watching movies or playing games in low ambient light. The left side of the image represents the display with stock settings, while the right one is with the “Gaming and Web Design” profile activated. On the horizontal axis, you will find the grayscale, and on the vertical axis – the luminance of the display. On the two graphs below you can easily check for yourself how your display handles the darkest nuances but keep in mind that this also depends on the settings of your current display, the calibration, the viewing angle, and the surrounding light conditions. Response time (Gaming capabilities) We test the reaction time of the pixels with the usual “black-to-white” and “white-to-black” method from 10% to 90% and vice versa. We recorded Fall Time + Rise Time = 28.7 ms. After that, we test the reaction time of the pixels with the usual “Gray-to-Gray” method from 50% White to 80% White and vice versa between 10% and 90% of the amplitude. Health Impact: PWM (Screen flickering) Pulse-width modulation (PWM) is an easy way to control monitor brightness. When you lower the brightness, the light intensity of the backlight is not lowered, but instead turned off and on by the electronics with a frequency indistinguishable to the human eye. In these light impulses, the light/no-light time ratio varies, while brightness remains unchanged, which is harmful to your eyes. You can read more about that in our dedicated article on PWM. HP ZBook Firefly 16 G10's display doesn't flicker at any brightness level. This makes the screen pretty comfortable for long periods of use. Health Impact: Blue light emissions Installing our Health-Guard profile not only eliminates PWM but also reduces the harmful Blue Light emissions while keeping the colors of the screen perceptually accurate. If you’re not familiar with the Blue light, the TL;DR version is – emissions that negatively affect your eyes, skin, and your whole body. You can find more information about that in our dedicated article on Blue Light. Health Impact: Gloss-level measurement Glossy-coated displays are sometimes inconvenient in high ambient light conditions. We show the level of reflection on the screen for the respective laptop when the display is turned off and the measurement angle is 60° (in this case, the result is 61.1 GU). Sound HP ZBook Firefly 16 G10's Bang & Olufsen speakers produce a sound of very good quality. Its low, mid, and high tones are clear of deviations. Buy our profiles Since our profiles are tailored for each individual display model, this article and its respective profile package are meant for HP ZBook Firefly 16 G10 configuration with 16.0" BOE BOE0A4F (1920 x 1200) IPS. *Should you have problems with downloading the purchased file, try using a different browser to open the link you’ll receive via e-mail. If the download target is a .php file instead of an archive, change the file extension to .zip or contact us at bg.laptopmedia@gmail.com. Read more about the profiles HERE. Performance: CPU, GPU, Gaming Tests CPU options This laptop can be configured with the Intel Core i5-1335U, Core i5-1345U, Core i7-1355U, Core i7-1365U, Core i5-1340P, Core i5-1350P, Core i7-1360P, or Core i7-1370P. GPU options You can get an iGPU-only configuration, or if you need more graphics power, there is an optional NVIDIA RTX A500 (Laptop, 30W). Gaming tests Assassin's Creed Valhalla Full HD, Low (Check settings) Full HD, Medium (Check settings) Full HD, High (Check settings) Full HD, Ultra (Check settings) Average FPS 56 fps 43 fps 32 fps 26 fps Borderlands 3 Full HD, V.Low (Check settings) Full HD, Medium (Check settings) Full HD, High (Check settings) Full HD, Badass (Check settings) Average FPS 75 fps 49 fps 31 fps 24 fps Far Cry 6 Full HD, Low (Check settings) Full HD, High (Check settings) Full HD, Ultra (Check settings) Average FPS 56 fps 42 fps 35 fps Gears 5 Full HD, Low (Check settings) Full HD, Medium (Check settings) Full HD, High (Check settings) Full HD, Ultra (Check settings) Average FPS 76 fps 51 fps 42 fps 33 fps As you can see, the RTX A500 (Laptop, 30W) isn't a powerhouse and it's fast enough for Low to Medium details. [eBook Guide + Tools] How to MAX OUT your Laptop Temperatures and comfort, Battery Life Max CPU load In this test we use 100% on the CPU cores, monitoring their frequencies and chip temperature. The first column shows a computer’s reaction to a short load (2-10 seconds), the second column simulates a serious task (between 15 and 30 seconds), and the third column is a good indicator of how good the laptop is for long loads such as video rendering. Average P-core frequency; Average E-core frequency; CPU temp.; Package Power Intel Core i7-1355U (15W TDP) 0:02 - 0:10 sec 0:15 - 0:30 sec 10:00 - 15:00 min HP ZBook Firefly 16 G10 3.85 GHz @ 2.89 GHz @ 67°C @ 50W 3.32 GHz @ 2.48 GHz @ 75°C @ 37W 2.14 GHz @ 1.44 GHz @ 66°C @ 17W Lenovo ThinkPad L15 Gen 4 (Intel) 3.34 GHz @ 2.54 GHz @ 86°C @ 39W 3.16 GHz @ 2.45 GHz @ 93°C @ 35W 2.38 GHz @ 1.77 GHz @ 77°C @ 20W Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 4 3.78 GHz @ 2.93 GHz @ 82°C @ 48W 3.45 GHz @ 2.71 GHz @ 90°C @ 41W 2.52 GHz @ 1.87 GHz @ 78°C @ 22W Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 3.83 GHz @ 2.89 GHz @ 78°C @ 51W 3.7 GHz @ 2.82 GHz @ 93°C @ 49W 2.38 GHz @ 1.75 GHz @ 64°C @ 21W Acer Aspire 5 (A514-56M) 3.82 GHz @ 2.82 GHz @ 64°C @ 55W 2.18 GHz @ 2.26 GHz @ 65°C @ 37W 1.43 GHz @ 1.98 GHz @ 60°C @ 28W Dell Vostro 15 3530 2.06 GHz @ 2.70 GHz @ 94°C @ 40W 1.56 GHz @ 2.22 GHz @ 96°C @ 26W 2.06 GHz @ 2.25 GHz @ 95°C @ 26W Lenovo Yoga Book 9 (13IRU8) 2.23 GHz @ 2.58 GHz @ 76°C @ 40W 2.13 GHz @ 2.42 GHz @ 85°C @ 35W 1.64 GHz @ 2.03 GHz @ 77°C @ 24W ASUS Zenbook S 13 OLED (UX5304) 3.46 GHz @ 2.47 GHz @ 80°C @ 41W 3.06 GHz @ 2.24 GHz @ 91°C @ 31W 2.36 GHz @ 1.68 GHz @ 75°C @ 21W The CPU can maintain a high P and E core clock in short and medium loads. In longer stress, the P core frequency is okay, while the E core one is unimpressive. On the bright side, the processor temperature is just 66°C. Wait - a 17W CPU power limit after 15 minutes of stress, is that a workstation? Real-life gaming NVIDIA RTX A500 (Laptop) GPU frequency/ Core temp (after 2 min) GPU frequency/ Core temp (after 30 min) HP ZBook Firefly 16 G10 702 MHz @ 68°C @ 20W 688 MHz @ 66°C @ 20W Lenovo ThinkPad P14s Gen 4 1050 MHz @ 74°C @ 30W 1043 MHz @ 75°C @ 30W When it comes to GPU clocks under heavy load, the NVIDIA RTX A500 (Laptop) is a real challenge for modest cooling. The result is low core frequencies and TGP. However, the temperature is also low, which is good. Comfort during full load Interestingly, the fan is quiet when the dGPU isn't working. It's hard to hear any noise even while benchmarking the CPU with Cinebench R23. When the graphics card has to do the heavy lifting, the fan is audible but not noisy. In this scenario, the central and the left part of the keyboard are warm but comfortable for work. The laptop lacks power presets in the HP Power Manager, so you can control the performance via the built-in Windows modes in the Power & Battery menu. Battery Now, we conduct the battery tests with the Windows Better performance setting turned on, screen brightness adjusted to 120 nits and all other programs turned off except for the one we are testing the notebook with. Our machine has an optional 76Wh battery. It lasts for 25 hours of Web browsing, or 11 hours and 40 minutes of video playback. It's really important to use the "HP Optimized (Modern Standby)" power plan, not the Windows' "Balanced" mode. Disassembly, Upgrade options, and Maintenance If you want to open the laptop, you have to undo 5 captive Phillips-head screws. After that, you can pry the bottom panel, starting from one of the top two corners. Then, you can begin to pop the plate from the zone behind the hinge. You can have a look at the inside of the bottom panel. The default battery capacity is 51Wh, while our machine is equipped with the optional 76Wh model. To take it out, unplug the connector from the mainboard, and undo the five Phillips-head screws that are holding the unit in place. This variant has enough juice for 25 hours of Web browsing, or 11 hours and 40 minutes of video playback. That's a great result! The two SODIMMs are protected by a metal plate. The maximum supported capacity is 64GB of DDR5-5200MHz memory in dual-channel mode. The memory sticks are rated at 5600MHz but they operate at 5200MHz frequency. For storage, there is just one M.2 slot for 2280 Gen 4 SSDs. There is a small cooling pad beneath the SSD. The cooling solution seems modes. It has a single fan, two heat pipes shared between the CPU and the GPU, one heat sink, and two heat spreaders. Storage performance Our laptop has a 1TB KIOXIA KXG80ZNV1T02 SSD. Below you can see some benchmarks of this Gen 4 NVMe. Its temperatures under load are low - just 44°C. 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/