HP ZBook Firefly 14 G11 First Impressions

I was recently imagining what it might be like to only review Arm-based laptops. And then HP offered me the ZBook Firefly 14 G11 and I realized that day is not today. This is the latest version of one of my very favorite laptops of all time, and I just had to see how it’s been updated for the AI PC era.

I suspect I will not be disappointed.

For those unfamiliar, ZBook is HP’s portable workstation brand, and Firefly is the lowest end of four models, a Goldilocks product that bridges the Ultrabook and portable workstation worlds. It’s available in both AMD and Intel variants, though I have, to date, only experienced the Intel-based versions.

I have reviewed two Fireflies in the past–the ZBook Firefly 14 G8 in 2021 and the ZBook Firefly 16 G10 in 2023, and I like these products so much that I own two refurbished older models. You may also recall that the Firefly 14 G8 survived a leaking air conditioner during our second trip to Mexico that year, while an HP Elite Dragonfly Max did not. So there’s a history here.

For its 11th generation ZBook Firefly 14, HP has shifted to Intel Core Ultra chips, of course, elevating this PC to AI PC status. But the rest of the package is nearly identical to its predecessor, though I never reviewed a 14-inch ZBook Firefly G10: 16:10 displays, up to Nvidia RTX A500 Laptop GPU, 64 GB of RAM, and 2 TB PCIe Gen4 x4 NVMe storage. The weight–3.2 pounds–and dimensions–12.42 x 8.8 x 0.78 inches–are likewise identical.

But the ZBook Firefly is special to me. And when I unpacked the familiar PC and started setting it up, I was delighted to see that HP kept the best attributes of its predecessors–its next-level typing experience, smallish touchpad, and diverse selection of ports, and fixed their few shortcomings. (My refurbished Fireflies have 16:9 displays, for example.)

The review unit provides an Intel Core Ultra 7 165H processor, Nvidia RTX A500 graphics, 32 GB of RAM, and 512 GB of SSD storage, exactly the configuration I’d buy myself. The 2560 x 1600 display panel is delightfully matte, devoid of multitouch, and offers a 120 Hz refresh rate. It can be configured with optional cellular broadband, but arrived with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.

It also provides Windows Hello fingerprint and facial recognition, which I prefer, and a 100-watt USB-C power supply (an upgrade from the standard 65-watt part).

The webcam is 5 MP and the dual stereo speakers are powered by Poly Studio.

From an expansion perspective, HP supplies a full-sized HDMI 2.1 video-out port, a full-sized USB Type-A port (5 Gbps), and two Thunderbolt 4/USB4 Type-C ports (40 Gbps, USB Power Delivery, and DisplayPort 1.4).

And on the right, you’ll find a single full-sized USB Type-A port (5 Gbps), plus a headphone/microphone jack. There’s also a security slot and a space for the nanoSIM card for those who upgrade to that option.

And the keyboard … oh my. Soft, precise, with a perfect key throw. I’m in love. (Notably, it’s also spill resistant, as is the touchpad. This is what saved its predecessor in Mexico.)

More soon. I’ll issue a full review while we’re in Mexico City this month.