HP ZBook Firefly 14 G10 review: More mobile than workstation

This is a machine you can easily take anywhere, and it has a great design, a pretty good display, and it overall feels like a great laptop. However, calling it a mobile workstation seems like a bit of a stretch considering performance isn't all that special.

About this review: HP sent us the ZBook Firefly 14 G10 for review. The company didn't have any input in its contents.

HP ZBook Firefly 14 G10: Pricing and availability

The HP ZBook Firefly is available through HP's website in various configurations and as a customizable model that lets you choose the specific specs you want. You can also find it at retailers like Amazon and B&H, though only in specific configurations. HP also makes an AMD version of this laptop, called the ZBook Firefly G10 A.

The model HP sent me includes an Intel Core i7-1365U vPro processor, Nvidia RTX A500 graphics, 32GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage, plus a Quad HD+ DreamColor display and some extras. Using these configurations on HP's website, the price adds up to $3,695 right now, but the base model costs $2,101. Pre-built configurations also tend to be cheaper than custom configurations like this one.

Design

It's definitely an HP business laptop

If you've seen any HP business laptop in the past few years, the HP ZBook Firefly 14 G10 immediately looks familiar. It comes in a subdued silver colorway that I personally find a bit boring, but it looks sleek and professional, which is probably what you want from a workstation. It does have a premium look and feel, something HP usually nails pretty well.

It's also reasonably light. It starts at 3.2 pounds, though that doesn't include discrete graphics, and this configuration is a bit heavier. It's much more portable than a typical mobile workstation, and that's the point. This is meant to be a powerful machine that can still be taken anywhere, and it succeeds at least in the second part of that goal.

You actually get some ports

One thing I really like about this laptop is that, since it's aimed at more professional users, it includes a generous supply of ports. Many 14-inch laptops these days get away with just Thunderbolt 4 and sometimes one USB Type-A port, but the HP ZBook Firefly 14 includes two Thunderbolt ports, USB Type-A, and HDMI just on the left side. The right side has another USB Type-A port and a headphone jack.

The right side is also where you can insert the SIM card if you have a model with cellular connectivity, which isn't the case with my machine. Oddly enough, it looks like the card slot is still machined onto the chassis, but you can't actually remove it.

Keyboard and trackpad

A great typing experience

It should come as no surprise given HP's track record, but the keyboard on the ZBook Firefly 14 G10 is very good. Of course, after I've gotten used to the feel of a keyboard like the SteelSeries Apex Pro, it's hard to use anything else, but as far as laptop keyboards go, HP makes excellent ones. The keys here have the right amount of travel and tension to feel satisfying to press while also being accurate. It's very comfortable and highly recommended.

The keyboard on the ZBook Firefly 14 G10 is very good.

The keyboard is fairly standard in terms of keys, but it does include a programmable key in the function row. You can use the myHP app to assign all kinds of shortcuts to it, which can be useful to help you get where you want to faster.

The touchpad is big and works well

Similarly, the touchpad is also quite good on the HP ZBook Firefly 14. It's fairly big for a 14-inch laptop, it's smooth, and it's responsive. I haven't had any weird issues with touch detection like I sometimes have with other laptops, and it just feels nice to use.

I have used smoother touchpads, but I think this one strikes a nice balance of being smooth and feeling more durable. A lot of ThinkPads, for example, have super-smooth touchpads, but they're very prone to being smudged after using them for just a few days. That doesn't seem to be a problem here.

Display

It's bright, smooth, and vibrant

Turning to the display, it's another area where the HP ZBook Firefly does quite well. My configuration comes with the top-tier panel with Quad HD+ or WQXGA resolution (2560x1600), a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, and DreamColor support. This is a great screen in just about every way. It's very sharp, making it easier to fit more elements on screen, meaning multitasking is also easier. The refresh rate goes up to 120Hz, but it's actually dynamic, so it's not always using that extra power.

This is a great laptop screen.

In terms of color, this display is quite good, too. According to my measurements, the display covers 100% of sRGB, 98% of P3, and 86% of Adobe RGB. The colors look very vibrant and lively on this screen without being overly saturated, and it feels just right.

There are, of course, better displays, but it's hard to complain about something this good. And in more good news, it's also quite bright. My tests showed the display hitting 550 nits, which is a good bit above the 500 nits HP advertises for this machine.

Contrast goes up to 1100:1, which is solid, though not the best I've seen on a laptop. Still, I wouldn't say this hurts the viewing experience significantly, and this is a great laptop screen. I can't speak for the lower-end models, though.

It's also got a solid webcam

For the past couple of years, HP has been all-in on webcam quality, and the ZBook Firefly also benefited from that. Like all of HP's premium laptops (and some more affordable ones), this one comes with a 5MP webcam that has some of the best image quality you can get from a built-in webcam on Windows. It looks pretty sharp, and it has features like auto framing and automatic image enhancements.

One cool feature HP added in its recent laptops is the ability to use two webcams (assuming you have an external one) and switch between them automatically. Essentially, the laptop detects which camera you're facing and automatically switches to it, so you're always seen from your best angle during calls. It works pretty well, though it's not as instantaneous as some might want it to be.

As for audio, the two dual speakers on this laptop deliver a pretty solid experience. The speakers get quite loud without distortion, and that's all I really ask for. I have used louder speakers, but for something of this size, I can't really complain.

Performance

It's not really great for demanding workloads

Now, the big selling point of the HP ZBook Firefly is that it's a mobile workstation you can truly take anywhere. We've seen that in the relatively thin and light design, but it has some implications for performance. Inside my review unit is an Intel Core i7-1365U processor with 10 cores and 12 threads. That's a 15W processor that's actually quite good for thin and light ultrabooks, though using it for a workstation is a bit of a stretch.

Demanding workloads will still be a challenge here.

To back that up with a bit more power, it also includes an Nvidia RTX A500, a low-end professional GPU that's based on the same chip as the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050. However, this GPU is cut down even further from the GeForce variant, and because of the small chassis, it also doesn't have a lot of power allocated to it. Nvidia Control Panel indicates a TGP of just 30W.

What that all means is that while you do get a boost in power with this GPU, it's not very consistent or always noticeable. Take a look at these benchmark scores:

The HP ZBook Firefly does score a bit higher in tests that focus primarily on the GPU, but the advantage isn't as big as you might expect from having a discrete GPU. In the end, more demanding workloads will still be a challenge here, and compared to a more powerful laptop like the Slim Pro 7, the difference is very significant despite that one having only an RTX 3050 GPU.

I tried exporting a roughly 4-minute video at 4K resolution using 8K source footage. The process took 18 minutes and 44 seconds, which is pretty long for a relatively short video. While this is faster than your average ultrabook, I'd say if you're looking for a mobile workstation, this kind of machine probably isn't on your radar.

Meanwhile, for battery life, the results were all right. During normal usage, at 30% brightness and in the balanced power plan, I got a minimum of 4 hours and 8 minutes, and a maximum of 5 hours and 19 minutes. This is one of the more consistent laptops I've tested in terms of battery life, and those numbers aren't terrible, but not enough for you to leave home without a charger for the day. On average, I got 4 hours and 50 minutes.

I also tried my somewhat standardized YouTube playback test at 720p, 50% brightness, and 50% volume, and the laptop lasted only 6 hours, 59 minutes, and 28 seconds. That's one of the lower scores I've seen, surprisingly.

Should you buy the HP ZBook Firefly 14 G10?

The HP ZBook Firefly 14 G10 is a good laptop. It's compact, it feels premium, it has a great screen, solid speakers, and performance is good overall. On its own, this is a pretty nice product.

It feels premium, it has a great screen, solid speakers, and performance is good.

My biggest question is whether it should really be part of the ZBook family. It does have a bit more power than a standard ultrabook, but the Nvidia RTX A500 running at such low wattage is one of slowest discrete GPUs you can get. If you're looking for something that can handle more demanding creative workloads, I can't imagine you'll benefit much from this hardware. Like I said above, someone looking for a mobile workstation probably doesn't think of this kind of product. In short, this is a mobile workstation that I can really recommend only to those who don't really need a workstation.

You should buy the HP ZBook Firefly 14 G10 if:

• You want a relatively portable machine
• You need a bit more power for light creative workloads
• You want a nice display for color-sensitive work
• You need a good supply of ports

You should NOT buy the HP ZBook Firefly 14 G10 if:

• You need the performance of a proper workstation
• You want the best battery life