I always thought the idea of a 5G laptop was little more than a gimmick. Public Wi-Fi is everywhere these days, plus you can always tether your laptop to your phone’s 5G hotspot in a pinch. That’s enough, right?
But after doing a hands-on review of an HP laptop with built-in 5G—the HP EliteBook 6 G1q, if you’re curious what it was—I have to confess that I was wrong. 5G laptops are actually amazing!
Here’s a quick explainer on HP Go and 5G laptops, plus what made me change my mind on 5G laptops and why I hope to see manufacturers start putting out a wide range of 5G models soon.
What is HP Go?
There are some things you need to know about 5G laptops before getting one, such as the fact they’re still pretty hard to find. Whereas tablets with cellular connectivity are common, you have to go out of your way to hunt down a laptop with 5G hardware—and even if you do find the right machine, not all 5G plans support laptops. 5G laptop plans are expensive, and they’re often just sold to businesses.
Microsoft
Such is the case for HP Go, which is a 5G service plan provided by HP for businesses, and it’s built right into their 5G laptops. Under the hood, HP’s 5G laptops have multiple eSIMs that can connect to AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon networks. The laptops automatically choose the strongest network without any input needed from you.
Conceptually, this reminds me of Google’s original plan for Google Fi—a multi-network cellular plan that automatically switches between networks. The first version of HP Go is designed strictly for businesses, but I asked HP about a consumer version and one representative hinted they were also thinking about 5G laptops for consumers.
What makes a 5G laptop so amazing?
A 5G laptop transforms how you use your laptop on the go. That’s easy to say, but it actually feels unreal in the real world.
I went to downtown Boston, sat on a park bench, and pulled the laptop out of my bag. As soon as I opened it, I had an active internet connection. I later drove to the beach, got out of the car, and opened the laptop. Right away, the 5G was ready to go.
Chris Hoffman / Foundry
It’s the speed and convenience that wowed me. You can pull out your laptop, check your email and shoot a reply, then close it in under a minute. (It beats typing the email on your phone!) You don’t have to hunt down public Wi-Fi and click through a portal while wondering if you should be using a VPN for public Wi-Fi security. You don’t have to pull out your phone, tether it to your laptop, and drain your phone’s battery to power your laptop’s internet. 5G on a laptop just works.
No need for Wi-Fi or Ethernet
When I was setting up the HP EliteBook 6 G1q, I took it out of the box, turned it on, signed into my Microsoft account, and configured Windows per usual… except I never connected it to Wi-Fi. In fact, I didn’t even have to set up the 5G connection! The laptop came pre-configured with a cellular profile (a feature HP offers to businesses as part of HP Go).
Chris Hoffman / Foundry
The experience of setting up a Windows laptop and being able to jump right into using it without connecting to Wi-Fi is surreal. The 5G laptop experience feels like magic. More than that, an always-on cellular data connection provides better anti-theft capabilities for a laptop as well as remote manageability. Like a 5G phone or tablet, you can remotely track a 5G laptop even when it isn’t connected to Wi-Fi.
5G laptops can compete with tablets
I remember being at CES 2020 in Las Vegas, which was branded “the year of 5G.” Now, over five years later, it’s still difficult to get your hands on a laptop with 5G. Want a portable device with a keyboard that has 5G? You’re nudged towards an iPad or Android tablet instead.
But I want a PC, not an iPad or Android tablet. For real, 5G is a feature that PCs desperately need to steal from tablets—all popular laptop models should offer the option to pay a little extra for 5G.
Chris Hoffman / Foundry
If PC manufacturers want to compete with iPads in a world where Apple is increasingly offering more desktop-style features on iPadOS, then they need to get serious about 5G laptop models. I want my portable productivity machine to run Windows. How many people have switched to using a 5G iPad as a “laptop” just for the connectivity alone?
Cellular laptops are awesome, period
I’ve previously argued against 5G laptops, and some of those arguments still hold water: you only have a few hardware options; 5G cellular plans are expensive; you can make do with a dedicated 5G hotspot device. Those are still reasons to avoid buying a 5G laptop right now. But those problems could be fixed by the industry at large, and this HP laptop powered by HP Go hints at such a future.
Chris Hoffman / Foundry
Later on, when 5G laptops are easily accessible and cellular plans are reasonably priced, I’m sure most people would prefer 5G laptops. The idea of having a cellular connection everywhere is a killer business feature, so it’s no surprise that HP is mainly marketing this to businesses to start—but many consumers and individual knowledge workers (like me) would also love this in our day-to-day portable laptops.
That day is still a few years away at least, so maybe don’t rush out to buy a 5G laptop just yet. But definitely keep the tech on your radar. I want to see more 5G-powered laptops from other manufacturers soon, and I look forward to the day when opening a laptop is just like taking out a phone.
The only question is, which manufacturer is going to take this seriously and be the first to offer 5G laptops to consumers?
