HP EliteBook 845 G11 – Coil Whine Issue When Charging via Thunderbolt

[Booker123]

Hello,

I’m experiencing a recurring issue with my HP EliteBook 845 G11, related to the Thunderbolt ports and battery charging behavior.

Symptoms:

• When plugging in a charger to either of the Thunderbolt ports (tested with official HP 45W and 65W chargers), a coil whine (a high-pitched electronic noise) becomes noticeable.

• This noise is constantly audible while the laptop is plugged in, and starts when the battery reaches around 90% charge.

• I’ve tried several actions to resolve it:

  • Changed battery charging settings via the HP utility and BIOS,

  • Disabled fast charging,

  • But none of these have resolved the issue.

• The system is fully up to date, with the latest available BIOS installed, and all drivers updated via HP Support Assistant.

I’ve seen that other users are reporting the same symptoms on the HP Community, so this seems to be a broader issue.

My question:
Is there a BIOS update or fix planned to address this behavior?
Or should I consider requesting a repair?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Dom_H]

I have investigated the described issue with my HP EliteBook 845 G11 in more detail.

Device model: HP EliteBook 845 G11
Purchase date: April 24, 2025 – which means the noise has been present since day one.

Observations:

• The high-pitched electronic noise (coil whine) occurs only while the battery is charging.

• It is most noticeable near the USB-C ports on the left side.

• It doesn't matter which of the USB-C ports is used – regardless of whether it's an original HP charger or a third-party one.

• The noise is primarily noticeable at frequencies of approximately 11.414 kHz and 7.623 kHz.

• I recorded audio samples and screen captures using a Pixel 7 Pro and the app Spectroid (version 1.1.2), where the noise is clearly visible: 
  https://drive.proton.me/urls/CX5XBTVT68#IDZxXlyYbjdg 
  -- HP charger disconnected at 13 second
  -- HP charger reconnected at 33 second
  https://drive.proton.me/urls/CX5XBTVT68#IDZxXlyYbjdg 
  
  
  
  

I have already contacted HP Support and am currently waiting for a response.