HP EliteBook 1040 overview: a easy, lovely enterprise laptop computer

HP EliteBook 1040 (2024)

MSRP $3,089.00

“The HP EliteBook 1040 G11 proves that business laptops don’t have to be stodgy.”

• Excellent construct high quality
• Attractive and conservative aesthetic
• Very good keyboard
• Strong productiveness efficiency
• Good sufficient IPS show
• Superior safety and administration options

• Very costly
• Plastic bezels
• A haptic touchpad could be most well-liked

Business laptops are a special breed, providing extra safety and administration options to accommodate the biggest organizations. They additionally provide a wider vary of configuration choices and higher warranties. HP’s EliteBook 1040 sequence has lengthy been among the many most spectacular of those.

The 2024 mannequin continues that pattern. The redesign is a lovely and well-built thin-and-light 14-inch laptop that may compete with the very best on the market. And HP’s Wolf Security suite allows you to lock it down and handle it with a various set of instruments. For the suitable purchaser, the EliteBook 1040 is a superb alternative.

Specs and configurations

Only just a few configurations are at the moment accessible for the EliteBook 1040, among the many very many various configurations that may ultimately present up at HP’s net retailer. Right now, the least costly mannequin prices $2,837 for an Intel Core Ultra 5 125H chipset, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a 14.0-inch WUXGA IPS show. My overview unit with a Core Ultra 7 165H, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD isn’t at the moment accessible, however the identical specs with a Core Ultra 7 155H prices $3,089. The costliest mannequin at the moment accessible prices $4,057 with the sooner chipset, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD.

Those costs are certain to vary, and there’ll ultimately be a 14.0-inch 2.8K OLED show possibility. In the meantime, the EliteBook 1040 is a really costly enterprise class laptop computer.

Design

The EliteBook 1040 has all the time loved a premium design, and the 2024 mannequin is not any completely different. It is probably not CNC machined out of a piece of aluminum just like the Apple MacBook lineup, nevertheless it’s equally as effectively made, with no bending, flexing, or twisting. The all-metal chassis has a pleasant texture that’s nice to deal with, and the hinge is clean and the lid opens with one hand. HP hit all of the finer factors that elevate the EliteBook 1040 above a cheaper laptop computer just like the HP Envy x360 14.

Aiding that notion of high quality is a thin-and-light chassis. It’s not probably the most compact 14-inch laptop computer as a result of show bezels on the highest and backside which might be a bit tall. The Dell XPS 14 manages to suit a 14.5-inch show right into a chassis that’s across the identical measurement, and that’s because of the XPS 14’s insanely skinny bezels. The XPS 14 is significantly thicker and heavier, although, which makes it really feel denser. But one way or the other, the EliteBook 1040 manages to keep away from feeling flimsy by comparability.

Aesthetically, the EliteBook 1040 is conservatively designed, with clean, angular edges and a silver shade scheme that makes it appropriate for its goal company environments. The keyboard is darkish grey, which provides a bit to the general look, however there’s little doubt that HP went out of its method to keep away from making a “consumer” laptop computer. The one destructive I’ll word is the usage of plastic show bezels relatively than having edge-to-edge glass. That detracts a bit from the laptop computer’s modernity and likewise its standing as a really costly machine.

Keyboard and touchpad

As a author, I’m very delicate to keyboard really feel. I like gentle, snappy keyboards with loads of key spacing and enormous keycaps. Those issues mix to make a keyboard that’s comfy for lengthy typing periods. My favourite is the Magic Keyboard on Apple’s MacBooks, however the EliteBook 1040’s keyboard comes very shut. The switches are a bit deeper and virtually as exact, and the springy bottoming motion means I used to be by no means slowed down as I used the laptop computer to put in writing this overview. I additionally just like the daring lettering and clear backlighting.

The mechanical touchpad is massive and has quiet, assured clicks. It’s a very good touchpad, not less than in comparison with many different mechanical variations. At these costs, although, HP ought to have integrated a haptic touchpad. Some different premium laptops have one, together with the HP Spectre x360 14 that has a wonderful implementation. Again, Apple leads the best way with its Force Touch haptic touchpad with Force Click performance. Haptic touchpads are quieter, help clicking anyplace on the floor, and might be adjusted for general really feel. It’s an unlucky omission.

A contact show is non-obligatory. My overview unit didn’t have contact and so I can’t touch upon its efficiency.

Connectivity, webcam, and safety

The EliteBook 1040 has glorious connectivity. There are a wide range of trendy and legacy ports, greater than on the XPS 14 and the MacBook Pro 14. HP included NFC, which is vital to some enterprise prospects, however didn’t embrace an SD card reader. Wireless connectivity might be configured as much as absolutely the newest Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, and there’s a NanoSIM slot and an eSIM for LTE and 5G connectivity. Again, that’s a nod to company purchasers, however anybody may benefit from having such a variety of mobile web choices.

The webcam is HP’s regular 5MP model, and it helps quite a lot of options to enhance videoconferencing efficiency. That contains Microsoft’s Studio Effects software program, which might make the most of the neural processing unit (NPU) within the Meteor Lake chipset. That’s not a very highly effective NPU by trendy requirements, so what stage of on-device AI performance will make its method to the laptop computer is up within the air.

Security and manageability is the place the EliteBook 1040 is most differentiated from shopper laptops. To start with, there’s an infrared digicam for Windows 11 Hello facial recognition, in addition to a fingerprint reader embedded within the energy button (the very best place for it). Both are backed by the standard Trusted Platform Module (TPM) for on-device encryption.

Beyond that, although, the EliteBook 1040 options HP’s Wolf Security suite. This provides a bunch of security measures, each {hardware} and software program, that locks down the laptop computer from “the BIOS to the browser,” as HP states in its product specs. All of the security measures can plug into an enterprise administration system that makes it simpler to handle a big fleet of laptops.

Some of those options would profit particular person patrons and small companies, however they’re of most worth to the massive enterprises that want extremely safe and manageable laptops — and which might be prepared to pay such excessive costs.

Performance

You can select a wide range of Intel chipsets for the EliteBook 1040, in each U and H variations and with or with out Intel’s vPro expertise — which is required for among the safety and administration options talked about above. HP provides so many various configuration choices to please massive company patrons. But HP’s net retailer as I write this overview, the variety of configurations that may be purchased exterior of HP’s business channels are restricted.

I reviewed the laptop computer with the 28-watt Core Ultra 7 165H, a 16-core (six Performance, eight Efficient, two Low Power Efficient), 22-thread chipset operating at as much as 5GHz. That’s barely sooner than the extra widespread Core Ultra 7 155H, however not considerably. In our suite of benchmarks, the EliteBook 1040 was lots quick, however not a lot sooner that efficiency alone is a purpose to purchase it.

Ultimately, the laptop computer will meet the wants of probably the most demanding productiveness customers. Its Intel Arc graphics are the quickest built-in graphics but, however nonetheless significantly slower than entry-level discrete GPUs. That means the EliteBook received’t please creators, and naturally, it’s by no means a laptop computer for players.

Battery life

There are two completely different battery sizes accessible for the EliteBook 1040 — 56 watt-hour and 68 watt-hour variations. My overview unit had the bigger battery, and that mixed with the low-power and low-resolution IPS show ought to provide excellent battery life.

In our benchmarks, battery life was good, however not nice. I used to be a bit stunned that I didn’t see a pair extra hours of life given the parts. The XPS 14 lasted longer with an IPS show, and a few the laptops within the comparability group went for as lengthy or longer with OLED shows. And in fact, the MacBook Air M3 lasted so much longer.

In any occasion, the EliteBook 1040 might or might not final for upwards of a working day relying on workflow. If battery life issues to you, be sure to go for the bigger battery.

Display

HP provides quite a lot of completely different show choices, all 14.0 inches with a 16:10 side ratio. The choices embrace WUXGA (1920 x 1200) low-power IPS contact and non-touch panels, 2.8K (2880 x 1800) OLED, and WUXGA IPS Sure View privateness panel. Only the OLED show runs on the more and more widespread 120Hz that makes for a smoother Windows 11 expertise.

I reviewed the EliteBook 1040 with the low-power WUXGA IPS show, which appears positive out of the field. I’ve reviewed so many OLED laptops these days that I’m all the time underwhelmed after I activate a laptop computer with an IPS show, particularly one at a decrease decision. This one was positive, with some pixelation in textual content that I observed, however I think many individuals received’t.

According to my colorimeter, the IPS panel is a combined bag. I’ve discovered IPS shows to be typically so much higher right this moment than they have been a few years in the past, significantly of their brightness and distinction. Some have wider colours and higher accuracy. The panel HP selected is brilliant at 425 nits and has glorious distinction (for IPS, when in comparison with OLED) at 1,630:1. We used to have requirements of 300 nits and 1,000:1, however most IPS shows blow previous them right this moment.

The colours, whereas correct at a Delta-E of 1.30 (1.0 or much less is appropriate for demanding inventive work), weren’t very extensive at simply 99% of sRGB, 77% of AdobeRGB, and 77% of DCI-P3. That’s nonetheless roughly common for IPS, however the show on the MacBook Air M3 has wider colours at 100%, 88%, and 99%, respectively.

These outcomes are doubtless greater than ok for enterprise customers, and there’s all the time the OLED possibility that’s sharper and certain extra colourful with inkier blacks. It has a sooner refresh charge, however that may have a significant affect on battery life.

An glorious laptop computer, however primarily for enterprise

Unsurprisingly, the EliteBook 1040 is tailored for big organizations. It provides the form of safety and administration options that allow environment friendly administration of a big fleet of laptops, to not point out a superior three-year guarantee. All of that mixes to make for an costly laptop computer.

It’s additionally a fantastic laptop computer unbiased of these options. It’s extraordinarily well-built, has a fantastic keyboard, is skinny and lightweight, and it’s moderately quick. Any very security-conscious purchaser ought to have a look, and for that purpose, I’m going to advocate it for a choose group of laptop computer customers.

Editors’ Recommendations

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