HP EliteBook 14" 359Z2UT#ABA Natural Silver
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Snapshot
The 30-Second Version
Light, secure, and portable, but criminally under-specced for the price. Buy it only if you need HP Wolf Security and nothing else matters.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Featherweight at 1.33kg, easy to toss in a bag 86th
- Wi-Fi 6 and Thunderbolt give you solid future-proof connectivity 78th
- Backlit keyboard and 85% screen-to-body ratio feel premium
- HP Wolf Security is genuinely useful for business users
Cons
- 8GB RAM is criminally low for a business machine
- 256GB SSD fills up fast
- 250-nit display is dim and colors are washed out
- No customer reviews anywhere, zero social proof
The proof
Performance
The i5-1135G7 is a solid little workhorse for everyday tasks, and the Iris Xe graphics are a step up from older Intel integrated chips, but don't expect miracles. The 8GB of RAM is the real bottleneck here. Open a dozen Chrome tabs plus Slack and you'll feel it wheeze. The 256GB SSD is also tight for 2024, especially if you're storing local files or installing anything beyond the basics.
Specifications
Full Specifications
Processor
| CPU | i5-1135G |
| Cores | 4 |
| Frequency | 2.4 GHz |
Graphics
| GPU | Intel Iris Xe Graphics |
| Type | Integrated |
Memory & Storage
| RAM | 8 GB |
| RAM Generation | DDR4 |
| Storage | 256 GB |
| Storage Type | SSD |
Display
| Size | 14" |
| Resolution | 1920x1080 (Full HD) |
| Panel | IPS |
| Brightness | 250 nits |
| Color Gamut | 45% NTSC |
Connectivity
| USB-C Ports | 2 |
| USB Ports | 2 |
| Thunderbolt | Thunderbolt 4 |
| HDMI | ✓ |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6 |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5 |
Physical
| Weight | 1.3 kg / 2.9 lbs |
| Battery | 53 Wh |
| OS | Windows 10 Pro |
vs Competition
Stacked against the MacBook Pro M4 Pro or Surface Laptop 7th Edition, the EliteBook gets embarrassed on performance, display quality, and storage. The MacBook is in a different league entirely, and the Surface Laptop offers a better screen and more modern design for similar money. Even the Lenovo Legion 5i, while heavier and gaming-focused, gives you way more horsepower per dollar. The EliteBook's only real edge is its light weight and business security features.
| Spec | HP EliteBook 14" 359Z2UT#ABA | Apple MacBook Pro M4 Max | ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 GA403WW-G14.R95080 | Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 | Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro NP940XHA-KG3US | MSI Prestige PRE13EVOA2088 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | i5-1135G | Apple M4 Max | AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 | Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX | Intel Core Ultra 7 256V | Intel Core Ultra 7 258V |
| RAM (GB) | 8 | 64 | 32 | 64 | 32 | 32 |
| Storage (GB) | 256 | 4096 | 2000 | 2048 | 1024 | 1000 |
| Screen | 14" 1920x1080 | 14.2" 3024x1964 | 14" 2880x1800 | 16" 2560x1600 | 14" 2880x1800 | 13.3" 2880x1800 |
| GPU | Intel Iris Xe Graphics | Apple (40-Core) | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 | Intel Arc Graphics | Intel Arc Graphics |
| OS | Windows 10 Pro | macOS | Windows 11 Home | Windows 11 Pro | Windows 11 Home | Windows 11 Home |
| Weight (kg) | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 4.9 | 1.2 | 1 |
| Battery (Wh) | 53 | 72 | - | - | 15 | - |
| Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare |
| Product | CPU | GPU | RAM | Ports | Screen | Portability | Storage | Reliability | Social Proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HP EliteBook 14" 359Z2UT#ABA | 44.8 | 13.7 | 13.4 | 78.3 | 51.3 | 85.6 | 16.2 | 32.9 | 2 |
| Apple MacBook Pro M4 Max Compare | 92.3 | 85.2 | 95.8 | 74.2 | 99.2 | 69.2 | 98.5 | 97.7 | 88.9 |
| ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 GA403WW-G14.R95080 Compare | 88.6 | 94.2 | 91.3 | 90 | 96.2 | 74.2 | 88.9 | 60 | 98.4 |
| Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10 Compare | 96 | 92.4 | 98.6 | 99.7 | 95.4 | 7.3 | 97.3 | 80.9 | 87.1 |
| Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro NP940XHA-KG3US Compare | 66.6 | 65.7 | 80.1 | 59.3 | 95.7 | 87.7 | 79.7 | 80.9 | 97.4 |
| MSI Prestige PRE13EVOA2088 Compare | 63.5 | 65.7 | 80.1 | 78.3 | 91.4 | 96.4 | 71.4 | 60 | 87.4 |
Price
Value & Pricing
At $912 USD, this is a tough sell. You're paying a premium for the EliteBook name and business-grade security, but the specs feel more like a $600 laptop. If you can find it on sale or refurbished, maybe. At full price, you're better off looking elsewhere.
Read more
Overview
The HP EliteBook 840 G8 is a business laptop that nails the basics and skips the frills. The one thing to know: it's built for portability and office work, not for pushing pixels or storing your entire life. With an 11th Gen Core i5, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD, it'll handle spreadsheets and video calls fine, but it's not going to impress anyone with raw power.
Common Questions
Q: Can this run Photoshop or video editing software?
Barely. The Iris Xe graphics can handle light photo edits, but 8GB of RAM will choke on anything serious. If you're editing 4K video or working with large Photoshop files, this isn't the machine for you.
Q: Is the display good enough for outdoor use?
No. At 250 nits, it's dim even indoors near a window. The 45% NTSC color gamut also means colors look flat and washed out. If you work outside or care about color accuracy, look for something with at least 400 nits and 100% sRGB.
Q: Can I upgrade the RAM and storage later?
The EliteBook 840 G8 does have upgradeable RAM and storage, which is a plus. But you'll be spending extra money on top of an already pricey laptop. If you're comfortable opening it up, you can fix the two biggest weaknesses yourself.
Who Should Skip This
If you're looking for a laptop that can handle gaming, creative work, or heavy multitasking, this isn't it. Go grab a Lenovo Legion 5i or a MacBook Air M2 instead. You'll get way more performance for your money, and you won't be fighting an 8GB RAM ceiling every day.
Verdict
The HP EliteBook 840 G8 is a fine laptop for a very specific person: a business traveler who needs something light, secure, and reliable for basic office work. For everyone else, the specs are too dated and too limited for the price. If you're not locked into HP's ecosystem, skip it and grab something with more RAM and a better screen.
