HP EliteBook 14" 360W8UT#ABA Silver 2021

The HP EliteBook 840 G8 is a lightweight business laptop with a stunning 1000-nit display that's perfect for outdoor work. Performance is fine for office tasks but falls behind newer ultrabooks, and the integrated graphics are weak. The used market is all over the place, with prices from $329 to $1,979, so hunt for a deal under $500. If you need a bright, portable workhorse on a budget, this is a great pick. Just don't expect to game or render on it.

The Core i7-1165G7 is a capable chip for everyday office tasks, but it's showing its age a bit. In our database, it lands in the 24th percentile for CPU performance, which puts it behind most modern ultrabooks. That doesn't mean it's slow. It'll chew through browser tabs, Office apps, and Slack without breaking a sweat. But if you're compiling code or running heavy data analysis, you'll feel the difference compared to newer 13th or 14th Gen chips. The 16GB of RAM is a bright spot, giving you plenty of headroom for multitasking, even if the RAM speed itself is middle-of-the-pack.

The integrated Iris Xe graphics are what they are. Fine for streaming video, light photo editing, and maybe some very casual gaming at low settings. But with a gaming score of 15.7 out of 100, this is not the machine for anything beyond Solitaire or a round of Among Us. The 512GB SSD is snappy enough for booting and loading apps, but its capacity and speed are just average compared to the 1TB drives we're seeing in newer competitors. It's a functional, no-surprises storage setup.

Stacked against the competition, the EliteBook 840 G8 is a mixed bag. The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x and ASUS Zenbook UX3405CA both offer newer processors and better integrated graphics, with the Zenbook in particular being a standout for overall performance and battery life. They'll run circles around the EliteBook in CPU benchmarks, but you'll pay more for the privilege. The Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge is another strong contender with a gorgeous AMOLED display, though it's in a different price bracket entirely.

On the other end, the Apple MacBook Pro 16" is a completely different beast. It's heavier, more expensive, and aimed at creative professionals who need serious GPU power. If you're considering the EliteBook, you probably don't need a MacBook Pro. The MSI Prestige 16 Evo is a closer match in spirit, a business-focused machine with a larger screen, but it also comes with a newer CPU and a higher price tag. The EliteBook's main advantage is that bright 1000-nit screen and the potential for a bargain-basement price if you buy used.

Value is where this EliteBook gets really interesting, or really dicey, depending on where you buy it. The price spread across vendors is wild, from $329 to $1,979. At the low end, you're getting a premium business laptop with a stunning display and solid specs for less than a budget Chromebook. That's an incredible deal if the condition is good. At the high end, you're getting fleeced. For nearly two grand, you can buy a brand-new laptop with a much faster CPU, better graphics, and a warranty.

If you're shopping for one of these, your best bet is to hunt for a well-rated used or refurbished unit on Newegg, where the retailer notes mention fast shipping and top-rated service. Just be picky about the condition. A "Used - Good" rating should be your minimum bar. At $400 or under, this is a fantastic value for a student or office worker who needs a bright screen and solid build quality. Anything over $600, and you should start looking at newer options.

The HP EliteBook 840 G8 is that rare breed of business laptop that doesn't feel like a compromise. It's built for the road warrior who needs something light enough to forget is in their bag, but tough enough to survive a few bumps along the way. At 1.32kg, it's genuinely portable, and the 14" IPS display with a wild 1000 nits of brightness means you can actually get work done outside without squinting. This isn't a machine for gamers or creative pros pushing 4K renders. It's a productivity workhorse aimed squarely at professionals who live in spreadsheets, documents, and video calls.

Under the hood, you're getting an 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1165G7 with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB NVMe SSD. That's a solid combo for multitasking, though the integrated Iris Xe graphics mean you won't be doing any serious gaming or 3D modeling. The port selection is refreshingly practical: Thunderbolt, a pair of USB-C and USB-A ports, and full-size HDMI. You won't need a dongle for the conference room projector, which is more than we can say for a lot of modern laptops.

The real story here is the price. This is a used unit floating around the market, and the spread is massive, from $329 to nearly $2,000 depending on condition and seller. If you can snag one in good shape on the lower end of that range, you're getting a premium business laptop for Chromebook money. That's the kind of value proposition that makes us sit up and pay attention.

Gamers and creative professionals should look elsewhere without a second thought. The integrated Iris Xe graphics are simply not up to the task for anything beyond basic photo edits or very old games. If you need to run Adobe Premiere, Blender, or any modern AAA title, this laptop will frustrate you. Look at something with a dedicated GPU, like an ASUS Zenbook with an RTX 3050 or a MacBook Pro with an M-series chip.

Also, if you're someone who needs all-day battery life without hunting for an outlet, the EliteBook might let you down. The 53Wh battery and older processor mean you'll be reaching for the charger by mid-afternoon on heavy days. A newer Lenovo Yoga Slim or a MacBook Air with Apple Silicon will easily outlast it. And if reliability is a top concern, the below-average scores here are worth considering. A refurbished ThinkPad or a new laptop with a warranty might give you more peace of mind.

If you're a student or office worker who spends most of the day in a browser, email, and Office 365, and you can find this EliteBook for under $500, buy it without hesitation. That 1000-nit display is a game-changer if you ever work near a window or outdoors, and the keyboard is comfortable enough for all-day typing. The port selection means you won't need to carry around a bag full of adapters, which is a small but meaningful quality-of-life win.

But if your work involves anything more demanding, like video editing, 3D modeling, or compiling large codebases, look elsewhere. The CPU is aging, the graphics are weak, and the reliability scores give us pause. For power users, a newer Lenovo Yoga or ASUS Zenbook with a 13th Gen Intel or AMD Ryzen chip will serve you much better, even if it costs a bit more upfront. The EliteBook is a fantastic deal at the right price, but it's not a one-size-fits-all solution.