HP EliteBook 14" 840 G6 2019, Core i5-8365U, 16GB, 256GB SSD, Silver

The HP EliteBook 840 G6 is a cheap refurb with decent specs and a reliability record that's genuinely scary. Buy it only if you love a gamble and hate your time.

The Core i5-8365U is a 4-core chip from 2019, and it sits in the 20th percentile for CPU performance in our database. That's fine for email, spreadsheets, and web browsing, but don't expect to edit video or run anything heavy. The 16GB of RAM is the saving grace here, it's more than enough for multitasking, even if the RAM itself ranks in the 26th percentile. The integrated Intel UHD Graphics are what they are, fine for a second monitor, useless for gaming. The 256GB SSD is on the small side, and it lands in the 16th percentile for storage, so you'll be leaning on cloud storage or an external drive sooner than you'd like.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is the obvious alternative if you want a business laptop that doesn't fall apart. It's pricier, but the build quality and reliability are in a different league. The Dell Latitude 7430 is another solid pick, similar footprint but with a much better track record for battery life and support. If you're on a tight budget and just need something for school, the Acer Aspire A14-52M-72FH gives you newer hardware and a warranty that doesn't feel like a gamble. The EliteBook only makes sense if you find it dirt cheap and you're willing to roll the dice.

The price spread here is wild, from USD 210 to USD 1,999 across six US listings. At the low end, you're getting a lot of RAM and a Pro OS for not much money. At the high end, you're getting robbed. The best deal in our data is the USD 210 listing, but even then, the reliability gamble is real. If you can find one under USD 300 and you're okay with a possible return saga, it's a calculated risk. Anything over USD 500 and you should walk away.

The HP EliteBook 840 G6 is a refurbished business laptop that looks great on paper, 16GB of RAM, a 14-inch FHD display, Windows 11 Pro, and a backlit keyboard for a price that's hard to argue with. But here's the thing: our user sentiment data puts this thing in the 2nd percentile. That's not a typo. Owners are reporting dead batteries, broken keyboards, and units that arrive DOA. The specs are fine for basic work, but the reliability story is a mess.

If you need a laptop that just works, this isn't it. Go get a Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon or a Dell Latitude 7430 instead. The EliteBook 840 G6 is for people who are comfortable with a possible return and have a backup machine ready. If you're buying this for school or work and you can't afford downtime, spend a bit more and get something with a warranty that doesn't feel like a punishment.

Skip it unless you find one for under USD 300 and you're prepared for the possibility of a return. The specs are fine for basic work, but the user sentiment score is a giant red flag. Too many people are getting defective units, dead batteries, and broken keyboards. There are better refurbished business laptops out there that won't make you fight customer service for a week.