HP EliteBook 14" 359Z2UT#ABA, Core i5-1135G7, 8GB, 256GB SSD, Natural Silver

Light, secure, and portable, but criminally under-specced for the price. Buy it only if you need HP Wolf Security and nothing else matters.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.