Today, HP announced two new EliteBook PCs, the 1040 G4 and the x360 1020 G2. Aimed at the business market, the devices pack power into a slim, stylish package, with a focus on the idea that in the modern workplace, employees are using their PCs for both work and play.
The HP EliteBook 1040 G4 is the real powerhouse of the two. While you can get it with Intel"s dual-core U-series chips, it"s also offered with a Core i7-7820HQ processor. If you"re unfamiliar, the H-series is Intel"s brand for high-powered quad-core chips, and HP says that this is the thinnest and lightest quad-core business notebook on the market, coming in at 15.95mm thin and 2.99 pounds.
It comes with a 14-inch 120Hz display, also making it one of the smallest HQ-powered PCs around, and that screen comes in either 1080p with Sure View, or UHD. And if you don"t know about Sure View, it keeps people from being able to see your screen when they"re looking over your shoulder. For more on that, check out our EliteBook x360 1030 G2 review from June.
You"ll find two USB Type-A ports and two Thunderbolt 3 ports, along with HDMI and an optional micro-SIM slot. HP says that you can use these to connect up to three 4K monitors, which will be powered by the integrated Intel HD Graphics 620 or 630, the latter of which comes with the HQ processor.
The company says that you can get up to 18 hours of battery life with the PC, or 15 hours with the quad-core model.
And then there"s the EliteBook x360 1020 G2. It"s a bit smaller than the 1030 that I reviewed over the summer with a 12.5-inch display that comes in 1080p, 1080p with Sure View, and UHD. Processor options are all from the U-series vPro, and they all use Intel HD Graphics 620.
The x360 comes in at 13.9mm thin and 2.48 pounds, making it the thinnest and lightest business convertible, according to HP. You won"t find any USB Type-A ports on this one though, with two Thunderbolt 3 ports and one HDMI, which HP says can power up to two 4K displays.
Of course, both of these new devices include all of the security features that HP has been including in its business PCs under the Elite brand. SureStart protects the BIOS, checking it against a master copy and repairing it if it"s corrupted. There"s also WorkWise, which alerts you if someone tampers with your PC when you"re away, locks it when you get up, and much more.
Both the EliteBook 1040 G4 and x360 1020 G2 will be available later on this month, starting at $1,379.