Laptop Look: HP's EliteBook 1040 G4 Delivers Stunning Speed

The HP EliteBook 1040 G4 delivers stunning speed and few compromises in other areas. In fact, Kyle Alspach in the CRN Test Center found it to be one of the fastest laptops he's tried over the past year.

The processor is a quad-core H series Intel chip. This chip is more commonly found in workstations and gaming PCs than in highly portable laptops. Aside from offering great speed, the laptop has a battery life of about 7.5 hours.

On the display, the 14-inch touch screen is super bright and vivid. Another highlight of the laptop is the keyboard, which is very comfortable and quiet. The touchpad is good, too.

The EliteBook 1040 G4 is impressively thin for a machine with this much packed in. The laptop features an attractive metallic design, and it's surprisingly light at three pounds.

Not surprisingly, the laptop won't come cheap, particularly if you want the top-level performance. The EliteBook 1040 G4 starts at $2,100 with the H series processor and touchscreen. A lower-end model starts at near $1,400. That price tag for the high-end model may just be worth it, though. In our view, the EliteBook 1040 G4 is the gold standard right now for a laptop that combines top performance with an appealing design.