HP EliteBook 14" 840 G9 Review

The HP EliteBook 840 G9 is a solid business laptop that gets the basics right. It's got a decent Intel i7 chip, 16GB of RAM, and a nice 14-inch touchscreen, all wrapped in a portable package.

But it's not trying to be flashy. This is a workhorse for office tasks, emails, and video calls. It's built for reliability and connectivity, not for gaming or heavy creative work.

The Intel Core i7-1265U is fine for everyday tasks. It'll handle spreadsheets, web browsing, and multitasking without a sweat. But its CPU performance is only in the 30th percentile, so don't expect it to crush video editing. The integrated Iris Xe graphics are predictably weak, landing in the 18th percentile. Gaming is a non-starter. The 256GB storage is also pretty skimpy by today's standards.

At around $410, this is a tough call. You're getting a lot of laptop for the money, like that i7 processor and 16GB of DDR5 RAM. But the compromises are big, especially that tiny 256GB SSD. If you need a capable, no-frills business laptop on a tight budget, it's worth a look. Just be ready to upgrade the storage immediately.

Compared to a Lenovo ThinkPad P14s, you might get similar business features but better build quality from Lenovo. The ASUS Zenbook Duo offers way more screen real estate and innovation for creatives, but at a much higher price. And if you're in the Apple ecosystem, even a base MacBook Air M1 will smoke this in CPU performance and battery life. This HP sits as a budget-friendly, connectivity-focused option in a crowd of more specialized machines.

Buy this if you need a basic, portable Windows business laptop for under $500 and you don't mind upgrading the storage yourself. It's good for students or office workers who just need to get online and get work done. But if you need power for creative apps, gaming, or just a better screen, look elsewhere.