HP EliteBook 1040 G4 coming later this month

HP introduced the EliteBook family of business-class notebooks and mobile workstations back in August 2008 (the EliteBook 6930p is a mainstream first-generation EliteBook, for example). The EliteBook mobile workstations were rebranded as ZBook about five years later, and today's EliteBook 1040 G4 is a portable that HP advertises as "the world's most powerful ultraslim 14-inch diagonal business notebook."

Unfortunately, HP did not reveal the detailed specs of the new EliteBook 1040 G4, but we know that it is scheduled to hit the market later this month. The official press release only mentioned that this notebook's hardware options include a 7th generation Intel Core i7-7700HQ quad-core processor with vPro technology for improved performance and battery life. 

The good part is that the product page is already up, and it uncovers a few additional highlights, such as MIL-STD 810G compliance for military grade ruggedness, up to 16 GB DDR4 memory, as well as fast charging support (from 0 to 50 percent load in just about 30 minutes). 

The list of HP-exclusive security features includes Sure Click, SureView, and Multi Factor Authenticate. The first one is a software solution for Internet Explorer and Chromium, the second is an optional integrated privacy screen that protects against visual hacking, and the last combines fingerprints or PINs with passwords and facial recognition. HP Sure Start takes care of the notebook's BIOS by monitoring it and recovering the platform automatically, but it can also restore the BIOS to a custom state. At last, the HP Manageability Integration Kit makes it easier to create backup images and to manage hardware, BIOS, and security through the Microsoft System Center configuration Manager.

HP announced that the EliteBook 1040 G4 is scheduled to hit the market later this month starting at US$1,379, but there are no details about the hardware we would get for this price. We expect at least a 7th generation Intel Core i5 processor, 8 GB RAM, and 256 GB of SSD storage space. Remains to see if it succeeds in offering enough to beat the Dell Latitude, Acer Travelmate, or Lenovo's legendary ThinkPad portables with similar prices. By the time we get to take the EliteBook 1040 G4 for a spin, you might want to take a look at the in-depth review of the EliteBook 1040 G3 that HP launched last year.