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MagyarHP EliteBook x360 1040 G7 Review: A Spectre For Professionals
When we reviewed the EliteBook x360 1040 G5 two years ago, we ranked it as one of the best subnotebook convertibles money can buy because of its long list of integrated features for such a small and lightweight system. The latest generation EliteBook x360 1040 G7 aims to defend the crown by introducing a brand new chassis design with updated 10th gen Comet Lake-U processors while maintaining all the options that made the older G5 version great. The series has never been particularly cheap, but users are getting a lot of utility in return.
Configurable options are extensive ranging from Core i5 to Core i7 with or without vPro, 1080p or 4K with matte and glossy options, 8 GB to 32 GB of soldered LPDDR4-2933 RAM, optional NFC and WWAN, and up to 2 TB of M.2 storage. The full list of options can be found on the HP product page. The SKU we have for this review is a mid-range configuration with the Core i7-10810U CPU, 1080p glossy panel, 16 GB RAM, and 1 TB SSD for approximately $2600 USD retail.
Competitors in this space include other ultra-thin business laptops like the VAIO Z, MSI Prestige 14 Evo, Dell Latitude 7410, or Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga.
More HP reviews:
potential competitors in comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90.6 % | 03/2021 | HP EliteBook x360 1040 G7, i7-10810U i7-10810U, UHD Graphics 620 | 1.4 kg | 16.5 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
| 83.8 % | 02/2021 | VAIO Z VJZ141C11L i7-11375H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1 kg | 16.9 mm | 14.00" | 3840x2160 | |
| 86.9 % | 02/2021 | Lenovo Yoga 9 14 ITL 4K i7-1185G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.5 kg | 16.5 mm | 14.00" | 3840x2160 | |
| 82.5 % | 12/2020 | MSI Prestige 14 Evo A11M-005 i7-1185G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.2 kg | 16 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
| 84.1 % | 01/2021 | Asus Zenbook 14 UX435EG i7-1165G7, GeForce MX450 | 1.3 kg | 16.9 mm | 14.00" | 1920x1080 | |
| 88.1 % | 10/2020 | Dell XPS 13 9310 Core i7 FHD i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs | 1.3 kg | 14.8 mm | 13.40" | 1920x1200 |
Case
The most notable physical change from the EliteBook x360 1040 G5 is the narrower bezel along the bottom of the display for a noticeably shorter length. The end result is a design that is almost 9 percent smaller in volume without needing to reduce the size of the screen or drop any physical ports. Other superficial changes, like the "diamond cut" rear corners and sharper edges are derived from the Spectre series. Overall weight remains essentially the same as the older 1040 G5 model and so the 1040 G7 feels just as strong and even a bit denser than its immediate predecessor.
Connectivity
All ports from the EliteBook x360 1040 G5 have returned for the 1040 G7. The Power and volume buttons along the edges, however, have been removed likely due to low usage.
There is no SD card reader since HP is pushing its QuickDrop software feature instead. QuickDrop utilizes Wi-Fi Direct technology between two devices for wireless file transfers. The problem with this approach is that users might have to transfer their files to their smartphones first as an extra intermediate step before finally making the transfer to the HP laptop.
Communication
Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 come standard while the Intel XMM 7360 LTE Cat 9 is optional. eSIM is not supported and so users will still need to insert a Nano-SIM card for WAN connectivity.
Webcam
Maintenance
The bottom panel is secured by six T5 Torx screws with none hidden underneath the rubber feet. The edges and corners are sharp and tightly latched, however, so users should still be careful. The official HP maintenance manual can be found here.
Accessories and Warranty
Included in every box is a USB-C to USB-A cable alongside the usual paperwork. The Wacom AES 2.0 pen (P/N: L04729-003) is optional. Limited one-year warranty comes standard with the option to upgrade to three years for a fee.
Input Devices
Keyboard
Key size and typing experience haven't changed from the 1040 G5, but the font and several key functions have been updated. For example, the 'Pick Up', 'Hang Up', and 'Calendar' buttons on the older model have been replaced with an electronic camera shutter button, power button, and the insert key, respectively. The F12 key is now a customizable macro key that we wish could be incorporated on all laptops for more user freedom.
Touchpad
The clickpad here is larger than the clickpad on the 1040 G5 (11.5 x 7 cm vs. 11.1 x 6.5 cm) despite the fact that the 1040 G7 chassis is smaller overall. Cursor control is reliable with no jumping issues and the integrated mouse buttons are shallow with decent feedback. Clatter is moderately loud, however, and we still prefer the firmer dedicated mouse buttons of the EliteBook 845 series if given the choice.
Display
HP offers at least five different display options for the EliteBook x360 1040 G7 including 1080p, 4K HDR, Sure View, anti-glare, glossy, and 1000-nit panels. Our specific test is the lowest-end option (400-nits, 1080p, glossy) with a BOE panel in contrast to the Sharp panel on our EliteBook x360 1040 G5. It's still a high-end display no less due to its crisp images and deep colors that are comparable to newer Ultrabooks. Response times continue to be slow, however, meaning ghosting is still noticeable.
Interestingly, HP has removed the 120 Hz panel option that was available on the EliteBook x360 1040 G5.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 88 %
Center on Battery: 406.7 cd/m²
Contrast: 1453:1 (Black: 0.28 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.74 | 0.55-29.43 Ø5.2, calibrated: 2.18
ΔE Greyscale 4.3 | 0.57-98 Ø5.4
95.1% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
61.6% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
68.1% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
95.5% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
66.1% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.19
| HP EliteBook x360 1040 G7, i7-10810U BOE08A3, IPS, 14.00, 1920x1080 | HP Elitebook x360 1040 G5 AU Optronics AUO533D, IPS, 14.00, 1920x1080 | VAIO Z VJZ141C11L BOE NE140QUM-N62, IPS, 14.00, 3840x2160 | Lenovo Yoga 9 14 ITL 4K Lenovo CSOT3 MNE001EA1-2, IPS, 14.00, 3840x2160 | MSI Prestige 14 Evo A11M-005 AUO B140HAN06.2 (AUO623D), IPS-Level, 14.00, 1920x1080 | Asus Zenbook 14 UX435EG Au Optronics B140HAN03.2, IPS, 14.00, 1920x1080 | Dell XPS 13 9310 Core i7 FHD Sharp LQ134N1, IPS, 13.40, 1920x1200 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | -3% | 25% | 23% | 4% | -7% | 6% | |
| Display P3 Coverage | 66.1 | 64.3 -3% | 95.7 45% | 94.4 43% | 68.8 4% | 60.9 -8% | 70.9 7% |
| sRGB Coverage | 95.5 | 94.1 -1% | 99.5 4% | 99.3 4% | 99.4 4% | 90.4 -5% | 99.1 4% |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 68.1 | 65.5 -4% | 86.4 27% | 84 23% | 70.9 4% | 62.3 -9% | 72.9 7% |
| Response Times | -22% | 12% | 28% | -9% | 19% | -2% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 52.4 ? | 70.8 ? -35% | 46.8 ? 11% | 45.6 ? 13% | 59.6 ? -14% | 39 ? 26% | 52 ? 1% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 32 ? | 34.4 ? -8% | 28 ? 12% | 18.4 ? 42% | 32.8 ? -3% | 28 ? 12% | 33.2 ? -4% |
| PWM Frequency | 735 ? | 2475 ? | |||||
| Screen | 7% | 9% | 16% | 8% | -24% | 6% | |
| Brightness middle | 406.7 | 416.3 2% | 368.3 -9% | 493 21% | 293 -28% | 323 -21% | 543.3 34% |
| Brightness | 382 | 400 5% | 361 -5% | 453 19% | 277 -27% | 313 -18% | 524 37% |
| Brightness Distribution | 88 | 89 1% | 90 2% | 85 -3% | 89 1% | 80 -9% | 92 5% |
| Black Level * | 0.28 | 0.29 -4% | 0.22 21% | 0.3 -7% | 0.18 36% | 0.36 -29% | 0.38 -36% |
| Contrast | 1453 | 1436 -1% | 1674 15% | 1643 13% | 1628 12% | 897 -38% | 1430 -2% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 3.74 | 2.69 28% | 3.27 13% | 2.2 41% | 2.95 21% | 4.86 -30% | 3.02 19% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 5.92 | 4.95 16% | 5.43 8% | 5.6 5% | 6.03 -2% | 7.52 -27% | 7.61 -29% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated * | 2.18 | 2.13 2% | 2.33 -7% | 1.2 45% | 0.9 59% | 3.64 -67% | 1.23 44% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 4.3 | 2.9 33% | 2.9 33% | 3.6 16% | 4.2 2% | 4.83 -12% | 5 -16% |
| Gamma | 2.19 100% | 2.4 92% | 2.2 100% | 2.17 101% | 2.099 105% | 2.64 83% | 2.02 109% |
| CCT | 6781 96% | 6623 98% | 6071 107% | 6754 96% | 6622 98% | 7405 88% | 6550 99% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 61.6 | 60.1 -2% | 76.8 25% | 75.2 22% | 71 15% | 57.5 -7% | 66.8 8% |
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 95.1 | 94.5 -1% | 99.5 5% | 99.3 4% | 93 -2% | 90.3 -5% | 99.6 5% |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -6% /
2% | 15% /
13% | 22% /
19% | 1% /
5% | -4% /
-15% | 3% /
5% |
* ... smaller is better
Color space covers >95 percent of sRGB much like on most mid-range to high-end Ultrabooks these days. The 4K panel option from HP can offer even deeper and more accurate colors much like on the Vaio Z or Lenovo Yoga 9i 14.
X-Rite colorimeter measurements show an overly cool color temperature out of the box which can be addressed with a calibration. Both grayscale and color DeltaE values are excellent at just 2.4 and 2.18, respectively, after calibrating the panel ourselves.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 32 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 17.2 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 14.8 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 83 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (22.3 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 52.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 26.8 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 25.6 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.25 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 87 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (35.2 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18889 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
Outdoor visibility is average on our 400-nit test unit because of the glossy overlay and resulting glare. The 1000-nit option is over two times brighter than most other subnotebooks if outdoor visibility is a priority. Keep in mind that the anti-glare display will likely be grainier than glossy and that the option cannot be combined with the 1000-nit display; it's either one or the other.
Performance
Only 10th gen Comet Lake-U options are available on the EliteBook x360 1040 G7 due to the series support for Intel vPro. Newer Ice Lake or 11th gen Tiger Lake-U options would have been faster especially in terms of graphics performance, but vPro on Tiger Lake is not yet widely available at the time of writing. It would've been nice to see some AMD Ryzen SKUs to complement the Intel options nonetheless.
RAM is soldered and there are no discrete GPU options much like on the EliteBook x360 1040 G5.
Processor
CPU performance is within single-digit percentages of the average Core i7-10810U laptop in our database. Turbo Boost sustainability, however, is below average. The MSI Prestige 14 comes with the same Core i7 CPU and yet it is able to outscore our HP system in CineBench R15 xT by almost 40 percent before factoring in throttling as shown by our graph below.
Users who choose the Core i7-10710U option instead may see multi-thread performance gains of over 30 percent, but they would also lose out on the vPro security features of the Core i7-10810U.
Cinebench R15: CPU Multi 64Bit | CPU Single 64Bit
Blender: v2.79 BMW27 CPU
7-Zip 18.03: 7z b 4 -mmt1 | 7z b 4
Geekbench 5.4: Single-Core | Multi-Core
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2: 4k Preset
LibreOffice : 20 Documents To PDF
R Benchmark 2.5: Overall mean
* ... smaller is better
System Performance
PCMark 10 results are where we expect them to be relative to other laptops with the same Core i7-10810U CPU. Nonetheless, the system scores consistently lower than many Ultrabooks with newer Tiger Lake CPUs due to the immense graphics advantages available on Intel's 11th gen platform.
| PCMark 8 | |
| Home Score Accelerated v2 | |
| Dell XPS 13 9310 Core i7 FHD | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX435EG | |
| Average Intel Core i7-10810U, Intel UHD Graphics 620 (3569 - 3969, n=3) | |
| HP Elitebook x360 1040 G5 | |
| Work Score Accelerated v2 | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX435EG | |
| Average Intel Core i7-10810U, Intel UHD Graphics 620 (4763 - 5149, n=3) | |
| HP Elitebook x360 1040 G5 | |
| Dell XPS 13 9310 Core i7 FHD | |
| PCMark 10 Score | 4459 points | |
Help | ||
DPC Latency
LatencyMon reveals DPC latency issues when opening multiple browser tabs on our homepage even after several retests which is disappointing for what is supposed to be a reliable low-power business laptop. 4K video playback at 60 FPS is otherwise smooth and with no dropped frames.
| DPC Latencies / LatencyMon - interrupt to process latency (max), Web, Youtube, Prime95 | |
| HP EliteBook x360 1040 G7, i7-10810U | |
| Lenovo Yoga 9 14 ITL 4K | |
| Dell XPS 13 9310 Core i7 FHD | |
| MSI Prestige 14 Evo A11M-005 | |
| VAIO Z VJZ141C11L | |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX435EG | |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices
There is only one internal M.2 2280 PCIe x4 slot with optional Optane. Future models may incorporate PCIe 4.0 compatibility much like on the recent Vaio Z. More SSD and HDD comparison benchmarks can be found here.
| HP EliteBook x360 1040 G7, i7-10810U Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ | VAIO Z VJZ141C11L Samsung PM9A1 MZVL2512HCJQ | MSI Prestige 14 Evo A11M-005 Phison 512GB SM280512GKBB4S-E162 | Asus Zenbook 14 UX435EG Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR | Dell XPS 13 9310 Core i7 FHD Micron 2300 512GB MTFDHBA512TDV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AS SSD | 66% | 34% | 34% | -32% | |
| Seq Read | 2857 | 5533 94% | 3760 32% | 2861 0% | 2091 -27% |
| Seq Write | 1394 | 3289 136% | 2335 68% | 2837 104% | 1396 0% |
| 4K Read | 51.5 | 72.5 41% | 66.8 30% | 60.3 17% | 49.29 -4% |
| 4K Write | 136.1 | 213.7 57% | 184.3 35% | 164.2 21% | 104.2 -23% |
| 4K-64 Read | 793 | 2128 168% | 1801 127% | 1598 102% | 827 4% |
| 4K-64 Write | 1536 | 2032 32% | 1754 14% | 1572 2% | 1636 7% |
| Access Time Read * | 0.047 | 0.039 17% | 0.135 -187% | 0.046 2% | 0.066 -40% |
| Access Time Write * | 0.08 | 0.06 25% | 0.018 77% | 0.021 74% | 0.365 -356% |
| Score Read | 1130 | 2754 144% | 2244 99% | 1945 72% | 1086 -4% |
| Score Write | 1811 | 2574 42% | 2172 20% | 2020 12% | 1880 4% |
| Score Total | 3459 | 6629 92% | 5500 59% | 4966 44% | 3499 1% |
| Copy ISO MB/s | 2076 | 2235 8% | 2414 16% | 1544 -26% | |
| Copy Program MB/s | 558 | 796 43% | 575 3% | 613 10% | |
| Copy Game MB/s | 1332 | 1652 24% | 1408 6% | 1451 9% | |
| CrystalDiskMark 5.2 / 6 | 68% | 30% | 30% | -9% | |
| Write 4K | 133.1 | 236.7 78% | 248.4 87% | 211.8 59% | 97.5 -27% |
| Read 4K | 57.7 | 78.6 36% | 56.4 -2% | 50.1 -13% | 50.9 -12% |
| Write Seq | 2159 | 3689 71% | 2513 16% | 2938 36% | 1811 -16% |
| Read Seq | 2495 | 4340 74% | 2250 -10% | 2639 6% | 1836 -26% |
| Write 4K Q32T1 | 423.3 | 646 53% | 589 39% | 656 55% | 521 23% |
| Read 4K Q32T1 | 369.3 | 717 94% | 696 88% | 723 96% | 357.5 -3% |
| Write Seq Q32T1 | 2984 | 4396 47% | 2515 -16% | 3022 1% | 2879 -4% |
| Read Seq Q32T1 | 3556 | 6804 91% | 4915 38% | 3561 0% | 3204 -10% |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | 67% /
67% | 32% /
32% | 32% /
33% | -21% /
-24% |
* ... smaller is better
Disk Throttling: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
GPU Performance
The UHD Graphics 620 is sorely outdated when put against newer integrated GPUs like the Iris Plus G7, Iris Xe, or the Radeon RX Vega series. Any sort of graphics editing would run significantly smoother on an Intel Ice Lake, Tiger Lake, or AMD Zen 2/Zen 3 laptop instead.
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 2243 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 10350 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 1313 points | |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | 509 points | |
Help | ||
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
| Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 84.4 | 54.2 | 23.5 | 21 |
| Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 14.3 | 6.92 | 5.04 | |
| X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 21.2 | 16.1 | 14 |
Emissions
System Noise
The cooling appears to be largely identical to the 1040 G5 even though the two systems look quite different from the outside. The fans will idle during most low-to-medium loads like web browsing or video streaming. Running 3DMark 06 for 90 seconds causes fan noise to jump to 30 dB(A) to still be quieter than many faster Tiger Lake Ultrabooks in the market. We're able to record a maximum of 38 dB(A) when running Prime95 which is a scenario most users will not be experiencing.
We can notice no electronic noise or coil whine on our test unit.
| HP EliteBook x360 1040 G7, i7-10810U UHD Graphics 620, i7-10810U, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ | VAIO Z VJZ141C11L Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-11375H, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL2512HCJQ | Lenovo Yoga 9 14 ITL 4K Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1185G7, WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-1T00 | MSI Prestige 14 Evo A11M-005 Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1185G7, Phison 512GB SM280512GKBB4S-E162 | Asus Zenbook 14 UX435EG GeForce MX450, i7-1165G7, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR | Dell XPS 13 9310 Core i7 FHD Iris Xe G7 96EUs, i7-1165G7, Micron 2300 512GB MTFDHBA512TDV | HP Elitebook x360 1040 G5 UHD Graphics 620, i7-8650U, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noise | -16% | -11% | -19% | -10% | 1% | -9% | |
| off / environment * | 25.2 | 26.1 -4% | 24.9 1% | 24 5% | 25.6 -2% | 25.7 -2% | 28.3 -12% |
| Idle Minimum * | 25.2 | 26.1 -4% | 24.9 1% | 25 1% | 25.6 -2% | 25.7 -2% | 28.3 -12% |
| Idle Average * | 25.2 | 26.1 -4% | 28.3 -12% | 27 -7% | 25.6 -2% | 25.7 -2% | 28.3 -12% |
| Idle Maximum * | 25.2 | 29.9 -19% | 29.5 -17% | 39 -55% | 26.3 -4% | 25.9 -3% | 28.3 -12% |
| Load Average * | 30 | 36.3 -21% | 39.7 -32% | 43 -43% | 41.6 -39% | 26.2 13% | 32.6 -9% |
| Load Maximum * | 38.1 | 55.4 -45% | 39.7 -4% | 43 -13% | 41.6 -9% | 36.6 4% | 36.6 4% |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 43.7 | 39.7 | 39 | 41.6 | 36.5 |
* ... smaller is better
Noise Level
| Idle |
| 25.2 / 25.2 / 25.2 dB(A) |
| Load |
| 30 / 38.1 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min:  , med:  , max:  Earthworks M23R, Arta (15 cm distance) environment noise: 25.2 dB(A) | ||
Temperature
Surface temperature profile is symmetrical under load due to the symmetrical cooling solution within. The palm rests remain cool while the keyboard center can be as warm as 37 C. Average temperature is cooler than what we observed on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 36.6 °C / 98 F, compared to the average of 35.3 °C / 96 F, ranging from 19.6 to 55.7 °C for the class Convertible.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 46.2 °C / 115 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 23.7 °C / 75 F, compared to the device average of 30.2 °C / 86 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 24.8 °C / 76.6 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(+) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.2 °C / 82.8 F (+3.4 °C / 6.2 F).
Stress Test
When stressed with Prime95 on High Performance mode, the CPU would boost to 3.2 GHz for just a few seconds until hitting a core temperature of 98 C. Clock rates would then drop to just 1.6 GHz in order to maintain a cooler 71 C core temperature. Turbo Boost sustainability is therefore mediocre at best which aligns with our CineBench loop test and power consumption observations.
Running on battery will limit CPU performance. A 3DMark 11 test on battery power would result in Physics and Graphics scores 8239 and 1939 points, respectively, compared to 9261 and 1959 points when on mains.
| CPU Clock (GHz) | GPU Clock (MHz) | Average CPU Temperature (°C) | |
| System Idle | -- | -- | 40 |
| Prime95 Stress | 1.6 - 1.7 | -- | 72 |
| Prime95 + FurMark Stress | 0.9 | 699 | 67 |
Speakers
HP EliteBook x360 1040 G7, i7-10810U audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (89.5 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 10.7% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 5.8% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (5.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (10.4% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 4% of all tested devices in this class were better, 3% similar, 93% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 20%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 5% of all tested devices were better, 2% similar, 93% worse
» The best had a delta of 3%, average was 20%, worst was 65%
Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 11.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (9.3% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 4% of all tested devices in this class were better, 1% similar, 95% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 18%, worst was 50%
Compared to all devices tested
» 3% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 96% worse
» The best had a delta of 3%, average was 20%, worst was 65%
Energy Management
Power Consumption
Power consumption is lower than on the Whiskey Lake-U EliteBook x360 1040 G5 when running undemanding loads while the opposite is true when running more demanding loads. Most notably, running 3DMark 06 consumes about as much power as the Tiger Lake-powered Lenovo Yoga 9 14 or Dell XPS 13 9310 even though these alternatives are able to offer +200% faster graphics performance than our HP. The data shows how much the UHD Graphics 620 has fallen behind the latest integrated GPU solutions.
We're able to record a maximum of 70.8 W from the small (~8.7 x 5.5 x 2.1 cm) 65 W AC adapter when running Prime95. However, the rate is only temporary as shown by our graph below due to CPU thermal limitations.
| Off / Standby | 0.26 / 0.44 Watt |
| Idle | 1.6 / 4.5 / 5.2 Watt |
| Load |
41.7 / 70.8 Watt |
   
| |
| HP EliteBook x360 1040 G7, i7-10810U i7-10810U, UHD Graphics 620, Samsung SSD PM981a MZVLB512HBJQ, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | VAIO Z VJZ141C11L i7-11375H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, Samsung PM9A1 MZVL2512HCJQ, IPS, 3840x2160, 14.00 | Lenovo Yoga 9 14 ITL 4K i7-1185G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, WDC PC SN730 SDBPNTY-1T00, IPS, 3840x2160, 14.00 | MSI Prestige 14 Evo A11M-005 i7-1185G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, Phison 512GB SM280512GKBB4S-E162, IPS-Level, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Asus Zenbook 14 UX435EG i7-1165G7, GeForce MX450, Samsung PM981a MZVLB1T0HBLR, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | Dell XPS 13 9310 Core i7 FHD i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, Micron 2300 512GB MTFDHBA512TDV, IPS, 1920x1200, 13.40 | HP Elitebook x360 1040 G5 i7-8650U, UHD Graphics 620, Samsung SSD PM981 MZVLB512HAJQ, IPS, 1920x1080, 14.00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | -180% | -85% | -80% | -72% | -32% | -40% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 1.6 | 9.5 -494% | 4.2 -163% | 5 -213% | 3.4 -113% | 3.9 -144% | 2.7 -69% |
| Idle Average * | 4.5 | 13.7 -204% | 10 -122% | 7 -56% | 7.6 -69% | 5.9 -31% | 6.5 -44% |
| Idle Maximum * | 5.2 | 14.4 -177% | 13.2 -154% | 11 -112% | 14.2 -173% | 6.3 -21% | 11.5 -121% |
| Load Average * | 41.7 | 54.3 -30% | 42.4 -2% | 54 -29% | 56 -34% | 39.7 5% | 38.7 7% |
| Load Maximum * | 70.8 | 65.5 7% | 60.5 15% | 65 8% | 50.4 29% | 47.5 33% | 50.5 29% |
| Witcher 3 ultra * | 46.1 | 43 | 39 | 41 | 34.8 |
* ... smaller is better
Battery Life
Runtimes are very long largely due to the high capacity 78 Wh battery compared to <60 Wh on most other subnotebooks. We're able to record over 18 hours of constant WLAN use at 150 nits brightness. Less expensive SKUs with the smaller 54 Wh battery are also available with shorter runtimes.
Charging from empty to full capacity with the included USB-C adapter takes just under two hours.
| HP EliteBook x360 1040 G7, i7-10810U i7-10810U, UHD Graphics 620, 78.6 Wh | VAIO Z VJZ141C11L i7-11375H, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, 53 Wh | Lenovo Yoga 9 14 ITL 4K i7-1185G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, 60 Wh | MSI Prestige 14 Evo A11M-005 i7-1185G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, 52.4 Wh | Asus Zenbook 14 UX435EG i7-1165G7, GeForce MX450, 63 Wh | Dell XPS 13 9310 Core i7 FHD i7-1165G7, Iris Xe G7 96EUs, 52 Wh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | -62% | -61% | -73% | -68% | -45% | |
| Reader / Idle | 3768 | 825 -78% | 1109 -71% | 1800 -52% | ||
| WiFi v1.3 | 1128 | 424 -62% | 531 -53% | 451 -60% | 507 -55% | 657 -42% |
| Load | 334 | 103 -69% | 68 -80% | 73 -78% | 193 -42% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict
The EliteBook x360 1040 G5 was one of our favorite subnotebook convertibles in 2019 and the EliteBook x360 1040 G7 has no issues retaining this status. It'll cost you a pretty penny, but its wide range of practical features and ease of use are something other manufacturers should aspire to when designing ultrathin business laptops. You're not going to find both 1000-nit brightness options and WAN features on a Dell Latitude or Lenovo ThinkPad, for example.
Strong design with an impressive set of integrated functions and auxiliary features. The outdated UHD graphics brings down an otherwise excellent convertible.
The Achilles heel is its ancient UHD Graphics 620 GPU and the lack of any superior options. When a Tiger Lake or Zen 2 Renoir CPU can offer 2x to 3x the graphics performance under the same 15 W power envelope, then it's a clear sign that the Comet Lake-U CPU here is holding back the rest of the system. We suspect that the next iteration of the EliteBook x360 1040 will incorporate newer CPUs with much faster graphics since Tiger Lake and Zen 3 with vPro and Pro features are now starting to become widely available on laptops. If you're a light-to-moderate graphics editor who could use the extra graphics horsepower, then it would be best to wait until then.
Price and availability
HP EliteBook x360 1040 G7, i7-10810U
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03/10/2021 v7
Allen Ngo
