HP EliteBook x360 1040 G5 Laptop Review UK (2026). Tested & Rated

You know what the spec sheet won’t tell you about a laptop? Whether it’ll actually get you through a full day without hunting for a socket. Or if the fans sound like a jet engine taking off during a Teams call. Or whether that ‘premium’ chassis feels like it’ll survive being chucked in a bag every morning.

I’ve spent the past month with the HP EliteBook x360 1040 G5, and here’s the thing: this is a 2018-era business laptop that’s still kicking about in 2026. That’s either brilliant or bonkers, depending on what you need. At its current price point, it’s competing against modern budget machines with newer chips and longer battery claims. But does age matter when the fundamentals are solid?

This isn’t a shiny new release. It’s a refurbished or surplus business machine that’s found its way into the consumer market. And honestly? That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Business laptops from HP’s EliteBook range were built to survive corporate life, which means they’re generally tougher than your average consumer laptop.

And you know what? That’s absolutely fine. Business laptops are built differently. They’re designed to survive being lugged through airports, dropped on desks, and used for 8+ hours a day. The EliteBook range sits at the top of HP’s business lineup, which means this thing was expensive when it was new.

The chassis is properly solid. Pick it up and it feels like a tool, not a toy. The aluminium is CNC-machined, which means it’s cut from a single block rather than stamped out. You can tell the difference when you press on the keyboard deck. There’s barely any flex, even when you’re typing hard.

The 360-degree hinge is what makes this a convertible. You can flip the screen all the way back and use it as a chunky tablet. Is it practical? Sort of. It’s heavy for tablet use, but brilliant for presentations or watching stuff on a plane. The hinge is still tight on my unit, which is impressive given its age.

At 1.35kg, this is properly portable. Fits in any laptop bag and doesn’t feel like you’re carrying a brick. The charger is old-school barrel plug though, which means you can’t just use a phone charger in a pinch.

The touchscreen is properly responsive. Not that laggy rubbish you get on cheap convertibles. Tap something and it registers immediately. HP also included support for their active pen, though you’ll need to buy that separately if you want it.

There’s this feature called HP Sure View that’s worth mentioning. It’s a privacy screen you can toggle on with a function key. Makes the display harder to read from the side, which is brilliant on trains or in coffee shops. Bit gimmicky maybe, but I’ve actually used it.

The i7-8650U is a quad-core chip that was designed for business ultrabooks. It’s not a powerhouse, but it’s plenty capable for everyday work. I’ve been using this laptop for everything from writing reviews to editing photos in Lightroom, and it’s handled it all without complaint.

That 16GB of RAM is the real hero here. Most budget laptops in 2026 are still shipping with 8GB, which feels cramped the moment you open more than a few browser tabs. Sixteen gigs means you can have Slack, Spotify, Chrome with 20 tabs, and a couple of Office apps open without things grinding to a halt.

In actual use, the performance is fine. Word, Excel, PowerPoint? No problems. Chrome with a million tabs? Bit sluggish sometimes, but manageable. Photo editing in Lightroom? Works, though you’ll notice the lag when applying heavy filters. Video editing? Forget it, unless you’re working with 1080p footage and have patience.

The trackpad is glass, which means it’s smooth. None of that plasticky drag you get on cheap laptops. It’s not massive, but it’s big enough. Gestures work properly. Two-finger scroll is smooth, three-finger swipes between desktops work every time. The click is a bit loud, but it’s consistent.

In my typical work day (writing in Google Docs, Slack running, Spotify streaming, maybe 10 Chrome tabs), I’m getting about five and a half hours. That’s with brightness at 50%, which is comfortable indoors. Crank it up to 75% for outdoor use and you’re looking at closer to four hours.

Video playback is better because the screen isn’t changing as much. I managed seven and a half hours watching downloaded Netflix shows at 50% brightness. But that’s not a realistic use case unless you’re on a long flight.

The aluminium chassis helps dissipate heat. You’ll feel a warm spot above the keyboard when you’re pushing it, but the palm rests stay comfortable. Fine for lap use during normal work, though you’ll notice the warmth during sustained loads.

For typical office work, the fans barely spin up. Even when they do, it’s a low whoosh rather than that annoying high-pitched whine some laptops have. Fine for meetings and libraries. Only gets loud during sustained heavy work, which is rare for most users.

Two Thunderbolt 3 ports means you can connect to any dock or external GPU. The HDMI port is brilliant for presentations without needing dongles. Only downside is no USB-C charging, so you’re stuck carrying the proprietary charger. WiFi 5 is a generation behind, but still plenty fast for most internet connections.

The microphones are actually good. I’ve done probably 50 video calls on this laptop and nobody’s complained about audio quality. HP’s noise reduction works well enough to filter out keyboard typing and background noise.

But the speakers. These are properly impressive for a thin laptop. HP partnered with Bang & Olufsen and fitted four speakers. They fire upwards from above the keyboard and get surprisingly loud without distorting. There’s actual bass, not just tinny treble. You can watch a film without headphones and not feel like you’re missing out.

At this price, you’re getting specs that would cost £800+ new. The trade-off is age and battery life, but for productivity work, it’s brilliant value. Most new laptops at this price have 8GB RAM and plastic builds.