HP EliteBook x360 14" 1040 G7 2020, Core i7-10610U, 16GB, 512GB SSD, Silver

A premium business chassis with a budget-tier CPU. Buy it for the hinge and ports, not the performance.

The i7-10610U with 16GB of RAM handles basic office work, web browsing, and video calls without much drama. But the moment you push it, the 15W TDP and aging architecture show their age. Our database puts this CPU in the 15th percentile, which means it's slower than the vast majority of laptops we've tested. The integrated Intel UHD Graphics are equally underwhelming, landing in the bottom third. Gaming is basically off the table at 12.5/100. What surprised us most is how much the 512GB NVMe SSD helps mask the CPU's sluggishness. Boot times and app launches feel snappier than the processor scores would suggest.

The MacBook Air M4 and Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition are in a completely different league, but they also cost 2-3x more. The real comparison here is against the Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 7, which offers newer internals and better reliability scores for similar money. The ASUS Vivobook Pro 15 gives you a dedicated GPU if you need any graphics capability at all. Where the EliteBook wins is the convertible form factor and port selection. If you don't need the 360-degree hinge, skip this and grab a ThinkPad. If you do need the hinge, this is one of the few affordable options with business-grade build quality.

At $400 refurbished, this is a tough sell unless you specifically need a convertible with this port selection. The 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD are nice, but the CPU bottleneck means you're paying for a chassis that outclasses its internals. For the same money, you can find newer refurbished ThinkPads or even a used M1 MacBook Air that will run circles around this thing. If you can get it closer to $300, it starts making more sense as a secondary machine or a kid's school laptop.

The HP EliteBook x360 1040 G7 is a business convertible that's aging about as gracefully as a flip phone at a 5G launch party. The 360-degree hinge and solid build are still legitimately useful, and the port selection is refreshingly practical for 2025. But that 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10610U is dragging this thing down hard. At around $400 refurbished, you're getting a well-built chassis with a CPU that lands in the bottom 15% of everything we track. The one thing to know: this is a fine secondary machine for light work, not a daily driver for anything demanding.

If you need any real performance, this isn't it. Go get a refurbished ThinkPad E14 Gen 7 or a used M1 MacBook Air instead. If you want to play games or do any creative work, this is absolutely the wrong machine. The integrated graphics and bottom-tier CPU will leave you frustrated. This is strictly a light productivity and web browsing machine for people who specifically want a convertible form factor.

The HP EliteBook x360 1040 G7 is a well-built convertible with a CPU that belongs in a museum. At $400 refurbished, it's only worth considering if you specifically need the 360-degree hinge and the excellent port selection for light productivity work. For everyone else, there are better ways to spend your money. The chassis deserves better internals, and the internals deserve a lower price tag.