The elegant case of the EliteBook 840 G4 did not change this year. HP once again uses a combination of magnesium alloy and painted aluminum, only the bottom is made of dark plastic. The palm rests are therefore cool to touch and fingerprints are no problem. We really like the design with the mixture of black and silver. The lid has a silver HP logo, but there are otherwise no design elements. HP uses a visual trick, because the chassis gets a bit slimmer towards the front, so the laptop itself appears thinner than it actually is.

The stability of the base unit is also good and only a lot of pressure can warp the surfaces, which also results in slight creaking sounds. The thin lid is not as stable and can easily be twisted. Pressure from behind will also create ripples on the screen. The hinges have black plastic covers and are smooth, but they have some play and the display will quickly bounce. The maximum opening angle is sufficient at ~145 degrees. We can hear some creaking from the hinges when we adjust the angle, but it is not as bad compared to some shown in user videos on the Internet. Obviously we cannot check the long-term effects during our short review period.

This is the second model year with the same chassis, but it still holds up very well in our size comparison. The footprint is very similar between all comparison devices. This is also the case for the height, except for the noticeably slimmer EliteBook Folio 1040 G3. At ~1.9 cm and a weight of around 1.5 kg, the 14-inch laptop is very portable and can easily be stored in a bag or backpack.