Review HP EliteBook 2740p Notebook

As ever the HP Elitebook 2740p also has a very solid well manufactured and altogether high quality case, just like its predecessor. The working area, display frame, and display lid are all covered with an aluminum surface which is slightly textured, something that has a positive impact both haptically and optically. Imprecise gaps, bendable surfaces, or loose panels? Definitely not the case! Even the display lid doesn't allow any bending, although in return it is also a bit thicker than usual.

The grippy black surfaces on the bottom part of the chassis have been kept although it is also primarily composed of aluminum, and provides a large panel behind which the usual components are located, as well as the required slot for the battery. The battery not only has to be removed to replace the battery, but also to gain access to the SIM card shaft beneath it.

Although the battery is located towards the front of the notebook, the weight distribution is only just well enough balanced to allow opening the display with one hand. The display is attached to the base of the notebook by a central swivel hinge, and can be turned around towards the back clockwise. While the HP2710p, which our editorial team has been using for a long time, did not allow for a lot of leeway with setting the display position, the tested model showed significantly more versatility in this respect. This could be a characteristic of the tested sample, since there haven't been any obvious changes to the hinge construction. In our case at least the display doesn't hold in place very well when rested on a moving surface, and shifted depending on the intensity of the movement.

When the lid is closed the display lid is held by a central locking mechanism. Between the display and the palm resting area there is still always a small gap of 1-2 mm, through which small items can get in between the two and potentially cause damage to the surfaces. This was also already the case with the predecessor, and is a problem with the construction of the case.

Immediately obvious differences between the Elitebook 2740p and the original HP 2710p are the somewhat partially newly arranged interface locations, the improved pen attachment, the newly available touchpad, the new arrangement of the keys (adapted to newer models), and the new clearly improved keyboard illumination in the display frame which no longer easily drops out.