HP EliteBook 2540p

The HP EliteBook P Series is a lightweight, ultraportable alternative to its Workstation line the W Series.

Whereas with the W Series, you are to expect high power and uncompromised speed, processing and usability – the Professional line is targeted to the road warrior businessmen and women.

The P Series comes with micro 12.1 inch screens, which indicate the size of the chassis in general, EliteBook P’s are made to rest on your lap as you work away during the commute. They will then continue to perform admirably in the office or at home, until you have the need to reach out to a desktop or desktop replacement.

What we like best

Component-wise you can expect pretty much similar levels of performance across the series. The 2530p, is the lighter and more mobile member of the family, which benefits mostly from the standard specs.

The military standard testing for protection against vibration, impact and heat exposure means that these systems give you a very solid feel. There is no need for light fingers and careful movement with any of these notebooks.

The 2730p is twin to the 2530p but has the added feature of a rotatable screen, making shared work on the PC and mini-presentations to a small group possible.

The 2540p boasts a higher storage capability then the others and it also comes in a lighter shade of aluminium brushed metal, rather than the usual matte black that dominates the business notebook caste.

What we like least

Although the DuraCase chassis functions well to minimise heat and fan noise on these notebooks, under heavy stress, a noticeable sound is made.

If you wish to keep your commute quiet, run the less heavy apps whilst on the train.

That said the battery is more than capable of handling it. The Li-Ion battery does seem to sit a little loosely and you will only get around 3 hours usage which is mediocre for laptops of this size.