Your experience with the Sure View feature is pretty strange - I used an Elitebook 1040 with Sure View a couple of years ago, and now I'm using a newer 1040 without it and I missed this feature A LOT.
I had absolutely no limitaion of side view if the Sure View is disabled (it can be enabled and disabled using a dedicated function key) and the screen was amazing and fully visible from any angle with Sure View disabled - but pressing the Sure View key I can see only from a very strict angle and I can work in plane or in train without any worry.
Based on my experience in the past years, I have the serious impression that the unit you tested is somehow defective and the Sure View tecnology has been always enabled during your tests.
HP's changed naming scheme is allowing it to charge a hefty premium for its new 14-inch business 2-in-1. We take a look at what the EliteBook X Flip G1i offers compared to its predecessor, the Elite x360 1040 G11 2-in-1.