In brief, the Envy is a indeed light system with plenty of power, but it never feels premium, nor does the battery life reach adequate levels.
Sure, it comes in a nice black box labelled “ENVY” with properly monolithic upscalism. And the computer itself is wrapped in a very, very soft black cloth.
But once removed, I can’t distinguish this $US1,800 laptop from any random PC on a table at Best Buy. HP’s premium laptop, one that’s been oooh’d and ahhh’d ad nauseam, could have been a $US600 budget laptop.
It was a surprising thought, but at that moment, I realised something: HP is the new Dell. Disregarding their impressive TouchSmart desktops, HP has built the quintessential drab PC laptop and labelled it as “designer.” Meanwhile, Dell, with their fashion-forward Adamo line, has left rivals like HP somewhere back in 1995.
Kudos, Dell.
I almost hate to continue describing the system, lest I beat a dead horse. The keyboard is adequate, but every impact reverberates through your finger, making the laptop feel more fragile than it probably is. The trackpad, despite multitouch promises, is dreadful to use. Two-finger scrolling is met with a perpetual half-second (or greater) delay, and clicking the buttonless pad (engineered much like a MacBook Pro pad) screams unfinished prototype.
Performance
But my hate-fest for the Envy ends there. If you don’t mind the aesthetics and feel—and at this price, you really should—the system won’t disappoint. The 1.6GHz Core i7, coupled with 6GB of RAM, 500GB 7200RPM HDD, and ATI Mobility Radeon 4830 (with 1GB RAM) has gotten performance nods from around the web.
While the system can’t best 20fps in the higher tiers of Crysis, it can reach 32fps if you scale the graphics down to 1024×768, according to Notebookcheck. Older and less insane titles perform even better.
PCMag’s cross-laptop testing found that the Envy isn’t the fastest laptop out there, but it keeps pace with other Core i7 systems to the point that such a distinction doesn’t really matter. And it’ll shame Core2Duo systems, like the aging MacBook Pro.
In real world use, the speed is a pleasure, and a welcome level of overkill for mediacentric web browsing in an era when Atoms are chugging to just get the job done.
Battery Life
(*nonstop web browsing, Wi-Fi on, screen at 3/4 brightness.)
Misguided Envy
Some of you will be fooled by the light body covered in laser-etched paisley—probably the same among you who can drink instant coffee, listen in 92kbps MP3s and think that SD broadcasts look identical to Blu-ray movies.
HP, Acer, Toshiba, etc, you think I like giving Apple all my money? There’s a staggering amount of design talent in the world. Find it. Fund it. And give it a chance to wipe the smug grin off Cupertino. Offer us all something that we should really be envying.
Light
Fast
Respectable I/O
Feels cheap
Wretched battery life
Hugh
Wednesday, December 2, 2009 at 1:18 PMI’m wondering whether the ‘wretched’ battery life might be a result of reported bugs in the ACPI implementation in the BIOS – there are known issues when the machine is booted connected to mains with SpeedStep and other technologies not being recognised / enabled. Could you re-run the battery life test with the machine booted from battery?
Still no patch from HP for the BIOS – no ACPI means the machine cannot be safely used under Linux (no access to temp sensors, no fan control could result in cooked hardware, especially when combined with the above bug).
Daddy-O
Wednesday, December 2, 2009 at 4:33 PMYou have got to be kidding me. I almost thought that this review was a joke, but it is not even close to April Fools day…so what gives?
First of all, how can the reviewer say that this laptop is big? At 14.96″ x 9.60″ x 1.04″ and 5.19 lbs, it’s not big for a 15″ GAMING laptop. Although I do not care for Mac’s, I have to give credit to the stuff that was done well. The dimensions of the Mac Book Pro (15″) is a trend setting 14.35″ x 9.82″ x .95″ with a weight of 5.5 lbs. But keep in mind, the MBP does not even remotely come close to computing, gaming power, or even the port connectivity even though it is nearly identical in size. Just remember that the optical drive is external (which is fine by me since I use it once in a blue moon now that you can do almost anything via USB now).
To comment on the design of the Envy’s body is one of amazment. I have owned brushed aluminium laptops in the past, and this one takes the cake! Honestly, I feel that the MBP seems a bit plain-jane compared to the subtle designs and colors of this laptop (pictures make the pattern stand out a lot more than it does in real life…if I hadn’t seen it at Best Buy, then I probably wouldn’t have bought it based on the pictures). And to compare it to any Dell is just an insult…I should know because I owned a Dell Studio XPS 16 which IS made of cheap plastics and had to be sent back due to the cheap quality which showed problems within 2 weeks of ownership.
The keyboard is much sturdier and responsive than any that I have used before (Dell, Asus, Fujitsu, Toshiba, and Sony). The touchpad is one of the few parts that I actually agree on. But once you update to the newest drivers, it is a lot easier to use.
As for the battery life, I usually get just over 2 hours out of the main battery. Maybe the reviewer also had Bluetooth on by accident and didn’t report it. But the funny thing is, the reviewer makes a cry out for a bigger battery. Well, if he wouldn’t done any sort of research, he would know that HP offers a “slice” 9-cell add-on battery that attaches to the bottom of the laptop. This gives you a total of 15-cells which works to 4 to 4.5 hours for me (typically). Granted it’s nto great, but look at all the power under the hood and look how thin it still is even with the add-on slice. Heck, it even comes with the “quick ship” models that HP usually has in stock or is shipped to retailers (at least in the USA).
Because I completely disagree with so much of the article, you can see why I thought this review was a joke. Take it with a big grain of salt…
9jager45
Wednesday, December 2, 2009 at 5:43 PMAfter owning one (and returning it) I’d have to agree with the reviewer.
It’s too expensive for what it is. All models should at least come with the battery slice in the box, as the battery life without it is a joke. The plastic surround of the screen was also loose on mine…
Incidentally, I returned it for the reasons Hugh mentioned; the BIOS is (was?) buggy and would overheat the machine in every flavor of Linux I tested.
Wretched Gnu
Wednesday, December 2, 2009 at 6:46 PMUh oh — looks like a Mac fan is a little irritated to find a beautiful, extremely thin 15-inch PC whose hardware slaughters the Macbook Pro’s.
Even his photos manage to put the thing in the worst light possible. Well done!
And I won’t even get into the ridiculous things he dwells on in this “review”, where we’re not even told what GPU is involved, or really anything about the hardware. It just sticks in his craw.
sol
Wednesday, December 2, 2009 at 11:39 PMi haven’t even seen or used one i agree with Daddy-O.
fuck this review. how can you say this is shit when its almost comparable in size and shape to the macbook pro. other than being cheaper, having more power and more ports. OK so it aint built like a mac but it cant be so horrible as to write a review totally wrong as this one. im sure it was a case of man P.M.S. at least you don’t end up being a apple fanboy toting how awesome your computer is when in reality you got a logo instead of a computer built with more power, same design and cheaper.
im writing this from a macbook. i run a hackintosh desktop, a Linux Nettop with XBMC and a XP server. so i aint a windows guy, a linux nerd or a apple fanboy (the worst kind). they all have merit but ill go out on a limp and say Mark Wilson is prop a apple sucking douchebag
TB
Wednesday, December 2, 2009 at 11:42 PM“I at first believed HP had sent me a 17-inch system ”
could the reviewer please point out any 17″ laptop that is 14.96″ x 9.60″ x 1.04″ or even a 15.6″ for that matter, yes i know the Mac Book is smaller.
“the Beats-branded speakers are very balanced and rich…for laptop speakers”
Does the reviewer realize the “Beats” sound system was designed as a line out? Plug a head phones in and hear the difference!
“PCMag’s cross-laptop testing found that the Envy isn’t the fastest laptop out there, but it keeps pace with other Core i7 systems to the point that such a distinction doesn’t really matter”
So the reviewer acknowledges a [b]15.6″ 5.2 lbs[b/] HP Envy is as powerful as a [b]18.4″ 10 lbs[b/] Qosmio or a [b]18.4″ 9 lbs[b/] Acer and you call such a distinction as not mattering!?
“Stick a bigger battery in there, HP. Something. Please”
Its called the “slice” 9 cell battery. Combined with the 6 cell standard battery you have 15 cells for manufacture rated 7.25 hours. Maybe i should point out the Qosmio has a 12 cell battery and manufacture rated 3.3 hours. And still the Envy is lighter than the other mentioned i7 laptops!
Serg
Thursday, December 3, 2009 at 2:46 AMI personally find this review to be quite lacking to say the least.
The HP Envy 15 is a unique laptop. Please, someone point me out to a 15.6 laptop using an i7 and a 40nm GPU from ATI 4830HD (which was not even mentioned in this “review”) and has up to 16GB of DDR3 RAM and comes with WUXGA for under 2K (if you go with the base model). I think before Arrandale comes out, nothing is going to be like this little laptop. Sure, it aint perfect, but the Mac is FAR from being better than this.
The base MBP is cheaper, yes, but the configuration is pretty basic, using only a 9400M G (there is one model that is IGP only). The next config reaches the area of the Envy, and the 3.06GHz version is even more expensive than the Beats Edition HP Envy 15. Now, let us do a small recount of hardware per money.
For around 2K you get an i7 720QM that gos from 1.6 to 2.8GHz. You get a faster and much better GPU with 128bit bus and 1GB GDDR3 built on 40nm! You get either a huge 500GB 7200RPM HDD or SSD+HDD on 1.8″ or SSD+SSD 1.8″ configurations. You get WUXGA from the basic model!
Now the Apple MBP15, for 2K you get a 2.8GHz C2D which is fast, but not as the i7. You get a 9400M G and a 9600M GT, the second being outdated for quite some time (and prone to failure due to it being based on the same core as the infamous 8600M GT). You get a soldered-on-board CPU and GPU (which cannot be replaced), an internal battery that if removed voids your warranty, a WXGA+ screen only. Sure the MBP15 is a very nice performer, but compare it to the Envy 15, for the same amount the Envy 15 has a stronger configuration. So, bang-for-the-buck, the Envy 15 wins.
Sure, the Envy 15 has no fancy glowing fruit on the back, nor an ODD nor E2E. But those are things that can be given away if you measure what you get instead. Battery life is low, and I guess the reviewer did not even know why. Lets make the math, shall we? i7, high-end GPU, 15.6 WUXGA, a large 7200RPM HDD, and not to mention this laptop has 3 fans to keep it cool, not like the MBP that when used (this is actually working on it instead of going to a coffee shop to show off your laptop), the MBP does get hot, and I should know, that thing (even the smaller 13″) has almost burnt my legs when using it on my lap…
Something else I want to notice, the Envy 15 does not heat that much compared to similarly spec’d laptops.
Now, comparing a 15.6 laptop to a 18.4 monster is not fair. We are talking of two different segments of the market here. One is mobile, the other is stationary (I am sure you can guess which laptop corresponds to each segment). Comparable laptop would be the Studio XPS 1645 from Dell, which is larger and heavier and the previous revision (1640) had heating problems.
Next, basing the review on how much the reviewer did NOT like the design, due to it being like a MBP, is not a reason to bash a good system. The Envy 15 design is different, and if for X or Y reason does not appeal you, then dont go for it.
I think the reviewer failed to do its proper homework. Comparing the top-notch Envy 15 to a plastic-made laptop is just wrong. Oh, and the only Dell direct competition to this one would be the Studio XPS 1645, since the M15x weights almost double this one.
I still fail to see how this one can be called too expensive. Most i7 based laptops with good specs are expensive. And dont say the Studio 1557, the Y550p or the DV6t, since none of them compete on this niche. Good graphics, portable and powerful…there is none.
Something else, which was already noted. HP ships this laptop (if you configure it) with an additional 9 cell battery for a total of 15 cells rated at 7H30 by HP.
Also this review has failed to show anything else other than the reviewers despise to the model based on the outer shell, but technical data is not even provided, such as CPU specs, GPU specs, RAM frequency and speed, HDD specs, benchmarks, gaming proofs, FPS done by them…too bad.
Lastly, there have been 2 BIOS updates. It started shipping with the F.04, HP just released the F.06, the updated ClickPad drivers and some minor updates too.
Uh huh
Thursday, December 3, 2009 at 4:40 PMSooooo Mr Reviewer… show me on the doll where the Envy touched you.
Serg
Saturday, December 5, 2009 at 4:35 AMI personally find this review to be lacking to say the least.
The HP Envy 15 is a unique laptop. Please, someone point me out to a 15.6 laptop using an i7 and a 40nm GPU from ATI 4830HD (which was not even mentioned in this “review”) and has up to 16GB of DDR3 RAM and comes with WUXGA for under 2K (if you go with the base model). I think before Arrandale comes out, nothing is going to be like this little laptop. Sure, it aint perfect, but the Mac is FAR from being better than this.
The base MBP is cheaper, yes, but the configuration is pretty basic, using only a 9400M G (there is one model that is IGP only). The next config reaches the area of the Envy, and the 3.06GHz version is even more expensive than the Beats Edition HP Envy 15. Now, let us do a small recount of hardware per money.
For around 2K you get an i7 720QM that gos from 1.6 to 2.8GHz. You get a faster and much better GPU with 128bit bus and 1GB GDDR3 built on 40nm! You get either a huge 500GB 7200RPM HDD or SSD+HDD on 1.8″ or SSD+SSD 1.8″ configurations. You get WUXGA from the basic model!
Now the Apple MBP15, for 2K you get a 2.8GHz C2D which is fast, but not as the i7. You get a 9400M G and a 9600M GT, the second being outdated for quite some time (and prone to failure due to it being based on the same core as the infamous 8600M GT). You get a soldered-on-board CPU and GPU (which cannot be replaced), an internal battery that if removed voids your warranty, a WXGA+ screen only. Sure the MBP15 is a very nice performer, but compare it to the Envy 15, for the same amount the Envy 15 has a stronger configuration. So, bang-for-the-buck, the Envy 15 wins.
Sure, the Envy 15 has no fancy glowing fruit on the back, nor an ODD nor E2E. But those are things that can be given away if you measure what you get instead. Battery life is low, and I guess the reviewer did not even know why. Lets make the math, shall we? i7, high-end GPU, 15.6 WUXGA, a large 7200RPM HDD, and not to mention this laptop has 3 fans to keep it cool, not like the MBP that when used (this is actually working on it instead of going to a coffee shop to show off your laptop), the MBP does get hot, and I should know, that thing (even the smaller 13″) has almost burnt my legs when using it on my lap…
Something else I want to notice, the Envy 15 does not heat that much compared to similarly spec’d laptops.
Now, comparing a 15.6 laptop to a 18.4 monster is not fair. We are talking of two different segments of the market here. One is mobile, the other is stationary (I am sure you can guess which laptop corresponds to each segment). Comparable laptop would be the Studio XPS 1645 from Dell, which is larger and heavier and the previous revision (1640) had heating problems.
Next, basing the review on how much the reviewer did NOT like the design, due to it being like a MBP, is not a reason to bash a good system. The Envy 15 design is different, and if for X or Y reason does not appeal you, then dont go for it.
I think the reviewer failed to do its proper homework. Comparing the top-notch Envy 15 to a plastic-made laptop is just wrong. Oh, and the only Dell direct competition to this one would be the Studio XPS 1645, since the M15x weights almost double this one.
I still fail to see how this one can be called too expensive. Most i7 based laptops with good specs are expensive. And dont say the Studio 1557, the Y550p or the DV6t, since none of them compete on this niche. Good graphics, portable and powerful…there is none.
Something else, which was already noted. HP ships this laptop (if you configure it) with an additional 9 cell battery for a total of 15 cells rated at 7H30 by HP.
Also this review has failed to show anything else other than the reviewers despise to the model based on the outer shell, but technical data is not even provided, such as CPU specs, GPU specs, RAM frequency and speed, HDD specs, benchmarks, gaming proofs, FPS done by them…too bad.
Lastly, there have been 2 BIOS updates. It started shipping with the F.04, HP just released the F.06, the updated ClickPad drivers and some minor updates too.
Dean
Monday, December 7, 2009 at 6:58 PMThis is a very emotional and uninformative review.
Jeff
Thursday, February 18, 2010 at 2:40 AMAfter reading all these reviews I am somewhat amazed. I just ordered an Envy 15, and while it hasn’t arrived yet I have had a chance to play with it in stores and run several performance tests and I like the results.
First of all I’ve used a laptop day in and day out since about 1999. With the exception of installing software and operating systems I bet I’d use my CD-ROM less than 50 times in the last 11 years. The fact is software is now by and large downloaded off the Internet, I would prefer to install an operating system from a thumb drive and you’re better off transferring files using either wireless LAN, e-mail or thumb drive. All that being said I specifically sought out a laptop that DOES NOT come with a CD-ROM. CD-ROMs on laptops slow boot time, use a battery, and most of all take up space. For those extremely rare occurrences when you actually need one there is a USB CD-ROM available. this isn’t to say that I don’t watch movies on my laptop. In fact I fly quite often and usually watch a video or two on the plane. For those who want to use this as a portable DVD player you will get better battery life and performance if you simply copy DVD to your hard drive and then just watch it from there.
Second of all, every single review I’ve seen that compares this computer to another computer is comparing it to a 17 inch 10 to 12 pound laptop. I have no idea why people are comparing it this way and frankly it makes absolutely no sense. You don’t compare semi trucks to pick up trucks or plasma TVs to portable DVD players or even laptops to desktops. At the end of the day there is a massive difference between a 15 inch 5 pound laptop and a 17 inch 10 to 12 pound laptop. If you don’t believe me try lugging your 17 inch “desktop replacement computer” from one end of the Atlanta airport to the other.
The bottom line is for the size and weight there is simply nothing I have found with this kind of performance and every review comparing this laptop to another one is comparing it to a 17 inch behemoth that I have no interest in lugging around.
I will admit there is a downside to this laptop though, and that is HP. HP is seriously lacking in anybody with technical expertise. They have been unable to tell me whether the drives are SATA 150 or SATA 300, what type of solid-state drives are available, whether you can raid the two drives (that’s right for such a tiny laptop it has the ability to have two hard drives), and if the processor is soldered.
If anybody can answer these questions I would seriously appreciate it.
kdh
Thursday, December 17, 2009 at 12:18 PMwow this review sucks and gives no important info whatsoever.