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HP’s Envy line is an interesting mix of midrange pricing and premium design. It sits between the budget-oriented Pavilion and the ultra-premium Spectre, offering some of the best features of both. Upgrades introduced this year to the Envy x360 convertible 2-in-1 lineup include a very affordable Envy x360 14 and an Envy x360 15.6 that delivers the first IMAX-certified multimedia experience.
Starting at just $850, the Envy x360 14 may be the most interesting of the three new machines, which also include the Envy x360 17.3. The combination of its design, components and potential build quality makes it a compelling budget option. And media consumers will appreciate the enhanced experience offered by the Envy x360 15.6.
envy x360 14
Available today, the Envy x360 14 checks some of the right boxes for a modern near-budget laptop, and starts at $850 with a maximum price of $1,110.It offers 13th-gen Intel Core CPUs, including the 15-watt Core i7-1355U and Core i5-1335U, with 10 cores (two performance and eight efficient) and 12 threads running at different maximum turbo frequencies Are.Up to 16GB of DDR4-3200 RAM, and up to 1TB PCIe SSD.
The only display option is a bit disappointing: an old-school 14-inch 16:9 Full HD (1,920 x 1080) IPS panel with an 87.6% screen-to-body ratio. It’s an increase in size, but a drop in quality over the previous generation’s 13.3-inch 2.8K OLED display.
Other notable changes include a 5MP webcam with HP’s second-generation HP Presence 2.0 software, a switch from an electronically controlled physical webcam shutter to a manual slider, and a fingerprint reader replacing the IR camera for Windows 11 Halo support. The laptop has gained greater sustainability with the use of additional recycled materials. It retains the stamped all-aluminum chassis and lid for durability. All new Envy x360 models include HP’s user-presence technology that will lock the laptop when the user leaves and wake it up when the user returns and log back in.
The laptop is a bit thick at 0.75 inches and reasonably light at 3.3 pounds. Connectivity will include a USB-C port along with Thunderbolt 4, USB-A and HDMI port, along with a microSD card reader and 3.5mm audio jack. The Envy x360 14 will pack a 43 watt-hour battery for up to 12.5 hours of video playback. And all machines will include an HP USB-C rechargeable MPP2.0 Tilt Pen for Windows 11 ink support.
envy x360 15.6
The Envy x360 15.6 will start at $950 when it’s introduced later in April 2023. It will offer a choice of Intel and AMD versions, with the Intel model featuring either the Core i5-1335U or Core i7-1355U, featuring up to 16GB of LPDDR5. 5200 RAM, up to 1TB PCIe Gen4 SSD, and up to Nvidia RTX 3050 GPU. Intel model display options will include a 15.6-inch 16:9 Full HD OLED display or one of two IPS displays with 400 or 250 nits brightness.
The OLED model will include IMAX certification, exclusive expanded aspect ratio on select movies, a unique version of DTS:X audio, and exclusive, digitally remastered HDR content. HP hasn’t clarified what exactly this Imax certification means or how it’s tested.
AMD models will offer a choice between AMD Ryzen 7 7730U 8-core/16-thread and Ryzen 5 7530U 6-core/12-thread CPUs, AMD Radeon graphics, and the same RAM, storage, and display options as with Intel Is. version.
The Envy x360 15.6 will share the same webcam as the smaller model and will also switch to a manual webcam shutter. The machine will be a reasonably thin 0.72 inches and weigh 4.13 pounds. A variety of ports will be available, including USB-C (with Thunderbolt 4 on Intel models), USB-A, HDMI, and an audio jack. The 55 watt-hour battery will provide up to 17 hours of video playback.
envy x360 17.3
The Envy x360 17.3 will be available in May 2023 starting at $1,150. It will be configured more powerfully, with options for the Core i7-1355U, the 45-watt 12-core/16-thread Core i5-13500H, and the 45-watt 14-core/16-thread Core i7-13700H. CPU. RAM can be configured up to 32GB DDR4-3200 RAM and 1GB PCIe SSD. Display options include a 17.3-inch 16:9 4K (3,840 x 2,160) IPS display and a choice between touch and no-touch Full HD panels.
The battery will be the same size as the Envy x360 15.6, reducing battery life to just 11.75 hours of video playback. Connectivity will be the same with USB-C and Thunderbolt 4, USB-A, HDMI, and an audio port. The laptop will be 0.77 inches thick and weigh 5.5 pounds.
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