Hands-on review: HP Envy 15 (2015)

HP has always presented its Envy series up as a range of higher-end laptops that are still within reach of the everyman. So it's not too surprising to see how this series has produced mixed results, whether it's a plastic creaky frame or dismal screen resolution.

This year, however, HP has pulled out all the stops to make a better all-around machine that's lighter and thinner, all while delivering better battery life. It might sound like the usual slew of marketing promises, but the HP Envy 15 is shaping up to be a solid – if a bit expensive – machine for students going back to school.

Design

Between the HP Spectre x360 and Omen, the Palo Alto-based firm has been making waves on the design front with its latest machines, and thankfully the Envy series only continues this trend. The 15.6-inch Envy is a thin and sleek laptop made primarily of aluminum.

One of the new Envy series' best qualities is its rear hinge, which bends past the edge of the laptop and dips slightly below the line of the hinge. Not only does this extended rear lip help to hide the mechanics of the hinge, it also acts as a sort of prop to slightly raise the machine onto an incline or what HP calls an "infinity pool view."

Open up the machine, and it looks just as sleek on the inside. A massive speaker bar gives way to a slightly recessed keyboard before gently rising again to HP's usually wide trackpads. Speaking of which, the trackpad has a nice, smooth and glass-like finish with excellent tracking and decent click action.

Just below the number pad – which, thankfully, is completely separated from the arrow keys – you can also spot a fingerprint reader as well as the optional optical drive on the right edge of the machine.

The HP Envy has a premium feel with a brushed aluminum lid and keyboard deck, with a plastic, but still sturdy underside.

All around improvements

Overall, the 15.6-inch HP Envy weighs in at 5 pounds while measuring in at only 23.7mm. By comparison, last year's model seems almost fat, measuring 28.15mm in thickness while sitting at 5.74 pounds on the scale.

Despite going through a nip tuck job, HP claims its latest Envy 15 is equipped with prismatic batteries that will last for roughly 9 hours and 20 minutes. That's a huge jump up from the approximate 6 hour and 9 minute runtime seen on last year's model, or most other 15.6-inch laptops.

But before I put too much faith in these projected battery life figures, I'll have to test the machines in house first.

This year's model has also seen a bump up in specs, including new Intel Broadwell Core i5 and Core i7 – as well as AMD Carizzo – processors. Additionally, users will have the option of discrete graphics, with either a Nvidia GeForce 940M or GTX 950M. Alternatively on the AMD side, users can pick between a Radeon R7 and R8 chip.

For even more options, interested buyers can outfit the HP Envy 15 with either hybrid drives, SSDs or plain old hard drives. While the 15.6-inch model is limited to only a maximum of 2TB of storage, the 17.3-inch model can be packed with up to 4TB.

On both the 15.6-inch and 17.3-inch versions of the Envy, the optical disk drive is also entirely optional. There was no mention of expandable batteries or extra storage options with the extra available space.

Dynamite sound

Sadly, my hands on unit was outfitted with a TN screen plagued by some disappointingly thin viewing angles and poor color reproduction. So, right off the bat one of the upgrades you'll want is an IPS panel, which looked simply stunning on the 17.3-inch model.

Luckily, you'll be able to add the IPS screen to your customized 15.6-inch unit as well. You even have the option of picking between HD, Full HD or Quad HD+ resolutions, all of which have optional touchscreen functionality.

Every 15.6-inch unit, no matter how you spec it, comes with booming speakers. Beneath the laptop's massive speaker bar, this 15.6-inch machine comes outfitted with a quad-speaker audio system courtesy of Bang and Olufsen.

With this setup, you can truly appreciate the booming soundtrack and special effects of the Avengers movie. The speakers were also excellent for some casual music listening with a full bodied sound without any muddled lows or screeching highs.

Availability and price

The new HP Envy series will be available this July with a 14-inch model starting at $699 (about £441, AU$901). The 15.6-inch model, meanwhile, will be initially priced at $629 (about £396, AU$810) with an AMD processor and $799 (about £504, AU$1,030) for a unit rocking an Intel chip. Lastly, the 17-inch version with a different keyboard deck made with a linear carbon fiber finish is will run for $999 (about £630, AU$1,287).

Additionally, there will be two Best Buy-exclusive configurations. The first will be a 15.6-inch unit arriving on July 12 with an AMD FX-8800 QC processor, 6GB of RAM, 1TB hard drive for $649 (about £409, AU$836). Earlier on July 5, the $1,099 (about £693, AU$1,416) HP Envy 17 will come stock with a full HD display, Intel Core i7-5500U processor, 16GB memory and 1TB hard drive.

Early Verdict

For students with some extra scratch to spend, the latest Envy looks like a fine piece of kit. It's a thin and solidly built machine packing a serious sound system and, when outfitted with a more vibrant IPS screen, this 15.6-inch laptop could be the perfect media device as well as the perfect study partner.

HP also promises to offer students a wide variety of specs for everything from the memory and storage to the processor, the screen, as well as dedicated graphics for some models. But, no matter how you build it, the 15.6-inch Envy looks like a solid machine that I can't wait to give the full review treatment.

from TechRadar: Technology reviews http://ift.tt/1GS2BlZ