HP Envy x360 15 (2021) review: Full test and review 2021
If you're on the hunt for a 15.6-inch convertible laptop, HP is determined to make the deal. Saying the high-end Specter x360 15 is too expensive? Look ! There is the Pavilion x360 15 for less than 800 euros. In fact, were you thinking of something between these two extremes? Then maybe the Envy x360 15 (starting at $699.99; $999.99 depending on the review) is right up your alley. It's heavy and unwieldy in tablet mode, but neither HP nor any of its competitors have been able to make a big-screen 2-in-1 that isn't, and its AMD Ryzen 7 processor delivers multi-tasking performance. - dynamic channels. We prefer our convertibles a bit smaller and more maneuverable, but the Envy is a great choice if you like full-sized convertibles.
Flexible hinge, flexible configurations
As well as filling the gap between the flagship Specter series and the thrifty Pavilion series, HP says its Envy label targets creative users. You can choose an Envy x360 15 with Intel or AMD under the hood, but only Core i7-1165G7 models (starting at $1,009.99) are available with a discrete Nvidia GeForce MX450 instead of integrated graphics and a 4K AMOLED screen instead of a 1920 x 1080 pixel panel.
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Sticking to the AMD builds, the $699.99 base model combines a Ryzen 5 5500U chip with 8GB of memory, a 256GB hard drive, and a 250-nit touchscreen. Our $999.99 test unit upgrades to the eight-core, 1.8GHz (4.3GHz turbo) Ryzen 7 5700U chip, 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD, and IPS touchscreen plus bright 400 nits with the same Full HD resolution backed by AMD Radeon integrated graphics. Custom configurations on HP.com come with a rechargeable stylus, but our 15-eu0097nr model didn't have a stylus.
The webcam doesn't support facial recognition, but there's a Windows Hello-compatible fingerprint reader, so you don't have to type in passwords. The edges of the Gorilla Glass screen are thin. (HP claims an 89% screen-to-body ratio.) The usual two hinges allow you to flip and fold the screen to switch it from laptop mode, to tabletop tent mode, to stand mode for presentation or kiosk, or in tablet mode with the screen and keyboard back to back.
Dressing in midnight black aluminum, the Envy measures 0.72 x 14.1 x 9 inches, which is barely smaller than two other 15.6-inch convertibles, the Lenovo Yoga C740 (0.72 x 14.1 x 9.3 inches) and the Dell Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1 (0.71 x 14 x 9.4 inches). They weigh 4.11 pounds versus 4.2 pounds each, but you can't tell the difference without a butcher's scale.
The laptop has three USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) ports: a Type-A port on each side (the one on the left is always enabled for charging a smartphone) and a Type-C port on the left. The left edge also accommodates an HDMI video output and an audio jack, while an SD card slot and the AC adapter connector decorate the right side.
Brilliant backlighting
I've never written a review of an HP laptop without complaining about the cursor arrow keys, and I'm not going to start here: they're arranged in an awkward row instead of being arranged in an inverted T, with small, hard-to-hit up and down arrows stacked between full-size left and right arrows. Apart from this recurring problem, the backlit keyboard is pleasant to use, with a fast typing feel and dedicated keys (Home, End, Page Up and Page Down). The large, buttonless touchpad glides and taps easily, with a slightly stiff click.
The keyboard includes buttons to mute the microphone and disable the webcam, as well as the fingerprint reader (which replaces the right Control key) and a special key to launch the HP Command Center software, which allows you to Prioritize the network bandwidth of your favorite applications, enable a Focus mode that dims the display except for the active window, and choose Balanced, Quiet, or Performance modes based on your tolerance for system noise. cooling fan. (I ran our benchmark tests in performance mode, except for the battery test in balanced mode).
Related to this article:Forza Horizon 5 Review (for Xbox Series S): Full Test and Review 2021It's a shame AMD customers can't get an Envy x360 with 4K display resolution like their Intel friends, but the 1080p display isn't bad at all - reasonably bright, with good contrast and wide viewing angles. Fine details and letter edges are crisp instead of pixelated. The white backgrounds aren't dazzling, but they're satisfyingly white instead of dull, and the colors are bright and well saturated, even if they're not popping like poster paints. HP Display Control software applies subtle shifts between default (vibrant), native, and optimized color palettes for photo and video.
The 720p webcam, typical of its genre, captures relatively well-lit and colorful images with just a little noise or static. Worth noting: an unusual addition, the HP Enhanced Lighting utility, places white borders around the screen to help illuminate your selfies taken with the webcam. The speakers on either side of the keyboard emit a moderately loud, but slightly hollow or boiling sound. Bass response is lacking, but you can make out overlapping tracks pretty well. Bang & Olufsen lets you choose presets for music, movies, or voice, or try an equalizer to fine-tune the soundscape.
Other software (besides Windows 10 Home) includes HP QuickDrop (for sharing files with your smartphone), Amazon Alexa, and trials for Adobe, Dropbox, ExpressVPN, LastPass, and McAfee programs and utilities. HP offers a one-year warranty on the Envy.
Performance Test: This big flip-top packs a punch.
For our benchmark charts, I compared the Envy x360 15 to its 15.6-inch convertible competitors from Lenovo and Dell mentioned above, as well as the more high-end HP Specter x360 15. So there was only one spot left, which I filled with a slightly smaller 2-in-1, the Asus VivoBook Flip 14. This has a previous generation Ryzen processor (4000 series). (Learn more about how we test laptops).
Productivity and Media Testing
PCMark 10 and 8 are global performance suites developed by the PC performance testing specialists at UL (formerly Futuremark). The PCMark 10 test we run simulates different real-world content creation and productivity workflows. We use it to gauge overall system performance for office tasks such as word processing, spreadsheets, web browsing, and video conferencing. PCMark 8, on the other hand, has a storage subtest that we use to gauge the speed of the system's startup disk. Both tests give a proprietary numeric score; higher numbers are better.
All five convertibles easily surpassed the 4,000-point score that indicates excellent productivity in PCMark 10, with the Envy well ahead thanks to its eight cores. Microsoft Office and Google Docs are as easy on these machines as PCMark 8's storage test was for their speedy SSDs.
Next is Maxon's Cinebench R15 test, which is fully threaded to utilize all available CPU cores and threads. Cinebench uses the CPU rather than the GPU to render a complex image. The result is a proprietary score indicating a PC's suitability for CPU-intensive workloads.
Cinebench is often a good predictor of our Handbrake video editing benchmark, in which we put a timer on systems while they transcode a brief movie from 4K resolution to 1080p. This is also a tough test for multi-core and multi-threaded processors; lower times are better.
The Envy's eight-core Ryzen 7 got away with our two CPU benchmarks, showing near-workstation levels of processing performance for programs that are designed to use all the cores and threads available. The Yoga C740 finished far behind, its 10th Gen Core i7 even falling short of the Dell's 11th Gen Core i5.
We also ran a custom benchmark of Adobe Photoshop for image editing. Using an early 2018 version of the Creative Cloud version of Photoshop, we apply a series of 10 complex filters and effects to a standard JPEG test image. We time each operation and add up the total (lower times are better). The Photoshop test is CPU, storage subsystem, and RAM demanding, but it can also take advantage of most GPUs to speed up the process of applying filters.
Related to this article:Best iPhone Sale Deals: Top 10 & Comparison 2021The tables were turned here as the Lenovo won hands down, with the Envy having a decent but unexciting time . It's great for image editing and managing a photo collection, but serious content creators will probably want a 4K display.
Graphics tests
We test the relative graphics power of Windows systems with two game simulations, 3DMark and Overlay. The first features two DirectX 11 subtests, Sky Diver and Fire Strike, suitable for consumer PCs with integrated graphics cards and high-end gaming rigs, respectively. The second uses the Unigine engine to render and pan a detailed 3D scene at two settings of resolution and image quality, with results measured in frames per second (fps); 30 fps is generally considered a decent target for smooth animation, while hardcore gamers prefer 60 fps or higher.
The Specter is the only entrant to have a discrete GPU instead of a lowly integrated graphics card, and it showed it – even if its GeForce GTX 1650 Ti is far from top of the charts. Nvidia's scale, it's the only one worth considering if you're planning on playing games. The other four systems are strictly for casual games or browser games.
Battery test
After fully charging the laptop, we set it to power saving mode (as opposed to balanced or high performance mode) when possible, and we Let's make a few more battery-saving tweaks in preparation for our unplugged video test. (We also turn off Wi-Fi, putting the laptop in airplane mode.) In this test, we're looping a video — a locally stored 720p file of the Blender Foundation short. Tears of Steel - with screen brightness set to 50% and volume to 100% until the system shuts down.
The Yoga and the Envy finished in first and second place, coming either side of the 1 p.m. mark. That's impressive endurance for a desktop replacement (even the last-placed Spectre does quite well, although its 4K screen is a battery drain). Going through a full day of work or school will be no problem.
Large and responsible
In our recent review, we found the HP Pavilion x360 15 to be good value, but the Envy x360 15 is a significantly better-looking system for just $230 moreover. Its AMD Ryzen processor isn't just snappy anymore, its screen is brighter and more colorful, and it offers conveniences like a fingerprint reader and camera shutter key.
It's a shame our test unit didn't come with a stylus and we would have liked to see a 4K display, but if you're in the market for a presentation-friendly desktop replacement and you can't afford the Editor's Choice award-winning Specter x360 15, the Envy is a first-class choice.
The conclusion
If you fancy an affordable widescreen convertible, HP's Ryzen-based Envy x360 15 is a fast and well-priced option, as long as you're happy with it. the full-HD display (instead of a 4K display) in its AMD incarnation.