Key Specs | |
| 1.6GHz Intel Core i7-720QM 6GB RAM 500GB hard drive Optional (DVD or BD/DVD) 15.6 inches (1,920x1,080 native resolution) ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4830 (1GB) 5.2 pounds 1x15x9.6 inches Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) | |
HP Envy 15 Review | |
| Reviewed by: Denny Atkin Review Date: November 2009 | |
The HP Envy line's name is wonderfully cheeky. While the intention is to imply that others will "envy" people who own these stylish, high-end laptops, the line's similarity in design to Apple's MacBook series makes for an amusing double meaning. But while the smaller Envy 13 is similar in performance to its Apple counterpart, the powerhouse Envy 15's performance, design, and feature set might just turn the tables and have the Mac crowd lusting after HP's entry. With a fast CPU, excellent video and audio, slick design, and a price that's low for a Core i7 notebook, about the only thing that disappoints here is battery life. It would be hard to deny a MacBook influence to the HP Envy 15's industrial design. Though it's not of single-piece unibody construction, its black-framed glossy LCD, Chiclet keyboard resting in a sculpted depression, rounded edges, placement of all ports on one side, and buttonless touch pad are clearly reminiscent of Apple's lauded design. And measuring 1x15x9.6 inches and weighing in at 5.2 pounds, it's very close in size and weight as well. It's not an exact copy, though: The Envy's etched, gunmetal-gray magnesium chassis has a darker look that feels more high-end and less industrial, the frame around the LCD isn't flush, and the Envy's keyboard doesn't light up.  The Envy 15 with the optional external DVD writer. The etched design is hard to photograph, but it's subtle and stylish. HP uses high-end components throughout the Envy 15. The 15.6-inch Ultra Brightview LCD lives up to its marketing with bright, vibrant colors and a 1,920x1,080 screen that lets you view 1080p HD video at its native resolution. The VGA Webcam even includes an infrared LED to make it work better in dark environments. While the comfortable Chiclet keyboard lacks backlighting, it does offer an extra vertical row of quick-launch keys along the left edge, as well as function keys that double as media controls. The large touch pad supports the standard Synaptics two-finger gestures for zooming, scrolling, and rotating images. The lower third of the pad integrates the mouse buttons; just press down the left or right sides to make selections. | |
One thing the Envy 15 lacks is an internal optical drive, which is somewhat puzzling given that Apple managed to cram one into the 15-inch MacBook Pro. While the Envy 15 is about 3 ounces lighter than the MacBook Pro, its size is so close to the Apple machine that inspired it, that this omission is frustrating. Of course, you could argue that the Envy 15 is a cutting-edge laptop, and on the cutting edge you can get your software and movies via digital distribution. For those who want to take advantage of their existing libraries of software and movies on physical media, HP offers both a $75 USB DVD writer and a $225 Blu-ray reader/DVD writer drive.
Except for the SD/MultiMediaCard flash-memory slot on the front, all the ports are arrayed along the right side. These include a single audio in/out port, a pair of USB 2.0 connectors, eSATA, Gigabit Ethernet, and HDMI video. A dongle is included to convert the HDMI port to VGA, something you'll likely need to remember to bring along if you use the Envy 15 for presentations. Wireless connectivity comes from an internal Intel 5110 card that supports 802.11a/b/g/n and Bluetooth. Missing are an ExpressCard slot or an embedded wireless option, so those looking for mobile broadband will have to use a USB device or tether a cell phone.
Inside, though, the Envy 15 brings a new level of performance to the thin-and-light category. It's powered by Intel's mobile Core i7 720QM, a 1.6GHz quad-core mobile processor that can boost its clock speed to 2.8GHz using Intel's Turbo Boost Technology depending on workload. The CPU is backed by 6GB of DDR3 RAM, expandable to 16GB using a second slot that you can access from the battery compartment. It also has a discrete ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4830 graphics chip with 1GB of dedicated video memory, providing good midrange performance for gaming and video. Storage comes from a 500GB, 7,200rpm Seagate hard drive; you can also configure it with a 160GB solid-state drive (SSD) and a 250GB hard drive, or a pair of 160GB SSDs in RAID mode.
The Envy 15's performance is exemplary for a notebook in its weight and price class. Its Core i7 CPU put this relatively lightweight notebook into the performance territory normally owned by large desktop-replacement notebooks. For example, the Envy 15 completed our Windows Media Encoder test in exactly 4 minutes. That's just 12 seconds slower than the Alienware M17x and 16 seconds slower than the Eurocom M980U XCaliber, both of which are high-end gaming notebooks with weights more than double that of the Envy 15. Its PCMark Vantage score of 5,243 also holds up to desktop-replacement notebooks, falling just behind the Alienware M17x's score of 5,396 and besting the Eurocom M980U's 4,464.
The notebook's 3D performance is good but not spectacular. Its score of 6,213 at native resolution on our 3DMark06 test is very good for a notebook in this class, and dramatically better than notebooks with motherboard-integrated graphics, but it falls well behind the larger and pricier gaming notebooks. Still, with a frame rate of 28.6 frames per second (fps) on our demanding Company of Heroes DirectX 10 (DX10) test (at native resolution) and 35.7fps on our Far Cry 2 DX10 benchmark, the Envy 15's 3D performance should satisfy all but hard-core gamers.
The software side is impressive, as well. Turning on the machine takes you to the ENVY IOS (Instant-On Solution), a preboot environment based on Splashtop technology that gives you quick access to a Web browser, Skype, and other basic functions without needing to launch into Windows. Once you do boot the 64-bit version of Windows 7, you're presented with a very cool-looking (if somewhat dark) reskinned version of the operating system. The bundled utilities aren't of the annoying variety: HP's MediaSmart Premium app is a slick-looking, easy-to-use app for playing music/videos and viewing your photos, and many common utilties such as Skype, Windows Live Mail and Messenger, Shockwave, Flash, and Java are preloaded. Full versions of Corel Video Studio Pro X2 and Paint Shop Pro X2 are included, but the Norton Internet Security 2009 package is just a 60-day trial.
Unlike the MacBooks that seem to have inspired it, the Envy 15 has a removable battery.
The only area where the HP Envy 15 disappoints is in its battery life, which isn't surprising given its Mobile Core i7 processor and large, bright screen. Though HP says that the included removable six-cell battery can provide a little over 2 hours of usage on battery, in our standard rundown test playing The Matrix on HP's external USB DVD drive, the Envy 15 lasted a mere 1 hour and 4 minutes. HP offers a nine-cell battery slice that attaches cleanly to the bottom of the Envy 15, adding 2.6 pounds of weight but also adding an additional 150 percent to the battery capacity.
Overall, the HP Envy 15 is a best-in-class notebook. It offers excellent performance, a superb screen, stellar audio, and comfortable ergonomics. It's not a good choice for long flights or other extended usage away from wall sockets. But for those who spend most of their computing time plugged in, it's a superb choice. It offers top-notch performance that doesn't come in a large, weighty package.
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