HP Envy 15 review (early 2012)

Though it starts at $1,100, we tested a slightly more tricked-out $1,250 configuration with a 2.4GHz Core i5-2430M processor, 6GB of RAM, a 500GB 7,200RPM hard drive and a 1GB AMD Radeon HD 7690M card. Getting those benchmarks out of the way, we’re off to a good start in PCMark Vantage: the 15 managed to blow past the similarly priced VAIO SE series by more than 1,500 points, even though the two have some comparable components, including 6GB of RAM, the same CPU and discrete AMD graphics cards with 1GB of video memory. On the graphics front, the Envy 15′s 3DMark06 score of 8,839 bests many of the other 15-inch configurations we tested, and falls right in line with what we got from Samsung’s $1,099 Series 7 Chronos.

The biggest obstacle standing between us and our productivity was that half-baked touchpad.

During our test period, we used the Envy 15 for writing stories, surfing the web, chatting in Pidgin and plugging numbers into a Google spreadsheet. When the work day ended, yours truly spent hours at a time streaming back-to-back episodes of Arrested Development over Netflix, along with the occasional YouTube video. Through it all, the machine kept pace, booting into Windows in a speedy 27 seconds (with an extra 10 until we had full control of the desktop). In the disk benchmark ATTO, it hit peak read speeds of 105 MB/s, and top writes of 104 MB/s. As we said earlier, the machine also manages heat well, even through heavy streaming sessions. Sure, the palm rest is likely to get lukewarm, but it never gets uncomfortable to touch, and that bottom side in particular stays nice and cool.

If anything, the biggest obstacle standing between us and our productivity was that half-baked touchpad. Were it not for the awkward, stiff button and its poor palm rejection, we would have been better able to concentrate on our work, instead of dwelling on why PC manufacturers give clickpads so many chances.

Battery life

The Envy 15′s eight-cell (4,780mAh) battery lasted through more than four hours of video playback in our standard rundown test, which bodes even better if you want a few hours of unplugged web surfing on the couch. All told, that’s slightly better than what you’d get with the Sony VAIO SE series (sans the optional slice battery that Sony sells for $150). It’s also notable that the Envy 15 manages to pull slightly longer runtime than the smaller, last-gen Envy 14.

Still, as respectable as that runtime is, we can think of a handful of similarly sized laptops that last longer. These include the Dell XPS 15z, which has a 20-minute lead; the Series 7 Chronos and Acer TimelineX AS5830T, both of which hover in the six-hour range; and the MacBook Pro, which squeezed out seven and a half hours in the same test. Of course, the trade-off to the MBP’s epic battery life is that its battery is non-user-replaceable, which, as we all know, can be a pain when the capacity eventually depletes.

Software

In addition to the usual suspects (read: Norton Internet Security and a trial of Microsoft Office 2010), the Envy 15 comes with full versions of Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements on board — useful programs that OEMs tend not to throw in gratis. Other benign apps include CyberLink YouCam and Power2Go, and Windows Live Essentials 2011. As you might expect, though, HP’s own tools comprise a fair chunk of the pre-installed software. These include utilities like HP Power Manager, Quick Launch, Setup, Support Assistant and Power Manager, as well as HP’s own movie store. This time around, at least, these apps didn’t get in our way as much as they have with other HP systems we’ve tested.

Configuration options

So what does $1,100 get you? That base model comes with a 2.5GHz Core i5-2450M processor, 6GB of RAM, a 500GB 7,200RPM drive and that Radeon HD 7690M graphics card with 1GB of GDDR5 memory. Upgrade options include 2.2GHz Core i7-2670QM, 2.4GHz Core i7-2760QM and 2.5GHz Core i7-2860QM CPUs ($100, $250 and $450, respectively) and up to 16GB of RAM ($460). As for storage, you can bump to a 750GB 7,200RPM HDD for $40, or a 1TB 5,400RPM number for $80. HP’s also selling a 750GB 7,200RPM hybrid hard drive for $90 and a choice of 160GB and 300GB solid-state drives ($210 and $440, respectively). To repeat, that 1080p Radiance display is a $150 add-on.

More important than any upgrade, though, is the fact that Envy 15 comes standard with a two-year warranty. A great value when you consider the industry standard is one year.

The competition

The market is absolutely stuffed with 15-inch laptops, but the field narrows somewhat when we restrict ourselves to more premium machines, with discrete graphics and higher-quality displays. Let’s start with the MacBook Pro, if only because HP chose to ape its design with this generation of products. The MBP isn’t cheap, and on paper, its innards are modest given the high cost of entry: for $1,800, you get a 2.2GHz Core i7 processor, 4GB of RAM (upgradeable to 8GB), a 500GB 5,400RPM hard drive, a 1440 x 900 display (glossy, by default) and a duo of graphics cards that includes Intel’s HD 3000 integrated solution and AMD’s Radeon HD 6750M with 512MB of GDDR5 memory. The ports include Thunderbolt and FireWire sockets, two USB 2.0 ports and an SDXC slot. It also has a slot-loading DVD burner. Again, not exactly $1,800 specs here.

To its credit, though, it performs well. According to benchmarks, at least, it leads its peers in both overall and graphics performance, and its battery life is about an hour longer than what even the Acer Aspire AS5830T has to offer. It also has a more comfortable keyboard than the Envy 15 — not to mention, a smoother trackpad. Still, the 15 bests the MacBook Pro in a host of other areas: heat management, price, overall value, audio, port layout and the ability to replace components easily. It also has a brighter display with wider viewing angles, albeit with some likely color calibration issues we haven’t seen on the MBP. So there’s lots to love here, though we suspect the Envy’s touchpad and inaccurate color reproduction will be deal-breakers for some shoppers.

As for Samsung, the Series 7 Chronos offers longer battery life than the Envy 15, along with a matte display, but this touchpad, too, has problems, and we weren’t thrilled with the overall fit and finish either. Still, for $1,099, it offers a tempting collection of specs, including a 2.2GHz Core i7-2675QM CPU, 8GB of RAM, a 750GB 7,200RPM hybrid hard drive and two graphics cards: Intel’s HD 3000 and AMD’s Radeon HD 6750M card.

In Sony’s camp, the VAIO SE series ($1,000 and up) starts with a 2.4GHz Core i5-2430M CPU, 4GB of RAM (upgradeable to 8GB), AMD Radeon HD 6470M graphics with 512MB of video memory, a 640GB 5,400RPM hard drive, a matte, 1080p display, a 4,400mAh battery and a DVD burner. As you can see in our benchmark table up there, the performance is more than serviceable, but it trails our similarly configured HP Envy 15. We also had some trouble performing multi-touch gestures on the SE Series’ trackpad, though you’ll of course encounter similar problems with the 15. And again, there is something to be said for the SE’s lovely, anti-glare display, which comes standard with 1080p resolution, something for which HP is charging an extra $150.

We can’t talk about the Envy 15, though, without mentioning another oldie-but-goodie, last year’s Dell XPS 15z. The 15z is home to one of the most comfortable keyboard-and-trackpad combos we’ve tested, and is both thinner and lighter than its competitors, at 5.54 pounds and less than an inch thick. And though its performance scores fall short of some other 15-inch laptops we’ve tested, we were impressed by how effectively the system dispels heat. Some things to keep in mind while you’re shopping: it’s not offered with any quad-core CPUs, the four configurations are barely customizable and, as with the Envy 15, there’s no Blu-ray option. And though it has discrete graphics, its performance doesn’t quite match other machines, while NVIDIA’s Optimus technology doesn’t translate to spectacular runtime. All that said, the $1,000 base model offers similar specs as the $1,100 Envy 15, including a 2.4GHz Core i5-2430M CPU, 6GB of RAM, a 500GB 7,200RPM hard drive, a DVD burner, 64Wh battery and a 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 525M card with Optimus.

In some ways, the 15 improves on the notebook it so unsubtly imitates.

Of all the models here, Toshiba’s Satellite P750 is the most aggressively priced, with a $499 starting point. Even if you move beyond that base model, which brings a quad-core AMD A6 APU, 3GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive, you could still walk home with a quad-core Core i7 CPU, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive, 4,400mAh battery and a 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M card for $799. Hell, you could step up to a 500GB 7,700RPM hybrid hard drive ($80), 8GB of RAM ($140) and a Blu-ray burner ($150), and still pay just $1,170 — less than the price of our tester Envy 15. Granted, there are some things money can’t buy here, including a higher-res, higher-quality display, solid-state storage and a more striking design.

At last, and not to be discounted, Acer’s TimelineX series continues to be a solid choice for people who crave discrete graphics and healthy battery life. Though it’s available in a host of screen sizes, we’ll focus on the 15-inch AS5830, which starts at $700 — or $780, if you want those dedicated graphics. To this day, most mainstream laptops don’t come close to topping its battery life, though the trade-off for that longevity is a humdrum 1366 x 768 display, middling performance (that discrete graphics card be damned) and a plainer design.

Wrap-up

Okay, time to get it out of your system. Say it with us: the Envy 15 unapologetically copies the MacBook Pro. Feel good, getting that off your chest? Excellent. Onto the business of evaluating the laptop for what it does. In some ways, the 15 improves on the notebook it so unsubtly imitates: it has a sharper (though imprecisely calibrated display) with wide viewing angles. Its speakers and miniature subwoofer produce exceptional audio for a laptop. The laptop comes with a generous two-year warranty, Intel Wireless Display and full copies of Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements. It won’t burn your legs, thanks to an effective heat management system. And at $1,100, it’s more affordable than that other Envy.

But HP stumbles in several critical areas: the Envy 15 is heavier than other laptops in its class, and in exchange for toting that extra heft, you’re rewarded with middling battery life. The keyboard’s alright, but we did have to type in a deliberate way to ensure it recognized our every press. The display appears to have some color calibration problems. Most importantly, though, the laptop’s saddled with a finicky, stiff touchpad — a nuisance large enough to slow down your entire workflow. A shame, since this is an otherwise speedy machine. Because of these shortcomings, the Envy 15 doesn’t best the MacBook Pro, though it admirably undercuts its lofty $1,800 starting price. All told, the Envy 15 offers some compelling features for the money, but before you pull the trigger we’d suggest you also check out the Dell XPS 15z, which is lighter with a comfier keyboard / trackpad, as well as the long-lasting Samsung Series 7 Chronos. If you do go for the Envy 15, we hope you have a pretty stationary setup in mind: you’ll want an outlet close by and also, a mouse.