Gadget Review: HP Envy 15 is one of the lightest notebooks with powerful hardware
HP
Envy 15
Price: Rs 72,990
Specs: 15.6-inch touchscreen (1366 x 768 pixels), Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, NVidia GTX850M (4GB memory), 3 x USB 3.0, HDMI, Ethernet, card reader, DVD writer, full size keyboard, dual speakers with subwoofer, 4-cell battery, Windows 8.1, 2.34kg
Pros: Top end hardware, fantastic performance, sturdy and lightweight design.
Price: Rs 72,990
Specs: 15.6-inch touchscreen (1366 x 768 pixels), Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, NVidia GTX850M (4GB memory), 3 x USB 3.0, HDMI, Ethernet, card reader, DVD writer, full size keyboard, dual speakers with subwoofer, 4-cell battery, Windows 8.1, 2.34kg
Pros: Top end hardware, fantastic performance, sturdy and lightweight design.
Cons: 1366
x 768 pixel display resolution is a letdown.
Lightweight ultrabooks are good for basic usage, but usually lack the power required for professional gamers and graphics designers. If you want top-end hardware, users are usually stuck with Bulky laptops and that too at ridiculous prices. The HP Envy 15 series changes this notion by offering a powerful laptop without the bulk at a great price.
Our review unit included a fourth generation Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB RAM, 1TB hard drive and Nvidia GTX 850M graphics card with 4GB dedicated memory. Ports include three USB 3.0 ports out of which one is HP USB boost ready (charge devices even if laptop is switched off), HDMI, Ethernet and a card reader. There is also a DVD writer, a HD webcam, finger print reader and a 4-cell battery.
The notebook comes pre-loaded with 64 bit Windows 8.1. As usual with HP, there is a lot of bloatware preloaded including a suite from CyberLink (PowerDVD, YouCam, MediaEspresso, Media Suite, PowerDirector, PhotoDirector and Power2Go), Skype, Windows Live Essentials, and Evernote etc. We recommend uninstalling whatever you will not be using immediately.
Performance from the notebook is top-notch as expected from such hardware. We had no issues running full HD videos and even games like Bioshock Infiite at high graphics settings. Photo editing using Adobe Lightroom was a breeze even with RAW file processing.
In terms of battery life, the notebook managed to last over 4 and half hours - as expected from a notebook with such high-end features. Another feature we loved on the Envy 15 was its speaker output. It comes with beatsaudio technology, has two speakers and a subwoofer that gives exceptionally loud and clear audio output. It can easily be used as a bedside music player for a small room.
The Envy 15 features the same metallic design and build as the earlier HP Envy touchsmart series that we loved. It has a smooth matte finish across the body for sturdiness. The full size keyboard is a joy to use with even spaced keys and as they are backlit it is comfortable to use even when working late in night.
Lightweight ultrabooks are good for basic usage, but usually lack the power required for professional gamers and graphics designers. If you want top-end hardware, users are usually stuck with Bulky laptops and that too at ridiculous prices. The HP Envy 15 series changes this notion by offering a powerful laptop without the bulk at a great price.
Our review unit included a fourth generation Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB RAM, 1TB hard drive and Nvidia GTX 850M graphics card with 4GB dedicated memory. Ports include three USB 3.0 ports out of which one is HP USB boost ready (charge devices even if laptop is switched off), HDMI, Ethernet and a card reader. There is also a DVD writer, a HD webcam, finger print reader and a 4-cell battery.
The notebook comes pre-loaded with 64 bit Windows 8.1. As usual with HP, there is a lot of bloatware preloaded including a suite from CyberLink (PowerDVD, YouCam, MediaEspresso, Media Suite, PowerDirector, PhotoDirector and Power2Go), Skype, Windows Live Essentials, and Evernote etc. We recommend uninstalling whatever you will not be using immediately.
Performance from the notebook is top-notch as expected from such hardware. We had no issues running full HD videos and even games like Bioshock Infiite at high graphics settings. Photo editing using Adobe Lightroom was a breeze even with RAW file processing.
In terms of battery life, the notebook managed to last over 4 and half hours - as expected from a notebook with such high-end features. Another feature we loved on the Envy 15 was its speaker output. It comes with beatsaudio technology, has two speakers and a subwoofer that gives exceptionally loud and clear audio output. It can easily be used as a bedside music player for a small room.
The Envy 15 features the same metallic design and build as the earlier HP Envy touchsmart series that we loved. It has a smooth matte finish across the body for sturdiness. The full size keyboard is a joy to use with even spaced keys and as they are backlit it is comfortable to use even when working late in night.
This is one of the first laptops to feature HP's control zone trackpad that is optimized for Windows 8. The trackpad is split into three areas - the left zone, trackpad and the right zone. The left and right zone work as a touchscreen would - swipe in the left zone to switch between running apps and swipe in on the right zone to bring up the charms bar. This makes it easy to use Windows 8's touch optimized functions without having to raise your hand and use the touchscreen.
Our
only issue is with the display resolution. The 15.6-inch touchscreen
is fantastic - excellent viewing angles, good brightness/contrast and
rich colours. However, the resolution is 1366 x 768 pixels, which is
a letdown. For the price we expected a full HD display.
At 2.4kg, the HP Envy 15 is one of the lightest notebooks available today with a 15.6-inch touchscreen display and such powerful hardware. It is highly recommended for gamers and graphic artists for its performance and feature set. In the same price range you can also look at the Dell Inspiron 5547 that has similar hardware specifications and full HD touchscreen display. However, it is heavier at 2.6kh weight and its AMD graphics card has 2GB dedicated memory.
At 2.4kg, the HP Envy 15 is one of the lightest notebooks available today with a 15.6-inch touchscreen display and such powerful hardware. It is highly recommended for gamers and graphic artists for its performance and feature set. In the same price range you can also look at the Dell Inspiron 5547 that has similar hardware specifications and full HD touchscreen display. However, it is heavier at 2.6kh weight and its AMD graphics card has 2GB dedicated memory.
ByKaran
Bajaj, ET 1 Dec, 2014
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