Review of HP Envy 14

The HP Envy 14 aims to compete with the Apple MacBook, so the 14-inch model has a slick metal chassis and backlit keyboard. Our test rig was configured with a 14.5-inch ‘edge to edge’ 720p 1366 x 768 resolution display. The Envy 14 is driven by an Intel Core i5-2410M 2.3GHz dual-core processor. There is a whopping 6GB 1333Mhz DDR3 RAM and a hefty AMD Radeon HD 6330M 1GB graphics card. The max RAM capacity stretches to 8GB. Storage is a 750GB 7200rpm WD hard drive. There’s WiFi-n and Bluetooth 3, and a Skype-certified 720p HD webcam. The OS is Windows 7 64-bit Home Premium. The price is a quite reasonable $1079.

Specifications:

• 14.5-inch "margins" of glass display at 720p (1366x768 resolution)
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Intel Core i5-2410M dual-core processor (2.3 GHz to 2.9 GHz Turbo Boost, 3MB cache, 35W TDP)
• Intel HM65
• AMD Radeon HD 6330M graphics w / 1 GB of GDDR3 dedicated video
• Graphics are automatically switched to the Intel integrated graphics
• 6 GB of RAM DDR3-1333 (1x4GB + 1 x 2 GB, expandable to 8GB - 2 x 4 GB)
• 750GB 7200RPM Western Digital hard drive (WD7500BPKT)
• Intel ® Centrino ® Advanced-N 6230 wireless card
• Internal Bluetooth 3.0
• Skype Certified webcam Integrated High Definition 720p
• Built-in slot-loading DVD burner (DVD-RAM UJ897 HP)
• 2 year limited warranty
• 8-cell Li-Ion (14.8V, 3800mAh)
• Weight: 5.69 kg.
• Dimensions: 14.01 x 9.33 x 1.16 ~ 1.18 inches

The 14.5-inch, 1,600 x 900-resolution display is a breath of fresh air compared to the laptops we've recently reviewed. Not only is the resolution better than the 1366 x 768 displays we've been staring at lately, but the quality of the HP Envy 14 battery is miles better than the others HP's used lately. A lot of that has to do with the HP Radiance Infinity LED panel, which was also on the Envy 13. The 350nit display has a higher color gamut than other displays, and you notice the difference upon first boot -- even the blue of the Windows Start button sticks out more than on other screens. Viewing the Tron: Legacy trailer was a pretty stunning experience with the blue glowing lasers appearing extremely detailed. Even better when we tilted the screen backwards, we were still able to make out Garrett Hedlund's face, and similarly when we moved to the size of the screen we could the moving images. It always feel good to take a break from complaining about poor LCDs and viewing angles. We do have to say the display is rather glossy, and when turned off it could have your mirror worried about losing its job.

With its laser-etched aluminum lid and keyboard deck, the HP Envy 14 is a definite looker. The etching results in a pattern of Dell T116C battery small squares, which adorn the lid and wrist rest. It’s an understated yet interesting design point, and the etching also serves to repel fingerprints and smudges. The aluminum used on the lid and keyboard deck is a dark silver color, and light-silver brushed aluminum is used on the sides, presenting a pleasing contrast.

Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit comes pre-installed. Other notable perks include a full-size island-style backlit keyboard and Beats Audio. Earlier this summer HP expanded their popular Envy notebook line with the introduction of the Envy 14 and Envy 17 models. The two new releases build on the success of last year's Envy offerings and bring several new hardware options to the table as well as a lower introductory price point. Today we will look at the smaller 14-inch version.

On the ergonomics front, the HP Envy 14 battery Beats Edition holds up reasonably well and the keyboard is mostly a pleasure to use. The soft-touch palm-rests ensure your hands rest very comfortably. Feedback is just a hair away from being too shallow, yet the large matte keys nevertheless offer a positive click and are well-spaced. Layout is spot-on too, though experienced users may dislike the F-Function keys being secondary to their multimedia functions. Still, this is fast becoming the norm and can be changed in the BIOS.

That’s not entirely a compliment. While generally a pleasurable experience, some additional key travel and crisper feedback would be of benefit. There’s also some keyboard flex evident even under light use, which is easily noticed due to the top-notch feel of everything else on the HP Envy 14.

Stuck inside the Envy 14 is an Intel Core i7-Q720 processor running at 1.6GHz paired up with 4GB of RAM. That chip doesn't have the fastest speed in the industry, but the quad cores should lend a good helping-hand with the more intense tasks. The processor can handle speeds up to 2.8GHz though so if you know what you're doing, you could probably overclock it to get a bit more power. We didn't tell you to do it though.

The laptop still does not have VGA port. However, you can consider an HDMI to VGA cord which is available from HP at $50. Blu-ray option is not integrated on the 14-inch system due to which customers have to opt for Envy 17. HP has improved its single-buttoned ClickPad without ruining the rest of the experience with this HP Envy 14 adapter, but the issues are yet to resolve completely. The most important problem is the cursor which losses control and jumps all over the screen when the thumb reaches to the left line of the mouse accidentally.

Sporting a 2.3-GHz Intel Core i5-2410M processor and 6GB of RAM, the Envy 14 performed admirably, posting-above average results on many of our benchmarks. Taking full advantage of the Beats Audio technology under the hood, the Envy 14 has loud, crisp speakers that easily fill a small room. Despite the badging they are not overwhelmingly better than most notebook speakers; bass is sorely lacking and their placement under the palm rest means muffled sound while typing.

The Envy 14 allows you to switch between graphics environments—integrated (Intel) and discrete (ATI Mobility Radeon 5650). Switching between the two is not as seamless as with Nvidia's Optimus technology, which is used by laptops like the ID49C13u and the U41JF-A1. But having complete control of the graphics switch isn't bad either. The switch is done using ATI's utility, which is accessible by right clicking the desktop and selecting "Configure Graphics." The laptop also defaults to Intel's integrated graphics when the HP Envy 14 AC adapter is unplugged. Its 3DMark06 score (7,438) wasn't as impressive as that of the Asus U41JF-A1, but it made up ground in highly-intense games like Lost Planet 2 (37.4 fps) and Crysis (56.5 fps). In other words, the Envy 14 is viable gaming laptop.

All In all, I’m really happy with the HP Envy 14. Its a neat and sturdy laptop, with a solid set of easily configurable software. The screen is magnificent, performance is great, while staying fairly cool and rather silent if you ask me.

The HP Envy 14 impresses in a number of areas including build quality, design, and performance. It is a very fun wolf in sheep's clothing laptop.