A look at the budget laptop HP Envy 15 can automatically net some people to buy it. But does its good looks run only skin deep?
This laptop is a premium laptop that won’t break the bank. It has a 15.6-inch high-end laptop that uses materials within a similar price range. Its stylish design screams HP as with the company’s line of HP models. It can make your friends jealous but it won’t hammer your credit card too much.
Does the HP Envy 15 Have What it Takes Besides Good Looks?
It would look like the HP Envy 15 has covered all the necessary visible bits. The lid and the keyboard, and just about everything in its exterior are all covered with a classy look. The screen has a dark plastic frame that is kind of reminiscent to one tech giant’s Macbook Pro. The combination of dark durable plastic with silver aluminum does feel a bit off. It’s like wearing a tuxedo with sandals. Still, it doesn’t do away with overall luxurious design.
The insides of the Envy 15 laptop is bit of a beast in itself. While it is not as lightweight as an Ultrabook (it weighs 2.18-kilograms), it has the advantage of having more space for ports and connections. The two USB 3.0 ports and one USB 2.0 port is great for connecting multiple devices into the portable computer.
Aside from the multiple USB ports, it also supports 802.11ac Wi-Fi connectivity. Thus, it is a prime choice for people who have already upgraded their Wi-Fi router that can support faster connections.
Taking a look at the keyboard and trackpad, there are premium credentials that are thrown into the fray around its edges. The keyboard keys are nicely separated with each other for users who have fairly large fingers to type without hitting two keys in one stroke. The trackpad is fairly large as it is about the size of an iPhone 4. Its responsiveness is quite fair as tests have shown there are times when it doesn’t respond to left clicks, making an optional mouse a better choice than using the pad.
The HP Envy 15 can also decently handle heavy programs like fast-paced 3D videogames such as Call of Duty: Black Ops II. It also has an onboard memory of 8GB RAM. While there are some compromises to the device, like the small battery and lack of playability options for HD games (i.e. Crysis), it does perform quite good.