With the HP HDX series gone from the company's stables, the new Envy series has taken over as the high-end entertainment range. But instead of cramming in as many features as possible, HP has taken a different path and, instead, sacrificed some functionality in favor of a sleeker metal design. It is also one of the first to sport Intel's latest Core i7 chipsets, though some regions will only receive units decked out with the vanilla Core 2 Duo chip. With a starting price of US$1,899, the Envy 15 is not for the budget-conscious.
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Read first take of the HP Envy 15 »

First Take

With the HP HDX series gone from the company's stables, the new Envy series has taken over as the high-end entertainment range. But instead of cramming in as many features as possible, HP has taken a different path and, instead, sacrificed some functionality in favor of a sleeker metal design. It is also one of the first to sport Intel's latest Core i7 chipsets, though some regions will only receive units decked out with the vanilla Core 2 Duo chip. With a starting price of US$1,899, the Envy 15 is not for the budget-conscious.

Upside: Built from magnesium alloy, the HP Envy has a solid chassis, a 2.36kg heft and a sleek 26.4mm thickness. This makes it one of the most portable midsized machines around. In fact, the design is reminiscent of Apple's MacBook Pro machines, though the latter is thicker and heavier, thanks to its built-in optical drive. HP's metal cover has etched designs to add to the Envy 15's appeal.

In another nod to Apple laptops, the Envy's touchpad doubles as a mouse button, though it does not have multitouch capability. The battery life is also quite impressive for a midsize notebook, with a claimed uptime of over 7 hours. The Envy 15 is one of the first to come with Beats DJ audio technology claims to which provide superior sound quality despite lacking an internal subwoofer.

The 15.6-inch display is HD-ready, making it suitable for viewing high-definition videos. The brightness is automatically adjusted based on input from the light sensor. The ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection keeps data safe during drops and intense vibrations. An interesting feature is the Webcam which can be used with an internal infrared LED for low-light conditions. Last but not least, HP has included the QuickWeb interface for instant Internet access that bypasses the need for Windows to boot.

Downside: To maintain its sleek profile, the Envy 15 has a compromised feature set with only two USB ports and an eSATA/USB combo for connecting to external peripherals. Most machines in this category include an internal optical drive and ExpressCard slots. Moreover, all the slots have are squeezed to one side of the laptop, which makes some larger USB devices difficult to use.

Despite being an entertainment portable, the lack of an optical drive makes it inconvenient to view DVD movies. To add insult to injury, there is no TV tuner for receiving over-the-air broadcasts.

Outlook: It may have the most comprehensive feature set in its class, but the HP Envy 15 is one of the most portable 15.6-inch notebooks to come by in an attractive metallic chassis.

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HP Envy 15 (Core i7-720QM Processor 1.6GHz, 2GB RAM)

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User Reviews

lac

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Luxurious Redefined without the bitten fruit

Oct 19, 2009

Rating: 9 out of 10 (Spectacular)
Pros: I7 + Masses of Ram & the Look
Cons: Connections
Opinion:
where can i buy that? :)

 

superstylin

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Seriously? only S$1899??

Oct 9, 2009

Rating: 9 out of 10 (Spectacular)
Pros: Core i7, 4830, up to 16G DDR3. dual SSD, or dual sata, or one SSD mixed with one sata.light weight.
Cons: Battery life is not impressive.
Opinion:
Seriously? only S$1899??
If it is true, definitely it will be my next laptop.

 

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