HP ENVY 14 Review (2011 Update) Discussion

The ENVY is HP's answer to the Apple MacBook. Our 14-inch model features a beautiful metal chassis and a backlit keyboard. Is it the perfect Apple alternative? Read our review to find out.

Read the full content of this Article: HP ENVY 14 Review (2011 Update)

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• HP Pavilion dm1z Review

 

Nice review, Charles. The Envy 14's name is rather deceptive, since it's quite nearly a 15" notebook in size, weight, and performance. Attractive laptop, except for the screen and HP's long-time Achilles heel IMHO, the cooling system.

The cons listed at the end aren't the ones listed at the beginning though

 

The HP Envy 14 is tragically flawed. First of all, it shares its screen, touchpad and general appearance with downmarket HP notebooks. Second, it doesn't have the unique packaging advantages of a Macbook. Third, it's just another Windows PC.

I don't have a problem with HP. Truth be know, they offer bargain priced hardware, especially at the low end of the market. The problem I have with HP is their transparent, flimsy and failed attempt to go head to head with Apple. First, Macbook design cues spread throughout the notebook line, which is both good and bad, but then HP really splashed out on the TouchPad - same screen size, same price, same accessory prices as the iPad - and a complete marketing disaster ensued.

The HP Envy 14 isn't a Macbook Pro competitor in meaningful sense, just a slightly more upmarket rendition of the mainstream HP notebooks we see at every big box store. Fortunately for HP, the Envy 14 also isn't another TouchPad. People will actually buy the Envy 14, admittedly in far more modest numbers than the Macbook Pro line, but there again, it is a high end Windows PC and that end of the market is dominated by Apple.

Oh, and that touchpad? Why doesn't HP just get rid of it? In this case, I'm referring to the button-less touchpad on HP notebooks, not the unloved, rumored-to-be-already-dead WebOS tablet. HP might be going after Apple, but not with a quality glass touchpad. Nope, HP sticks with its plastic teeter-totter.

 

When they lost their radiance display, this notebook became unsupportable.

I have a dream to one day meet the Product Manager for the Envy line and ask him: "What on earth was wrong with HP that they didn't rescue that panel maker or buy them?"

They could have had a line that did indeed give good contest to Macbook Pro. Instead, they have a hi-spec computer with the screen of a toy.

 

I have one. The right USB port is 3.0, and it lacks eSATA. Please correct the article.

 

I just don't understand why there have been all these let-downs lately in the laptop world. I want nice screens back, especially on a product with the name "envy" and a price tag that agrees!

 

wow... this is like a downgrade from the prev gen envy (esp with the radiance). so pretty much what you get is

1. lower end screen
2. simular GPU (FYI review has a typo listing it as AMD 6330, its a AMD 6630)
3. upgraded CPU

I think it is $100 cheaper tho... didn't the previous model start at $999?

 

what do you mean by packaging advantages? please dear lord tell me you're not referring to the actual product packaging.

 

I think he's referring to the MBP 15" being thinner and having a higher capacity polymer battery

 

shame they lost the radiance display. Lost a potential buyer in me.

 

No, I'm referring to the conventional notebook PC construction of the Envy 14. Yes, it's made of metal, but it has the same disadvantages of just about every other PC notebook. Air vents on the bottom that you have to keep clear and the same layer cake case design. The Envy line notebooks are simply slightly nicer, more upmarket Pavilions, not Macbook Pro competitors.

I do have to admit that Apple's unibody notebooks offer unique packaging advantages that aren't matched by any current notebook PC.

 

I don't see the advantage of aluminum unibody other than looking nice and being thin. Even worse, it acts like a heatsink leading to higher temperatures on surfaces that contact the body.

Also, why isn't a premium Windows notebook not a MBP competitor? They are both consumer notebooks with the same form factor and a high prices.

 

Yep its sad. HP no longer builds HDX 18's or something with bigger 1080P screens or BD writable drives on ANYTHING. Only the 17 inch envy can be had with a 1080P screen but still no BD writable optical drive.

About the only thing that interests me with HP are the cheaper G6T or G4T for around 500 bucks. And at that price point, these machines get very high reviews. On the higher end, HP is continually dropping the ball.

Its funny that my 2 year old HDX with 1080P 18.4 screen and BD writable drive offers more features then anything that HP can muster up today. Its why I fixed the touch panel through HP and got them to put it back into warranty since they offer so little with today's models.

 

I have very strong opinions about the new Envy 14 (owned 2 of the 1st gen, with Radiance screens), but honestly, it's already been said on this thread! Sadly, it's almost entirely negative. Sure, it's a sturdy design and build, same as it always was. Other than that, everything about it is about the same as in the 1st gen model - which is equivalent to a downgrade, given how much better hardware is available for the same price - or it's worse, such as the screen, which removes it entirely from competition for anything but a budget notebook (like the Lenovo Y series, but with worse performance at a higher price) with a backlit keyboard and something of a luxury "feel" to it. Period. That's all. It should not be made and it should not be purchased. Buy a refurb or lightly used gen1 with a Radiance screen, for about $900; it's a far better product.

My only question about the NBR review is, why 4.5 stars? I'm thinking, like, 3.

 

Consider the awful one-piece-plastic touchpad on the Envy 14. The design has been known to pop out. Consider HP's plastic chicklet keyboard. They've been known to bend and bounce. Then consider a Macbook unibody. Solid. Nothing pops out or bends or bounces. I have to admit that Apple makes a good impression.

As far as the heat issue, the presence of bottom vents is the biggest problem with any PC notebook. There are rare exceptions, but only Macbooks typically have that handy flat bottom.

First off, it's a Windows notebook.. Same OS and on-screen user experience as the cheapest mainstream consumer notebook. Second, it's very obviously a HP and shares a lot of with cheaper Pavilion DV and DM models. Finally, the form factor isn't all that different than other HPs - the screen is most likely even shared with cheaper models.

 

so...are you going to be ready to stop talking out of your !!! soon and admit that the macbooks are too hot to be used on your lap without sweating? even the freaking apple store reps warn you to not use the notebook as a laptop.

ps, i also currently own a macbook pro, so don't even bother trying to make !!!! up about build quality.

i see your point. high-end Ferraris use internal combustion engines, BUT my pontiac sunfire also uses an internal combustion engine. did i just divide by zero? i'll make sure to tell that Ferrari owner that their car is now worth about as $14k(not sure how much it has depreciated...probly quite a bit less now).

ps, i'll spell my point out simpler for you. just because a high end component is used in a low end package does not make it a low-end component...i feel bad about wasting electricity writing that out.

 

1. The vast majority of notebooks run x86 CPU's. You can run any OS you want on any laptop you want.
2. The Radiance display was the shining star of the Envy line. I agree with you and just about everyone else on this thread that seeing it go is a huge step backward.
3. The touchpad doesn't have anything to do with a unibody case. Nor does the keyboard. The unibody case is a style thing.
4. I have never had a problem with having cooling vents on the bottom of my notebook.
5. I still don't get your argument of why two notebooks aimed at similar consumers aren't competitors.

 

I think that Apple might disagree with that statement.

I don't have anything against HP's standard resolution display, or the strange 14.5 inch display size. They look very good on cheaper HP Pavilions.

No, the unibody case is much higher in quality, with better build quality. I also can't think of a worse touchpad than HP's one piece plastic wonder. Yes, they have popped out in the past.

Neither have I, but you do have to make sure you keep them clear, so you can't place your notebook on a tablecloth, piece of furniture or carpet.

The HP Envy just doesn't make the same sort of impression as a Macbook Pro. It just looks too much like HP notebooks that cost 1/3 to 1/2 as much. HP makes reasonable, consumer quality, discount priced notebooks, but at this price point there should be a better quality screen, touchpad........in short, you should be reminded constantly that you've bought a very, very expensive HP.

 

i've always wondered why they called it a unibody design...because the case is clearly not a single piece....

 

Some of you noted it - the biggest disappointment of this notebook is the terrible screen. If it still had the beautiful 1600x900 radiance option, I'd have been a lot more enthusiastic.

I was honestly surprised the speakers were so bland. HP even makes a 'Beats' edition of this notebook which has even more branding ... yet it still has the same crappy speakers. Most unimpressive for a notebook with name-brand speakers. The Altec Lansings on my 2008 Pavilion dv5t are much nicer sounding. And the harman/kardons I had on my 2004 Pavilion zv5000z were better than that.

It's tough to recommend the ENVY 14, really ...

 

Why did you give it 4 1/2 stars if you can't really recommend it?

I personally like it (The original Envy 14.) and would even go as far to say that if this was available when my y460 was, I would've gotten the Envy. To me, this a step back from the previous Envy 14.

 

Another complaint that I have is the 8-cell 59 WHr battery. That's a low capacity battery. HP's slice battery is 6-cell and it's 64 WHr. What.. typical HP to put in low quality hardware.

I know that the Macbook Pro's battery is more than 70 WHr.

 

what other laptops are comparable to this one? in the same price range?

 

Dell XPS 15z is the most obvious competitor. Reviews of a preproduction version were brutally bad (Engadget), but some of the subsequent reviews I've read are more middle of the road. Packing a 1080p screen instead of a 720p screen is a huge advantage over the Envy 14.

Dell XPS 15z review -- Engadget
http://www.laptopmag.com/review/lap.../www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2385682,00.asp

The Sony Vaio S is another one, despite having a plastic case instead of metal. It's a thin-but-powerful 13"er. It's got a 900p screen in the SA (though many have complained that the colors look a bit washed out).

The base MacBook Pro 13" has inferior performance specs but a superb multitouch touchpad and superb build quality (best of the ones I've mentioned and the HP, for sure).

I'm sure there are more out there, but those three sprang to mind quickly.

 

for the price the envy beats all of them.. im sure i can deal with the screen on it..
i would pick th e15z but its too big for me.. im looking to get something in the 13-14inch range.. that has the ability to game and its really slim..
the envy just has that, plus sony c series also cought my eye

 

Personally I wouldn't recommend it. Notice the hesitancy in the recommendation at the end of the review. A buyer really can't go wrong with this notebook, but as you say, it is a step backwards compared to the original ENVY 14 for reasons I alluded to during the review.

 

HP's consumer range seems to trail the pack with battery capacity. Another example is HP DV6T - it's 6-cell is 47Whr when a Lenovo Y570/Y470 offers 62Whr (+32%).

Without the radiance LCD, the Envy14 has some tough competition. There areo other 14" and even 15" systems that are lighter and sometimes thinner, some with more powerful dGPUs than what the Envy 14 offers. HP's own DV6T, often on sale, is a better buy imho.

Code:

14" MSI X460DX	   4.40lbs (2.00kgs). 1.14" thick. GT540M
14" Gateway ID47   4.60lbs (2.09kgs). 1.13" thick. GT540M.
14" Lenovo Y470	   4.85lbs (2.20kgs). 1.29" thick. GT550M. mSATA, quad-core opt. 62Whr 6-cell.
14" Asus U46SV	   4.85lbs (2.20kgs). 1.06" thick. GT540M. 8-cell bat.
14" Samsung QX411  4.98lbs (2.26kgs). 1.07" thick. GT525M.
15" MSI GE620DX	   5.28lbs (2.40kgs). 1.50" thick. GT555M/[COLOR="Blue"]1080P[/COLOR].
14" Sony_CA	   5.39lbs (2.45kgs). 1.43" thick. HD6630M/[COLOR="Blue"]900P[/COLOR] option.
[COLOR="Red"]14.5" HP Envy 14   5.69lbs (2.59kgs). 1.18" thick. HD6630M.[/COLOR]
15.6" HP DV6T	   5.78lbs (2.63kgs). 1.39" thick. HD6770M. [COLOR="Blue"]1080P[/COLOR] option. 47Whr 6-cell.

 

When I last spoke to HP they told me the Japanese supplier they were using for higher-resolution 14-inch display panels was virtually put out of business by the recent disaster in Japan. HP is looking for alternative suppliers for displays with resolutions better than 1366x768 but it might take a while.

That at least explains why you can't get the current ENVY 14 with a better screen at this time.

 

Also worth noting that HP did away with the clickpad two button regions in favor of two real buttons with the SB refreshed DV6-6xxx and DM4-2xxx. Wonder why they didn't do that for the Envy 14?

 

I wouldn't mind if this had a high quality 1366 x 768 display, but it seems pretty craptacular (which is average).

 

Dude! Those are some great laptops. I never knew they existed when I was doing my laptop shopping. It was difficult to understand all of Asus's models since the naming system is terrible and some models are for UK and Asia while others are for USA. Asus should really work on their advertising... they have great laptops.

 

Asus uses really crappy screens for their laptops also, unless you get one w/ a 1080p screen.

 

I'm always disappointed with the envy...bring back voodoo's looks!

 

hmm so which one of those is the best? i was really looking forward to this but it seems like it isn't worth it?

perhaps, I should i get the dell 15z xps....or should i wait for something else? i would ideally want a 14 inch....

 

Ah, HP's acquisition of Voodoo PC. Talk about wasted potential. HP had the opportunity to become a dominant player in the PC gaming market alongside Dell's Alienware acquisition.

Unfortunately, internal politics and poor sales strategy combined with a downturn in the economy made HP all but abandon the Voodoo PC brand.

It's a shame too. I still have an HP Voodoo PC Firebird desktop at home (I bought it because of the looks, "relatively" small size for a gaming desktop and the water cooling that keeps it essentially silent even when gaming). My HP Voodoo PC Firebird is the first thing that people notice and COMPLIMENT when they walk into my home office.

Even though the specs on my Firebird are weak by the latest gaming standards, I can still play many games at 1080p resolution with decent frame rates (although not always with details set to high).

HP never really offered a quality gaming notebook under the Voodoo PC brand, which was a shame since gaming is what really made Voodoo PC famous.

The ENVY name is the only remaining shred of branding from Voodoo PC in the current HP lineup but I still hope that one day HP will bring Voodoo back from the grave like an angry gaming zombie and offer a range of gaming PCs for the masses and for hardcore gamers.

One can dream.

 

Just like to point out the article has a mistake. The right side USB port is USB 3.0, not 2.0.

 

Not on this configuration. HP has multiple variations of the ENVY14 (as some people pointed out, you used to be able to get this notebook with a better display) The port on the right side is also a combo USB 2.0/eSATA port on "some" models.

 

Yes I second that. My generation of E14 has Esata and USB 2.0 shared. Only newer ones have the USB 3.0 port.

And again, the sad part about all new E14 models is the lack of Radiance screen.

 

4.5/5 doesn't seem right..

 

Your configuration is an ENVY 14 Sandy Bridge, and all SB models sacrifice the combo USB/eSATA for an unmarked USB 3.0 port on the right. Even the pictures you posted do not show a combo port.

 

As a current owner of the Envy 14 1st gen, I have a few things to say:


1. The 2nd gen is not an upgrade. I would not have traded my E14 the day I first received it for an SB proc upgrade, similar GPUs, and a display downgrade. Even as I type on my notebook, I cannot but help noticed beautiful color reproduction. It simply out-classes the displays of the 2010 MBPs that were released just months before mine.

2. HP had better get a grip on software integration. Packaging already-mediocre touchpads with cruddy touchpad software won't do the trick. I complained in both their postcard and even on these threads which they have been known to read about the touchpad. At the end of the day, I had to rely on the good graces of someone who wasn't even C++ certified to write decent two-finger scrolling software for this notebook.

3. The PC industry had better get the ball rolling on producing higher-quality stuff in 2012 and beyond. Apple's about to make some serious overhauls to its Macbook line.

 

I'd also like to see HP do something a little different styling-wise. I really like the look of that sort of all-aluminum case, but in its current iteration, it looks like someone took a PowerBook G4 and bedazzled it like a pair of blinged-out blue jeans. On paper, the idea of aluminum ornamented with small boxes SOUNDS good, but when I look at it, all I see is pixelated paisley.

Of course, this is a TOTALLY subjective matter. Objectively, HP just needs a 900p screen and a good touchpad driver.

 

Doesn't look too terrible.

 

I don't think it looks terrible; I just think it would look better if the surface detailing wasn't paisley. Or if you had an option to get a non-paisley surface detailing, or no surface detailing.

 

That's why there's the Beats edition.

 

HP please just combine the Envy 14 with the dv6t!!! The Envy design + chassis + dv6t specs = epic win. Never-ending supply of 15'' 1080p screens.

Take out the optical drive and you can slim down the chassis to 13''. Wham! Envy 13 resurrected right there. And it'll still have a dedicated GPU!

 

Completely forgot about the Beats edition, and for the record, I love how it looks.

Now THIS is one heck of a good plan. I don't want something as big as the Envy 17, but if there was an Envy 15 with a 1080p screen and halfway-decent battery life, I'd be sold. You shouldn't have to go all the way up to a 17" machine in order to get better than 1366x768.

 

Yeah, a 15 inch Envy would be delicious... if it kept the thickness of the current Envy 14. Envy 17s are just bulky in every dimension and not as "sleek" looking as the Envy 14s at all. That's what MBPs have done right; larger in two dimensions, but keeping the thickness relatively the same makes them all look sleek.

 

The Envy 17 has three internal bays (up to two HDDs and one optical drive). The MBP 17 has two. I think having a bit more thickness to accommodate more internals makes sense in a 17. Most people who want "the thinnest laptop possible" also aren't looking at a 17" machine because it's so big in its other dimensions.

 

Yes and no, I think. There's many people who buy a 17" notebook not because it can hold powerful internals, but because it "has a nice and big screen." Apple caters to that wonderfully with its MBP17 because the screen is nice and the body is very thin and relatively portable: only down side is that it's ridiculously expensive for what you get.

If HP were to create an equally-thin 17" laptop with basic specs and a nice FHD display, I think it wouldn't be a tough sell.