HP Envy x360 15 (2021) Review
With its strong CPU and graphics, well-built construction, great display, great battery life, and exceptional pricing, the HPHP Envy x360 15 (2021) Review Envy x360 15 (2021) is practically unmatched in 2-in-1 laptop performance. It’s heavier than other 2-in-1s and uncomfortable to use in tablet mode, but the pros outweigh the drawbacks. Some may disagree, and we don’t blame them.
HP Envy x360 15 Specification
| CPU | Intel Core i7-1250U |
| RAM | 16 GB LPDDR4x |
| Graphics | Intel Iris Xe Graphics |
| Screen | 13.3-inch diagonal |
| Storage | 1 TB |
| Ports | 2 USB Type-A ports |
| Connection | Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (2×2) and Bluetooth 5.2 combo |
| Camera | 1080p HP True Vision 5MP IR |
| Weight | 2.95 lb |
| Size | 11.75 x 8.46 x 0.63 inches |
FOR
- 2 in 1 design
- Bang & Olufsen speakers
- OLED screen
- Excellent battery life
AGAINST
- No stylus dock
- Bad storage space
- Tablet mode can be cumbersome.
Design
The HP Envy x360 looks great. The robust aluminum chassis feels and looks premium. Despite its sturdy structure, it weighs 1.38kg and is lightweight and portable, making it ideal for commuters and coffee shop workers. The 360-degree hinge lets you fold it into a tablet or tent, and it’s sturdy. The keyboard doesn’t detach, so using it as a tablet might be awkward. Incredible screen. The edge-to-edge glass and tiny bezels make the 13.3-inch screen appear larger than it is. The touchscreen display’s full OLED panel with 1920 x 1080 resolution and 400 nits brightness produces beautiful, lifelike visuals. This screen was great for streaming and making digital art on this computer. However, the streaming material was excellent because of the 16:9 aspect ratio and 100% DCI-P3 color fidelity. The inbuilt Bang & Olufsen speakers provided plenty of sound.
Feature
The HP Envy x360 contains several surprises but not many features. Webcams may seem minor, but a decent one is essential with everyone working from home. Its 720p camera isn’t the finest, but GlamCam, with an appearance filter, lighting adjustment, and auto frame, keeps you looking your best. I also like that there is a light to indicate if the camera is active and a privacy shutter, so if you work from home and frequently attend team meetings, you won’t mistakenly leave your camera on. It also features a bi-directional AI noise reduction microphone, which sounded fantastic on a Zoom call during testing because I have two dogs running around while I work.
The HP Envy x360 comes with the HP MPP2.0 tilt pen, which is responsive and easy to use. I had no jitters or stutters. I had trouble connecting it at first since this is an Active pen, not a Bluetooth pen. You must touch it on a certain portion of the screen to activate it. Once engaged, it connected easily whenever I picked it up. Because it’s always on, the battery will require charging more regularly, but happily, it utilizes USB-C like the laptop. Another drawback is that there’s no pen dock, but the laptop’s magnetic strip on the front will attach to it. If you have Apple AirPods, they’ll also adhere to the strip, keeping everything in place.
Prices
Among several configurations, we tried the 13.3-inch Intel® Core™ i7 1250U (12th Generation) with 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD memory, and Intel® Iris® Xⵉ Graphics card. The prices start at $1219.23 or £1099.99, which is great for a laptop, tablet, and powerful workhorse. The HP Spectre x360, the next model up, costs $1,429 or £1,399, with the main change being a more powerful graphics card.
Battery
As per data, the HP Envy x360’s 4-cell, 66 Wh Li-ion polymer battery lasts 17 hours and 30 minutes. That was close. Like most batteries, it drained faster when I streamed or cranked up the brightness, utilizing 15% per hour. This machine has a fantastic battery life and can last all day on a charge. Luckily, it supports rapid charge and can reach 50% in 45 minutes, so you can fill up when you’re running low on battery while enjoying a coffee or break. Along with the laptop’s design, the charging is small and portable.
Conclusion
One strange difficulty I found during setup: The system arrived with its networking deactivated, making it unable to continue with the first Windows settings since Microsoft now requires a network connection. HP tech helped fix the issue with a command line solution, and everything worked well. HP could not explain the issue’s onset. At $1,200, this arrangement is pricy but not outrageous. The laptop has only a few small flaws, but the emoji button is a standout feature. I can’t complain much. If you’re buying a 15.6-inch laptop, consider it.
