With the vision to create technology that aims to make life better for everyone, HP has innovated all sorts of technology everywhere. Now, they are focusing to reinvent what is defined as technology. They choose to engineer an experience that will amaze people and promise to keep pushing boundaries. They strive to reinvent how their customer works, play and live. And hence their motto “Keep Reinventing”.
Originally named as The Hewlett-Packard Company, HP was an American MN IT company with its headquarters located in Palo Alto, California. They got their first big gig producing test and measurement instruments for Walt Disney to produce Fantasia.
HP Envy
HP Envy | Check Prices on Amazon |
The HP Envy series is a line of high-end laptops manufactured and sold by Hewlett-Packard. HP initially inaugurated the Envy series on October 15, 2009, with two super performing models – the HP Envy 13 and the HP Envy 15. These models were renamed by the Voodoo Envy when HP and VoodooPC integrated.
Later, Hewlett-Packard broadened the line with the addition of the HP Envy 14 and the HP Envy 17 models. The HP Envy mainly competed with computers such as Acer Aspire, Dell Inspiron and XPS, Lenovo IdeaPad, Samsung Sens, and Toshiba Satellite.
In 2012, the conventional HP Envy 13, 14, 15, and 17 models were terminated by HP. The manufacturers rebranded their Pavilion personal computers line up as the new The Envy line up. The new Envy line had a starting price of $499 and consisted of the Pavilion Envy notebook line and the hybrid HP Envy X2. The newly rebranded Pavilion laptops resumed with Beats Audio and have their very own dedicated Nvidia graphic processors.
HP Spectre
HP Spectre | Check Prices on Amazon |
It is said that the HP Spectre has been bought to this world with one sole purpose and that is to rival the Apple MacBook. As the world’s thinnest notebook, it is truly one of the most sensational devices Hewlett-Packard has made in an extended time. It is slim, sleek, and has a copper finish.
With a cushier keyboard and a more powerful processor as well as a wide array of ports, this one was specially designed to be distinctive.
HP has come a long way from its plastic designs. The Spectre line mostly represents the high-end Windows laptop. After experimenting with a variety of designs, HP has finally settled on X360. With the latest processor from Intel and a fresh new external design, it can be easily crowned the best windows laptop out there.
It is a 2-in-1 convertible and has a 360-degree hinge allowing the display monitor to be flipped. There are two editions of the model, a 1080p version and a 4K version. The 1080p version has a bright distinctive display making it unnecessary to be upgraded to 4k.
It comes in two beautiful colors of Dark Ash Silver and Poseidon Blue. Additionally, it has a stylus pen to access the touch screen features. There are built-in biometric authentication modules and features a camera kill switch on the side for security purposes.
HP Envy vs. HP Spectre
Design
The design of the HP Spectre S360 series is striking. In distinction to many other notebooks, the convertibles are angular, the display horizons are beveled at the hinge and there is also a completely apparent bevel on the side rims. The sides are designed in rose gold to accentuate.
What looks one prefers in a laptop is of course purely a matter of taste, but the HP Envy is surely an eye-catcher. The edges are not designed for the display panel only. On the left side, there is the power button and on the right side is one of the Thunderbolt-3 connectors.
The color is called Dark Ash Silver. HP used aluminium for the case. This is, of course, invariably chic, but it means there will tons of fingerprint smudges. The combination of rose gold with anthracite looks very beautiful.
The keyboard is located in a small recess. This ensures that it will not be damaged if you use the HP Spectre X360 in stand-alone mode. Moreover, there are four minor spacers on the body. They prevent the surface from being scratched while using the notebook. They are placed in a way that they are not visible much or cause any hindrance in everyday use.
The keyboard broadens over the entire width of the notebook. The touchpad is slight to the left, but that does not bother you while typing. It also has a complete Numpad here. The friction of the keys is very low. Thus, typing feels spongy at first but the feeling recedes quickly. Even typing long texts on the keyboard feels like a pleasure.
The fingerprint reader is positioned in front of the Numpad and easily accessible. In front of the display, there is a fine grid under which the two Bang & Olufsen speakers are located.
The display frames are narrow enough at the sides but relatively wide at the top and bottom. A reflective HP logo is also attached to the lower display frame. The webcam and the sensors for face recognition are fixed in the upper display frame. There is a massive HP logo on the display top but no disturbing edges or burrs and no uneven gaps. In this price range, it is everything that one is hoping for and any less would be absolutely unacceptable.
“Distinctive” is the first word that comes to mind when you see the HP Envy 13. There are almost zero curves. In spite of the angular design, there are no harsh transitions or ridges. The processing is almost flawless. The display frames are pleasantly narrow on the sides and only the upper and lower frames are wider just like the HP Spectra.
HP has placed the HD webcam in the upper frame. The width of the lower frame is fair to the grid for the speakers being over the keyboard. HP uses the room in the frame for placing a polished logo. The frames are reflective. However, everyone gets to decide for themselves whether they like this design or not.
The keyboard is located in a small gap so that it does not come into contact with the display when the HP Envy 13 is closed. The keys have a very short stroke and offer very little friction. It is very manageable to type on the keyboard after a quick demonstration of getting used to it.
he display of the HP Envy 13 drags the notebook a little when you open it. The keyboard is slightly tilted which results in a more pleasant typing experience than a completely flat keyboard. Also, the slight lifting of the bottom should allow a better airflow for cooling.
With such features amongst the two, the choice of a better laptop comes down to narrower aspects. Here goes the elaborate distinction between the two.
Laptop Size
Being a 2-in-1 device, the HP Spectre is a 10.4-millimeter thick device with a 2.45-pound weight. It is as slim as regular AAA batteries. It comes with a sleek new logo and copper accents inspired by classic watches as claimed by its designers. It can be rotated to full 360-degrees and be used as a notepad with its own stylus pen or even your fingers.
Designed and titled as one of the best personal computers for college students, the affordable HP Envy is 0.6-inch thick and 2.8 pounds in weight. The Ultrabook comes with an elegant design, vivid display, and top-notch speakers. All these features make this device the perfect choice for travelling without the hassle of carrying any extensions or accessories like speakers or headphones.
Monitor
With a display of Display 13.3-inch, the HP Spectre has an OLED panel. But it does come with a touchscreen. And in the world where we are so used to clickity-clack our fingers on the screen, this is quite an advantage if you think about it. The laptop also comes in a good length to width ratio for easier accessibility.
With a similar display of 13.3-inch, the HP Envy comes with a vivid display, bight edges, and FHD panel but, unfortunately, without a touch screen. It has a good length to width proportion as well.
Keyboard
The layout of the HP Spectre’s keyboard is done quite intuitively. It is well spaced with pleasant tactile feedback features. However, the 13-inch model does not come with a Numpad, but the 15-inch model does. With a backlit keyboard of two distinct brightness settings, there is an option for it to be switched off as well.
The trackpad is large and accurate and registers clicks and gestures. It spans to the entire width of the device. The friction of the keys is very low making the typing feeling quite spongy. But one can get used to it.
The keyboard of the HP Envy is not bad either. The keys are well spaced with a backlit chiclet keyboard. The trackpad has a windows precision driver. It has a short-stroke and offers bare minimal friction.
Battery Life
The HP Spectre has a big battery of 79.2 W-Hr. Along with its low power processor, 9-10 hours of battery life is ensured. The 4K model however drains a lot of power. But it can still be deemed above average and can last about 8-9 hours.
The HP Envy has an impressive battery life of 9-10 hours even after consistent use. However, the 4K model is where it goes to drain. With 4-5 hours of battery life on average, this is a no go. But with all being said for good, the HP Envy 1080p offers such good performance that an upgrade to 4K is quite unnecessary.
Processor
The HP Envy X360 is proof that the portable CPU landscape is changing in a big way. The manufacturers smartly choose to use Ryzen 4000 chips in the HP Envy 13, which provides a remarkable execution at this price.
The HP Envy 13 equipped with Intel Core i7 7th Gen 7500U processor, 2.7 GHz base clock speed, 3.5 GHz burst clock speed, 4MB cache, 8GB RAM, and Intel HD graphics 620 reached 19,064 points in the Geekbench 4.3 overall performance test.
The HP Envy outperformed the HP Spectre which scored only 18,408 on the same test. However, it packs an Intel Core i7 7th Gen 7500U processor, 2.5GHz base clock speed, 3.1 GHz burst clock speed, 3MB cache, 8GB RAM, and Intel HD graphics 620.
The HP Envy flexed its AMD strengths in the Handbrake test, converting a 4K video to 1080p resolution in 13 minutes and 44 seconds. It took the HP Spectre X360 a whopping 21 minutes and 13 seconds to complete the same task.
The 256GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD in the HP Envy duplicated 4.97GB multimedia data in 16 seconds at a rate of 318.1 Mbps. Whereas the 512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD in the HP Spectre 13 did not seem to go any faster.
Intel’s Ice Lake CPUs, which have upgraded Iris Plus graphics, have some catching up to do for its graphics performance. The AMD Radeon Graphics chip in the HP Envy X360 13 is competent enough.
The Dirt 3 benchmark proved that the HP Envy X360 played the racing game at a smooth 78 frames per second, whereas the HP Spectre X360 faltered out at only 47 fps.
Ports and Connectivity
The HP Envy 13 has a decent selection of ports. However, there is no Thunderbolt-3 port which is quite unfortunate. On the right of the HP Envy 13, there is a USB 3.1 Type-A port and a MicroSD slot. On the left, there is a second USB-A port, a USB Type C port, and a 3.5-mm audio input jack.
The HP Spectre comes with a Thunderbolt-3 port without the loss of anything else. On the right, it has two thunderbolt-3 ports and a MicroSD slot. On the left, it has a USB-A port and a 3.5-mm audio input jack.
The HP Spectre also comes with a webcam kill switch on the side. The presence of a thunderbolt port has truly set the bench for the HP Spectre as a high-end laptop shelf.
Speakers
The HP Envy 13 has some crisp speakers. It places dual speakers on the underside of the chassis accompanied by a third top firing driver on the keyboard. The twang and the thudding are all good without the ordeal of busting out your headphones. It also has a preinstalled Bang and Olufsen software with equalizer controls.
In order to reduce the footprint of the HP Spectre, one of the compromises that had to be done was in the audio output department. The new bottom-firing speakers are powerful and can fill only a medium-sized room.
However, it is unable to provide a sonic boom. The drum hits sound weak and, in a way, it lacks energy. Also, it does not have Bang and Olufsen software with equalizer controls.
Upgradeability
Both HP Envy and HP Spectre are quite similar in terms of upgradability. They have the RAM chips soldered with the motherboard and hence not upgradable in case of the older models. However, the newer models have upgradable RAM, WLAN card, SSD, and HDD.
But even then, the task at hand is not easy but rather difficult due to the presence of Torx T5 screws. It is highly advisable to seek the help of a specialist if you want to upgrade any of the two laptops.
Pros and Cons
The HP Envy Pros & cons
Pros:
- Attractive design and lightweight chassis
- Fast performance
- Bright and vivid display
- Long battery life in FHD models
- Crisp and powerful speakers
- Relatively cheaper
- Ultra-portable design
- Good privacy feature
- Slim and elegant
- Solid quad-core performance
Cons:
- 4K model has a shorter battery life
- Absence of Thunderbolt-3 ports
- Loud fan noises during operation
- Reflective screen
- Overly sensitive trackpads
The HP Spectre Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Sturdy build
- Luxurious design
- Strong productivity performance
- Good selection of ports
- Vibrant 4K OLED screen
- Solid entry-level gaming features
- Great keyboard
- Camera kill switch
- Outstanding battery life for 4K screens
- Corner-mounted power button
Cons:
- Average GPU in today’s market
- The top bezel is big
- Larger and heavy to be used on the go
- Bloatware infested
- Maximum brightness is too low making a not so vivid display
- The bottom gets too heated after prolonged use
- Not user upgradeable
Verdict and Conclusion
The HP Envy 13 is the ultimate laptop to get as far as college students and travellers go. It has a strong battery life and a powerful speaker. It is sleek and ultra-portable. And just to add the cherry on top it is priced at only 799 USD. To sum it all up, its fast, affordable, and attractive. But just to be clear, we are talking about the 1080p version over the 4K model because it lasts several hours more and costs less.
The HP Spectre 13.3 is a wonderful device checking all the right boxes. But it can, by no means, be called for a perfect device. Yes, it is fast. Yes, it is record-breaking thin. But for it to be those things, it had to compromise resolution and settle for an occasionally loud fan. However, it does have a good speed boost as far as transferring speeds go.
Now for the final verdict, the winner is The HP envy. Not only is this cheaper, but it is also a better performer. This affordable model has an excellent screen and a similar keyboard as the HP Spectre. Considering the price and values, the HP Envy is a much better choice than the HP Spectre.
Check the latest prices, reviews and specs for each laptop below
HP Envy | Check Prices on Amazon |