With laptop sales going through the roof , it seems that this good end of the year will continue due to the great demand of users who require mobility to take the equipment to the office (or to school) at the same time who telecommute or receive classes online. For those looking for a device with a screen big enough for everyday use at home and on the go, a 15.6-inch might satisfy both needs. At this size, the laptop in this review belongs to HP’s Envy range, which is one step below the Spectre. But this does not mean it can boast a premium design with a reasonable mid-range price.
Performance, battery, and charging
The HP Envy 15 in this review has a 10th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) memory, Nvidia GTX 1650 Ti graphics, and 512 GB SSD memory. These technical features are more than enough for everyday tasks when working, such as text and image editing, spreadsheets and similar non-demanding programs, email messages, web browsing, and many others that do not require extensive resources.
The continuous video playback test with the screen brightness turned up, and the volume turned down gave nearly nine hours. This result does not place him at the head of the best autonomies, but it does not stop being a good time. So you can expect it to last you an 8-hour workday with daily tasks, although – of course – everything will depend on the use you give it, as always happens in this section.
The same thing happens with the battery charge: it is not one of the fastest currently, but it is not bad at all: in 40 minutes, it fills up to half. Charging it to 100 percent takes two and a quarter hours, although it is true that it reaches 99 percent in two hours. Handy is the tiny light located on the left side, which lights up red when charging. Once complete, it changes to white. All laptops do not provide this detail, and it is appreciated to know when it has been fully charged at a glance. The charger is small and manageable, although not as small as those that connect via USB-C, which have a shape equal to that of slightly larger smartphones.
The HP Envy 15 laptop is worth 1,299 euros in Spain, an average price for which you get an ideal device for teleworking from home (HP targets it at demanding multimedia users and content creators), with an exquisite and discreet premium aluminum design ( suitable even for installation in the living room), a camera prepared for the privacy and sound quality of Bang & Olufsen. It does not stand out for having the best processor, the highest resolution, or the most significant memory capacity, but its equipment is more than enough for an average user. If you are looking for something more advanced, this same model is sold with better specifications (Core i7, 4K screen, 1TB).
Of course, nothing prevents you from taking it on a trip, but if you spend most of your day on the move. You attach great importance to the weight of the equipment. Lighter options, such as the LG Gram we analyze in this review, may fit you because it is not the most delicate thing to carry around all day. But in return, you get solidity: it looks sturdy.
Design, screen, and keyboard
The silver color is very noticeable on laptops; it is not original. In the case of the HP Envy 15, made of aluminum, this much-seen tone has a galactic appearance that is not boring and attracts with its luminosity. As soon as you see it, it catches your eyes, especially when you open it and look at the detail of the diamond-shaped speaker grills. This pattern, together with the quality of the metal, gives it an elegant touch and, above all, distinguishes it from other laptops. To avoid breaking this aesthetic, HP has chosen to integrate the fingerprint reader as one more key and in a very comfortable place (if you are right-handed).
It is a sizeable and somewhat heavy laptop, measuring 35.79 x 23.68 x 1.84 cm and weighing 2.1 kilos. You can transport it without problems in a large backpack, but it takes up a lot of space. It brings a screen with Full HD resolution prepared for long working hours: to avoid glare and reflections in the eyes, and HP has opted for a matte finish, a feature that does not offer the brightness of the bright ones but helps to combat the eyestrain.
In connections, it is very well equipped: on the left side, it incorporates a USB-A port, an HDMI, two USB-C, and a microSD card reader. On the right, another USB-A and a headphone jack that is also a microphone input. On this side, it integrates some ventilation holes to dissipate heat. From time to time, it emits the typical vehicular noise.
Fanning: It’s pretty bearable, not a problem, but it must be said that other current notebooks are entirely silent. Like most, it does not have an RJ45 port to connect via an ethernet cable.
The HP Envy 15 is ready for online meetings with a built-in camera in the most common place, above the screen. Its resolution -HD- does not stand out; it falls a bit short. Of course, it is enough to communicate and be seen. The peculiarity is that you can turn it off to protect your privacy by pressing a button on the keyboard. Next to the camera, two internal microphones pick up the voice, and it is also possible to mute them with a button on the keyboard.
The keyboard area is as beautiful as it is practical. The keys have been comfortable for me without being neither too hard nor too soft and with enough space between them to press quickly. With speakers positioned on either side of the keyboard, audio comes right out to you, in this case, in exceptional Bang & Olufsen quality. It sounds excellent, even at maximum volume.
