Expert’s Rating
Pros
- Solid construct high quality and low weight
- Excellent OLED touchscreen
- Good battery life in a compact kind issue
- Versatile 2-in-1 design
Cons
- Slower than competitors except you turn to “Performance” mode
- Keyboard is barely mushy with odd key placement
- Too many pre-installed apps
Our Verdict
The HP Envy x360 14 has a stunning OLED display screen and nice construct high quality, however efficiency might be higher.
Price When Reviewed
$1,169.99
Best Prices Today: HP Envy x360 14
$1170
Living a laptop computer life-style doesn’t require as many compromises because it as soon as did. There are moveable machines with multiple displays, desktop-level graphics, and expansive high-refresh screens. Most laptop computer consumers don’t want any of that, however cut price fashions could be a problem with restricted energy and capabilities. HP’s Envy line is adept at bringing premium {hardware} right down to Earth with out giving up an excessive amount of.
The latest HP Envy x360 14 is compact and exquisite to take a look at. Most of the credit score for that goes to the high-resolution OLED display screen, however the PC itself doesn’t look dangerous, both. You gained’t get the very best efficiency attainable from this machine, however except you intend to recreation or edit video on the go, the HP Envy x360 14 ought to meet your wants for a worth that gained’t go away you reeling. And should you desperately want easy accessibility to AI, the brand new Envy has you lined. This is without doubt one of the first laptops I’ve seen with a devoted Copilot key on the keyboard.
Looking for extra choices? Check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best laptops out there proper now.
HP Envy x360 14: Specs and options
The Envy x360 14 shares a lot with different 2024 HP laptops just like the Spectre x360 14 and the Omen Transcend 14. It’s slower and lacking options in comparison with these high-end computer systems, however it’s extra succesful than gadgets just like the budget-conscious HP Laptop 14.
As the title implies, this can be a 2-in-1 convertible laptop computer, permitting you to flip the keyboard round to prop up the machine like a tent or use it like a pill. While it’s out there with an AMD chip, I examined the extra widespread Intel model with the most recent Intel Core Ultra 7 155U, 16GB of RAM, and Wi-Fi 7, however HP says variations of this machine at some retailers might skip Wi-Fi 7 help. However, I’m happy to see HP isn’t making an attempt to promote a less expensive mannequin with 8GB of RAM — 16GB is the bottom, correctly in 2024.
- CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 155U
- Memory: 16GB
- Graphics/GPU: Intel Arc built-in
- Display: 14-inch OLED @ 2880×1800, 48-120Hz refresh price, Gorilla Glass, 500 nits brightness
- Storage: 1TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe
- Webcam: 5MP with IR for Windows Hello
- Connectivity: 2x USB Type-A 10Gbps, 1x USB Type-C 10Gbps (USB Power Delivery, DisplayPort 2.1, HP Sleep and Charge), 1x Thunderbolt 4 with USB Type-C 40Gbps (USB Power Delivery, DisplayPort 2.1, HP Sleep and Charge), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x 3.5mm audio
- Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
- Battery capability: 59Wh, HP USB-C quick charging
- Dimensions: 12.34 x 8.62 x 0.67 in.
- Weight: 3.08 lbs.
- MSRP as examined: $1,169.99
HP Envy x360 14: Design and construct high quality
The Envy x360 14 is an understated little laptop computer that will not look misplaced in an workplace. Its glossy aluminum chassis tapers towards the entrance to provide the phantasm of a fair thinner profile than the 0.67-inch measurement would counsel. The 360-degree hinges are stable, maintaining the 14-inch OLED steady even whenever you actually pound away on the keyboard. I’ll expound on the show’s beautiful visuals shortly, however it additionally contributes to the laptop computer’s general elegant aesthetic, with an ultra-clear (however reflective) Gorilla Glass cowl and 89.5 p.c screen-to-body ratio.
There’s a petite webcam squeezed in above the show. It has a most decision of 5MP and helps HDR and IR for Windows Hello. I recognize that HP has added a bodily digital camera shutter this yr, permitting you to make sure the digital camera can’t be turned on by software program with out your data.
Ryan Whitwam / Foundry
Ryan Whitwam / Foundry
Ryan Whitwam / Foundry
At only a hair over 3 kilos, the HP Envy x360 14 is simple to choose up and haul round. HP says it’s utilizing a more durable alloy this time. So the laptop computer ought to face up to extra abuse earlier than displaying scratches. It does really feel very stable, however the backside case panel is a bit on the skinny facet — it flexes noticeably when pressed.
Previous HP Envy machines used a DC barrel connector for charging. Thankfully, the 2024 mannequin has moved to USB-C. HP features a 65W charger, and I’ve examined the machine utilizing a number of third-party USB-C chargers with USB Power Delivery that labored simply as nicely. However, the machine does annoyingly warn you everytime you plug in a non-HP charger.
There are two USB-C ports, permitting you to cost and join speedy storage or different fashionable equipment on the similar time. Both of these ports are on the left edge with the full-sized HDMI and one of many two USB-A ports. The different is on the proper edge, together with the headphone jack. There aren’t any ports on the rear.
HP Envy x360 14: Keyboard and trackpad
While HP gives a handful of shade choices, most retailers will solely have the Meteor Silver shade — that’s par for the course with HP laptops. In years previous, HP used the identical silver shade for the keyboard, which made the keys reflective and arduous to learn. The 2024 Envy x360 modifications to a matte grey tone with giant, crisp legends. The two-tone shade appears good whenever you open up the PC, and it’s straightforward to learn. The backlit keys have good tactility, however the bottom-out is on the mushy facet, which is extra noticeable the nearer you get to the sides.
The keyboard format is typical of HP laptops, which implies you get an influence button proper above backspace. I’m unsure why HP continues to do that. An errant press gained’t set off this key — it’s important to press for a few second, however backspace is without doubt one of the few keys I’m liable to mash all through the day. Several occasions, I pressed what I assumed was backspace solely to understand I had simply put the pc to sleep.
Ryan Whitwam / Foundry
Ryan Whitwam / Foundry
Ryan Whitwam / Foundry
If you utilize Microsoft’s Copilot AI continuously and hate urgent multiple key, you’ll be completely satisfied to know there’s a Copilot key on the keyboard. It’s to the proper of the spacebar, between the left alt and the proper arrow. This is a little-used a part of the keyboard, so it’s pretty much as good a spot as any. AI followers will like having the devoted button, and the remainder of us can safely ignore it.
The trackpad is a bit bigger than earlier Envy machines, and it’s centered beneath the keyboard. The dimension makes scrolling and different gestures straightforward, and the press mechanism doesn’t make an excessive amount of noise. It doesn’t have a glass cowl like some premium laptops, however it’s nonetheless one of many higher trackpads I’ve used on a mainstream laptop computer.
HP Envy x360 14: Display and audio
The HP Envy x360 14 gives a incredible viewing expertise with its 2880×1800 OLED display screen. At 14 inches, the show is an effective dimension for portability, and the 16:10 facet ratio provides you slightly extra vertical house when scrolling by lengthy net pages.
The OLED panel has the inky blacks and attention-grabbing colours I’d anticipate, and the decision is greater than many laptops on this worth vary. Everything is sharp, and the viewing angles are glorious. The OLED is underneath a sheet of sturdy Gorilla Glass, which can assist forestall scratches. However, the glass is extraordinarily reflective. It’s high quality in typical indoor lighting, however should you’re exterior, the reflectiveness is likely to be a trouble.
The display screen has stable peak brightness at 500 nits, which permits it to show HDR content material. The HDR colours on this panel look super-vibrant — it actually does make a noticeable distinction in comparison with SDR content material. However, HDR is barely out there when the laptop computer is plugged into energy. Outside of HDR, the brightness peaks at a still-respectable 400 nits.
The HP Envy x360 14 gives a incredible viewing expertise with its 2880×1800 OLED display screen.
Ryan Whitwam / Foundry
Ryan Whitwam / Foundry
Ryan Whitwam / Foundry
This is a touchscreen show, which you’d anticipate from a 2-in-1 convertible. Single and multitouch interactions work nicely (or at the very least in addition to they ever do in Windows 11), and the Gorilla Glass panel is good and easy to swipe throughout. HP additionally contains help for pens utilizing the MPP 2.0 commonplace, however it doesn’t embrace one within the field. A appropriate stylus will run you about $60.
Like most laptops, there are two down-firing audio system on the underside. They get impressively loud, however the sound is flat and distorted at greater quantity ranges.
HP Envy x360 14: Performance
The HP Envy x360 14 doesn’t wow with uncooked velocity. In truth, the benchmarks present it trailing behind machines with comparable specs. As we’ve seen from different current HP laptops, the default “Smart Sense” energy mode retains the machine cooler and quieter on the expense of efficiency.
Ryan Whitwam / Foundry
Ryan Whitwam / Foundry
Ryan Whitwam / Foundry
PCMark 10 is designed to check a machine throughout a wide range of metrics like net looking, video chat, and picture modifying. Here, we’re trying on the general rating. The Envy brings up the rear on this take a look at, placing up a rating extra consistent with the Core Ultra 5 CPU.
Ryan Whitwam / Foundry
Ryan Whitwam / Foundry
Ryan Whitwam / Foundry
Cinebench is a CPU-focused take a look at that exhibits how a machine handles heavy however transient multi-core workloads. This is one other take a look at the place the HP Envy x360 14’s default efficiency tuning knocks it again. Performance right here is even decrease than productivity-oriented laptops.
Ryan Whitwam / Foundry
Ryan Whitwam / Foundry
Ryan Whitwam / Foundry
The Handbrake take a look at is much like Cinebench in that it exhibits how a pc handles multithreaded duties, however this can be a longer-duration take a look at. We transcode a 35GB MKV file to a smaller format and time the method. Unsurprisingly, the Envy took considerably longer than comparable laptops, even some that ought to be much less highly effective.
Ryan Whitwam / Foundry
Ryan Whitwam / Foundry
Ryan Whitwam / Foundry
While this isn’t a gaming laptop computer, the Core Ultra chips do have succesful Arc built-in GPUs inside. However, HP’s default energy mode has an influence right here, as nicely. Based on this benchmark, even easier video games will battle with the Envy’s Smart Sense energy mode.
HP’s option to make its default energy mode so conservative is slightly baffling. It positively makes the machine quiet — even underneath sustained load, the followers are barely above a whisper. However, HP is leaving quite a lot of efficiency on the desk. It’s the identical state of affairs PCWorld referred to as out with the Spectre x360 14, which is an much more costly laptop computer.
I ran the Envy x360 14 by its paces in Performance mode, and the benchmarks shot up by 15 to 20 p.c. For occasion, PCMark went from 5,405 to 6,201 with Performance mode enabled. That places it in the identical vary as different laptops operating the Core Ultra 7 CPU.
At the very least, HP’s laptops ought to swap to Performance mode when plugged in. As it at the moment stands, it’s important to manually change this within the myHP app. That’s to not be confused with the Omen Hub or HP Smart apps. In common, HP has too many pre-installed apps on this machine, together with third-party stuff like McAfee and Booking.com.
HP Envy x360 14: Battery life
Ryan Whitwam / Foundry
Ryan Whitwam / Foundry
Ryan Whitwam / Foundry
In a refreshing change, the HP Envy x360 14 does nicely in our battery life take a look at, which loops a 4K video on repeat till the machine dies. At about 13.5 hours, it’s slightly below HP’s battery life claims.
While Smart Sense impedes the above checks, it saves substantial energy by slowing the CPU. In this mode, you’ll haven’t any hassle making it by a full day of labor after which some. Most of the comparable machines have a lot bigger battery capacities than the HP Envy — for instance, a whopping 71Wh within the Lenovo Yoga 7i versus 59Wh for the Envy. Yet, HP’s battery life remains to be very aggressive because of the default efficiency tuning. If you need to unleash the complete potential of the {hardware}, bear in mind your battery life will undergo.
Should you purchase the HP Envy x360 14?
The HP Envy x360 14 is an effective laptop computer for common use and productiveness. It has an incredible trackpad, a serviceable keyboard, 16GB of RAM within the base mannequin, Wi-Fi 7 help, and the inclusion of a webcam shutter is a considerate further. I’m additionally impressed by the slim profile and lengthy battery life. The beautiful OLED show is the first promoting level for this machine, although. It’s uncommon to see such an excellent display screen on a laptop computer priced at simply over $1,000. It’s not all excellent news, although.
HP’s default energy mode cuts efficiency noticeably, and it’s important to manually change that setting each time you want extra energy. That will reduce into the robust battery life. It would even be good if HP might scale back the variety of pre-installed apps, presumably by centralizing all its settings in a single app as an alternative of three.
Still, this machine is price contemplating should you want a compact, succesful 2-in-1 laptop computer.