HP Envy 14 (EB0021TX) Review: A Balancing Act Done Right

HP refreshed its Envy line of premium Home windows Ultrabooks again in August and the Envy 14, which we have now with us right this moment, is likely one of the totally loaded variants. Out there in each 14-inch and 15-inch display sizes, the brand new Envy sequence guarantees highly effective efficiency in premium and extremely transportable our bodies. The 2021 refresh will get Intel’s eleventh gen Core CPUs and a tweaked design, making it an excellent contender in opposition to rivals comparable to Dell’s XPS sequence. The pricing of the HP Envy 14 additionally places it in Apple’s MacBook Professional (M1) territory.

It is time to discover out if this ultrabook needs to be in your radar this purchasing season.

HP Envy 14 (EB0021TX) design

The economic design of the HP Envy 14 has grown on me within the time I have been testing it. This laptop computer is simply out there in a single silver end, which covers most components of the physique, aside from the bezel across the show. The sharp angles all through the laptop computer, together with on the rubber toes beneath, lend it a particular look. The aluminium chassis is sturdy which makes the lid and base really feel rugged.

The HP Envy 14’s industrial design is extra refined than flashy

For a 14-inch laptop computer, the HP Envy 14 affords an honest choice of bodily ports. You get two USB 3 (Gen1) Kind-A ports with ‘HP Sleep and Cost’ performance on each, HDMI 2.0, a Thunderbolt 4 ( Kind-C) port, a microSD card slot, a DC charging port, and a headphone jack. You’ll be able to energy and cost the laptop computer by way of the Kind-C port too, if you do not have the provided charger with you. The only hinge for the show affords good torsion and the lid might be pushed again comfortably. Opening the lid when closed could be a little tough although for the reason that supplied groove is not deep sufficient to simply grip it together with your thumb or finger.

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The HP Envy 14 affords a wide selection of ports for a 14-inch laptop computer

The chiclet keyboard keys are effectively spaced and cozy to sort on. You get three ranges of white backlighting, which illuminates the keys fairly evenly. There is a fingerprint sensor instead of the fitting Ctrl key. The palmrest space is spacious and also you even get a generously sized glass trackpad within the center.

The show is a brilliant 14-inch IPS panel with a full-HD+ decision and a 16:10 side ratio. The design appears trendy too, due to slim borders on three of its 4 sides. The perforated vent above the keyboard is for airflow, and the stereo audio system are positioned on the underside of the laptop computer, one on either side. There is a a lot bigger vent there too.

HP Envy 14 (EB0021TX) specs and software program

The HP Envy 14 is constructed round Intel’s Evo platform which is a set of tips for options, efficiency and effectivity. The variant that I am testing options an Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU with built-in Intel Iris Xe graphics, 16GB of soldered DDR4 RAM, a 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD, and a discrete Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti GPU with Max-Q optimisation. It is a fully-loaded machine with highly effective parts throughout the board. The stereo audio system within the Envy 14 are from Bang & Olufsen. There is a 720p webcam with a software-based digicam disable function for privateness, which might be toggled with one press of a devoted button on the keyboard. Wi-fi connectivity contains Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.

The 14-inch show is crisp with vivid colors and is not reflective

HP remains to be transport the Envy 14 with Home windows 10 out of the field, however you possibly can improve to Home windows 11 throughout the preliminary setup course of (although you may need to learn the remainder of this evaluation earlier than selecting to take action). You get the same old trial applications preinstalled, together with a full license for Microsoft Workplace Dwelling & Scholar 2019. There are many apps from HP too for tweaking the sound, show, battery profiles and system tuning. There is a neat little utility referred to as HP Enhanced Lighting which creates a digital ring mild on the display to assist brighten your face throughout video calls.

HP Envy 14 (EB0021TX) efficiency and battery life

As a every day workhorse, the HP Envy 14 chugged alongside very effectively within the few weeks I used it. I seen a software program bug on the evaluation unit that HP despatched me, which brought about it in addition loop when making an attempt to replace to the most recent firmware. This cropped up on a substitute unit that HP despatched as effectively. Heading into Home windows restoration and uninstalling the final function replace fastened this briefly, and it appears to be linked to a battle between the HP Help Assistant app and Home windows 11. You probably have purchased an Envy 14 or are planning to purchase one, I would counsel updating the firmware earlier than you turn to Home windows 11, to hopefully bypass this bug.

The HP Envy 14 has a snug keyboard and a big glass trackpad

With informal use, which was principally Internet pages and apps in Chrome in my case, the HP Envy 14 ran cool and quiet. I did sometimes hear fan noise when issues had been operating within the background, like an replace in Steam, however general, this system was snug to make use of on my lap. Regardless of its compactness, it feels a bit heavy at a little bit over 1.5kg. Nevertheless, the snug keyboard and brilliant and sharp show made work and play very pleasant. The stereo audio system sound wealthy and detailed too. The built-in webcam is first rate if in case you have good mild round, however footage will get very grainy in low mild.

The HP Envy 14 carried out very effectively in benchmarks too. It managed sturdy scores of 5,548 in PCMark 10 and seven,790 in 3DMark Hearth Strike. The laptop computer’s SSD efficiency particularly was fairly spectacular too. Sequential learn speeds averaged round 2.65GBps, whereas random write speeds had been nonetheless a stable 1.75GBps.

The Envy 14 is not designed to be a gaming laptop computer however the devoted Nvidia GPU will help you play video games like Fortnite at excessive settings with clean framerates. Heavier titles had been nonetheless playable, comparable to Treatment’s Management which ran on the ‘Excessive’ high quality preset at 1080p, however the body charge on this sport was not the smoothest, with a mean of round 26fps. Dropping the standard settings did enhance this. I am joyful to notice that whereas charging this laptop computer or doing something intensive, it is solely the underside that will get sizzling, and the warmth is not felt a lot on the keyboard or the palmrest.

The HP Envy 14 delivers battery life that is sufficient to final most work days on a one cost

The HP Envy 14 packs in a 4-cell, 63.3WHr battery which HP claims can final for as much as 17.5 hours of video playback. I did not watch something for that lengthy a stretch, however with combined utilization which included engaged on Google Docs in Chrome, Slack, streaming movies, and some breaks in between, I used to be typically in a position to get about 8-9 hours of runtime on a single cost, which I feel is excellent for a Home windows laptop computer of this measurement. What I additionally preferred was that I did not need to resort to utilizing the battery effectivity profile in Home windows 11 with a view to obtain this. The Battery Eater Professional rating was surprisingly nothing to shout about, because the laptop computer lasted for simply 1 hour, 22 minutes on this resource-heavy take a look at.

Verdict

The HP Envy 14 variant (EB0021TX) that I examined was priced at Rs. 1,24,999 on the time of this evaluation. It is costly, positive, however in comparison with its rivals, the Envy 14 does provide barely higher worth. The Dell XPS 13 as an illustration can be priced the identical, however with half the SSD capability and no discrete GPU. Then there’s the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon, one other Ultrabook primarily based on Intel’s Evo platform, which prices lower than the Envy 14 and has practically the identical specs plus a QHD show, however once more, no GPU.

I feel the HP Envy 14 strikes an excellent steadiness of portability, efficiency, and battery life, making it an excellent Ultrabook to contemplate. It isn’t potential to immediately evaluate it to the MacBook Professional 13 (M1) since each of them run on completely different software program platforms and CPU architectures, however when you’re searching for a Home windows-based different, the Envy 14 is a powerful contender. A couple of issues to remember are that it’s a bit heavy and it takes some effort to open the lid. The standard of the webcam can be a bit disappointing.

General, the HP Envy 14 needs to be close to the highest of your listing when you’re searching for a premium Ultrabook that may juggle work and (some) play, whereas nonetheless lasting a full work day on a single cost.