Almost every laptop maker is raising the bar today by making them slimmer at the same time more powerful thanks to the reducing size of hardware. While 2-in-1’s aren’t completely conventional, the ultrabook is gaining the pace to replace the chunky notebook. HP is one such popular PC maker that has been putting in efforts to deliver a variety of sleek looking ultrabooks. Their premium Envy lineup has been well received in the past and the latest product in the series sounds like a harmony of sharp looks and a commendable spec sheet.
The Envy 13 looks impressive, even though the company mimics the design pattern of the Apple MacBook Air, it feels like one of the best looking Windows 10 ultrabooks around. It is lighter too weighing at just 1.36kgs. Sporting an aluminium finish, the whole construction is solid and the silver tone gives it a subtle yet premium feel. It opens with its hinge slightly elevating from the table, this actually raises the keyboard up at an angle, and helps in typing.
The display is 13.3-inch full HD LED panel with a matte finish, an excellent choice as you don't get any glare or reflections. Mind you, this isn't a touch panel, but that isn't a complete deal breaker. The chiclet style keyboard is very comfortable and yes it is backlit. Even the trackpad feels precise, is wide enough and offers a really quick response time.
The only shortcoming is that you tend to strain your wrists on long typing sessions due to the sharp finish around the edges. There is enhanced sound by Bang & Olufsen powering the two speakers on either side of the keyboard and for added security HP has added a fingerprint reader as well.
The ultrabook is powered by the latest 6th-generation Intel Core i7-6500U processor running at 2.5GHz which is paired with 8GB of RAM. This obviously means that it packs a lot of power underneath. There is also a lower Core i5 version with 4GB of RAM if you aren't looking for a workhorse. HP has also used a 256GB M.2 solid-state drive which is faster than traditional SSD. The result is a fast machine that can quickly open apps and allows you to multitask without working up a sweat. Watching videos and working online doesn't take a toll on the processor but there is evident heating when you play games or watch UHD videos.
Heating is well maintained even with the metal body and the heatsink fan doesn't make a lot of noise. In terms of battery life you get about 7 to 7 and a half hours of juice which is still acceptable although laptops like the MacBook Air or Dell XPS 13 offer at least 9-10 hours of battery life.
The Envy 13 is an impressive machine. It is slim, has impressive looks and can be as fast as a high-end laptop. Of course this isn't a gaming PC as there is no dedicated graphics processor. But if you want a sleek machine to accomplish your office work or multimedia needs, this is the best premium ultrabook to go for under the 1-lakh budget.
Price: Rs. 89,990
Specs:- 2.60 GHz Intel Core i7-6500U
- 8GB DDR3 SDRAM
- Intel HD Graphics 520
- 256GB SSD storage
- 13.3-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) LCD
- HDMI
- SD card reader
- 3xUSB 3.0
- 1.27 kg
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