Should you covet this Windows 10 laptop?
One of the best YouTube videos about computers – as well as one of the simplest demonstrations of Newtonian physics – is the one that shows an astronaut ejecting a floppy disk under zero gravity (www.snipca.com/19928). If, like us, you’re old enough to remember floppy disks, you’ll know they popped straight out, with a brisk spring action. So, just as Sir Isaac would have predicted, the 3.5in packet emerges and floats elegantly across the room, like something out of 2001: A Space Odyssey.
To computer aficionados, though, there’s a secondary meaning to the clip. The machine being used is Apple’s first attempt at a laptop, the Macintosh Portable. It looked a bit like a modern laptop, except that its wedge shape continued back behind the keyboard and screen to form a unit the size and weight of three house bricks. So the joke is that sending it into space was the only way to make it light enough to pick up.
By the mid-1990s, laptops had evolved into a 15in ‘clamshell’ design that was just about practical to lug to work, and that’s how they stayed for quite a while. It’s only in the past few years that the standard size has crept down to 13 inches, helped by sharper screens, fitting more detail into less area, and adjustments to Windows to make better use of small displays.
HP’s new Envy 13 is a good example. The version we tested came with a top-end Intel Core i7 processor – equivalent to tens of thousands of the chips in that ancient Macintosh Portable. Oddly, HP isn’t actually selling this configuration: you can get the Envy 13-d003na, which is similar, but with an ultra-high-resolution 3200x1800-pixel display, for £729, or the Full HD Envy 13-d008na with an i5 processor for £649. In practice, either model should suit most people.
However, the i7-powered laptop we tested didn’t run programs quite as quickly as some comparable laptops. With just Intel’s integrated HD Graphics 520, 3D games will only run at lower resolution and quality settings.
We found the standard 1920x1080-pixel screen had good brightness and contrast, but wasn’t ideal for coloursensitive work, covering only 84 per cent of the sRGB range with middling accuracy. For general work and leisure purposes, it was fine. Its battery lasted less than six-and-a-half hours of video playback, and we’d expect less with the £729 model because of its sharper display. This compares poorly with the Asus ZenBook UX303UA, which gave us nearly 10 hours. HP claims the Envy 13 will manage that on lighter tasks.
At 1.27kg, though, the Envy 13 is very easy to carry, and it looks stylish. Despite being extremely slim, it manages to fit in three fast USB 3.0 ports, a full-size SD memory card reader and an HDMI port for a monitor, yet still looks uncluttered. That slimness does have one unfortunate consequence, though: the case flexes noticeably when you press on the keyboard, which also suffers from very short travel. So we didn’t find it enjoyable to type on, and the touchpad didn’t always work precisely either.
The same surface houses a fingerprint reader, for extra security, and a pair of speakers which seem to have gained nothing from the audio experts at Bang & Olufsen except the logo.
VERDICT
This attractive mid-range laptop isn’t quite so impressive on closer inspection, but it’s not bad value.
SPECIFICATIONS
Intel i5-6200U dual-core processor • 8GB memory • 256GB flash storage • 13.3in 1920x1280-pixel screen • Webcam • Fingerprint reader • 802.11ac Wi-Fi • Bluetooth 4.0 • 3x USB 3.0 ports • SD card reader • Windows 10 • 12.9x326x226mm (HxWxD) • 1.27kg • One-year warranty