Is it attainable to “have all the things” in a laptop computer? To reply that, it helps maybe to start out with some floor guidelines on what constitutes all the things. Killer efficiency—on each enterprise apps and graphical duties—is a should. Add to that an amazing display screen, wonderful battery life, keyboard, plus an appropriate weight and worth given the entire above.
HP’s new Envy 16 doesn’t unilaterally tick each one among these packing containers, nevertheless it comes shut sufficient on all fronts to advantage critical consideration in the event you’re in search of a powerhouse pocket book PC.
Inexperienced With Envy
{Photograph}: HP
The Envy 16 is, because the title implies, outfitted with a 16-inch show with a 16:10 side ratio. You could find sharper screens available on the market than the Envy’s 2,560 X 1,600-pixel decision, however that spec is nice sufficient for many customers and most sorts of computing. The OLED touchscreen isn’t amazingly vibrant, however it’s impressively clear, although I discovered it seemed greatest close to its max brightness ranges.
Underneath the hood, you’ll discover a 2.6-GHz Intel Core i9-13900H CPU (thirteenth era), 16 GB of RAM, and a 1-TB SSD. These are strong specs, nevertheless it’s the inclusion of an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Max-Q video card that modifications the sport. Collectively, these elements gave the Envy 16 among the highest benchmarks I’ve ever clocked, notably on the graphics entrance, the place I skilled absolutely playable framerates on trendy gaming titles and silky easy rendering checks. On enterprise apps, the unit was off the charts, doubling the efficiency of high-end laptops from a couple of years in the past.
All of this energy should come on the expense of battery life, proper? Extra excellent news: I used to be shocked to attain simply over 9 hours of uninterrupted video playback on the max display screen brightness—although that may certainly be stretched by firming down the efficiency settings a bit.
With its large trackpad and spacious, responsive keyboard (a normal island-style design), getting work achieved isn’t laborious—and also you at all times have the choice of interacting straight with the touchscreen if desired. Not like so many modern laptops, the Envy 16 doesn’t skimp on growth ports, providing two USB-C ports, two full-size USB 3.1 ports, HDMI output, and a microSD card slot. All ports are side-mounted, as your entire bottom of the laptop computer works as a single hinge for the display screen. All of it will weigh you down a smidge greater than 5 kilos, with a svelte 26-mm girth.
{Photograph}: HP
Speak of the City
All work and no play makes for a uninteresting day on the workplace, and the Envy 16’s built-in audio system from Bang & Olufsen give it loads of audio energy, a lot in order that I discovered it uncomfortable to take heed to at full quantity when sitting straight in entrance of the unit. Music, videoconferenced voices, and gaming results all got here by means of crystal clear, and there’s loads of bass to go round courtesy of the downward-firing woofers.
Machines like this typically must compensate for his or her excessive energy ranges with loud, aggressive followers, however HP has clearly achieved some work to maintain issues moderately quiet, even beneath heavy load. Chalk that as much as what HP calls a “gaming class” thermal answer referred to as the vapor chamber, wherein airflow is directed by means of your entire chassis by way of two centrally positioned followers. It really works properly, retaining issues cool and, whereas removed from silent, quieter than anticipated.
The mannequin I examined—roughly in the midst of the Envy 16’s configuration lineup—runs $1,750, which feels cheap, although decidedly not cheap. (The highest-end configuration hits a whopping $2,685.) For anybody who wants the additional actual property supplied by a 16-inch display screen—and doesn’t thoughts that it’s going to most likely imply upgrading your laptop bag to accommodate it—it’s a standout computing possibility.
