HP Envy 13 Hits Reviewers’ Hands — It’s No MacBook
The first thing that occurred to me when I saw the HP Envy 13 in person was that it looked very much like my 13-inch MacBook. The similar design is no accident — HP admitted they used the MacBook as inspiration for the Envy. It’s no surprise that as the Envy hits reviewer hands that there will be no shortage of MacBook comparisons.
Joanna Stern may not work for LAPTOP Magazine anymore but she obviously still has contacts, as she has an Envy 13 in her hands. She has published a solid review of the Envy and likes it overall, but finds it doesn’t quite stack up against the MacBook. It’s a lot more money, too, so we’ll have to see how the market reacts to the Envy.
The display on the Envy impressed Joanna as much as it did me, but the multitouch trackpad was problematic. I didn’t get to play with the trackpad but I wondered how it would compare to that of the MacBook line. The MacBook trackpads are the best I’ve ever used, so HP had a big job in front of them.
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She must have her contacts. She needs them so she can see.
If it weren’t for the price I’d say this isn’t a bad unit. This really is a nice, light, small notebook. I’ve lived without optical drives and trackpads before on much bigger notebooks, so those negatives wouldn’t impact me too much. As for lack of an ethernet port – just say hi to wifi.
I think the extra slab battery is a great option to get, especially if you’re doing all-day work. And throwing a slim optical burner in your case won’t take up much room, unless of course you use “other means” to avoid inserting your discs. ;)
The HP Envy 13 looks very similar to the MacBook Pro. The price is just more $400 that the mac. But it comes with an external dvd rom and a blu ray reader and a battery slice that the notebook last for more than 10 hours with it. Check HP Envy 13 Review for more reviews of this notebook.