HP Envy has landed– Best Display on any Notebook

HP Envy 13

HP Envy 13

The VooDoo notebook would have been one of the thinnest and most powerful laptops around, had it ever hit the market. HP stepped in and bought the VooDoo line and we’ve been waiting to see what they would do with it. The wait is over as HP has introduced the first two models in the new line, the Envy 13 and Envy 15. The two new notebooks have a lot crammed in a very thin form, and sport a 13-inch and 15-inch screen respectively. Word has been leaking out about the new Envy line the past few days, and I’ve been biting my tongue to keep quiet. I had the chance to visit HP a few weeks ago and get my hands on these new notebooks, and all I can say is I want one. And I want one now.

The Envy 13 is the smaller of the two and is as thin as can be. It weighs in at 3.7 pounds, so even with a metal case it keeps the weight much lower than the comparable MacBook. HP has included a new display technology in the Envy 13 that absolutely blew me away– the HP Radiance Display. This display uses new technology that HP couldn’t share, and it is simply the most vivid, bright display I have ever seen on any notebook. HP insisted it is twice as bright as normal laptop displays, and I think that is accurate. I actually believed it was a photograph that had been slyly super-imposed on the screen, until I got to play with it to verify it was really that vivid. There is no way to adequately describe this screen, it must be seen to fully appreciate what HP has done. The screen alone makes me want one of these badly.

HP Radiance Display vs. convenional (right)

HP Radiance Display vs. conventional display (right)

The Envy 13 borrows more than the metal casing from the MacBook line, it also has a multi-touch glass trackpad that is a giant button. You can tap both a left and a right mouse button using the trackpad depending on where you tap on the pad. The Envy 13 also has both Intel integrated and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4830 dedicated graphics like the MacBook. Integrated graphics are used on battery power and the more powerful dedicated graphics kick in on A/C power.

HP is offering an extended slice battery that can power the Envy 13 up to 18 hours on a single charge. The slice only adds a little thickness to the Envy and it covers the entire bottom of the notebook. The edges are rounded just like the Envy so it cannot be detected when it is in place.

HP Envy 15_front facing open on whiteThe biggest Envy is the Envy 15, a 15-inch performance beast that is only slightly thicker than the 13. The Envy 15 is not available with the HP Radiance Display as HP has not been able to produce it in the larger screen size. There are instead two display options that can be configured.

The Envy 15 will be available with optional quad core Intel processors, and I saw that in action. Imagine this– a 15-inch laptop only 1 inch thick, quad core processors, 16 GB of RAM, dual 128GB SSD drives in a RAID configuration and dedicated ATI graphics with 1 GB of video memory. This is the smallest beast with performance unequaled in a highly portable laptop form.

There is an optional slice battery for the Envy 15 that will supply an extra 7 hours of use. This battery is also tailored to fit the entire bottom of the notebook.

The Envy 13 and 15 will start at $1,699 and $1,799 respectively, with options running the price up from there. That Envy 15 quad-core monster I described will surely cost a small fortune. Both models should be available in the U. S. on October 18.

Technical Specifications:

Envy 13

  • OS: Vista Home Premium 64-bit/ Windows 7 after Oct. 22
  • Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo SL9400, 1.86 GHz, 6 MB L2 cache, 1066 MHz FSB
  • Memory: 3 GB DDR3, 5 GB Max. (1 slot)
  • Video: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 M92LP, up to 1757MB total memory with 512 MB dedicated
  • Hard Drive: 250GB 5,400 rpm
  • Optical Drive: External 8X DVD/ R/RW double layer
  • Display: 13.1-inch HP Radiance Infinity Display (1366×768) 410 nits
  • Network/ Wireless: Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
  • Media: SD/MMC slot
  • Audio: Beats™
  • Webcam: optimized for low light conditions
  • Ports: 2-USB 2.0, Audio in/out combo jack, HDMI
  • Dimensions: 12.59 x 8.46 x 0.8 inch
  • Weight: 3.7 pounds
  • Power: 65W, 4-cell battery

Envy 15

  • OS: Vista/ Windows 7 after Oct. 22
  • Processor: Intel Dual/Triple/Quad Core , 1066 MHz FSB
  • Memory: 16 GB Max. (4 slots)
  • Video: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4830 with 1 GB dedicated memory
  • Hard Drive: Dual HDD slots, up to 2-128GB SSD
  • Optical Drive: External 8X DVD/ R/RW double layer
  • Display: 15.6-inch (1980×1080), 300 nits
  • Network/ Wireless: Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
  • Media: SD/MMC slot
  • Audio: Beats™
  • Webcam: low and “zero” light conditions using IR LED
  • Ports: 2-USB 2.0, Audio in/out combo jack, HDMI
  • Weight: 5.18 pounds
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