Review: HP Envy 15

Specifications
CPU	Intel Core i7 720QM (1.6 GHz)
Graphics chipset	ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4830
RAM	4 GB
Screen	15.6" (1366 x 768)
Hard drive	320 GB (7200 rpm)
Optical drive	No
Dimensions/Weight	14.96" x 9.61" x 1.04"/5.18 lbs.

Game: Handsome graphics at native resolution

The HD 4830 graphics processor used in the HP Envy 15 is a 'light' version of the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4860, but it still has plenty of power. It’ll let you play the latest games in native resolution (1366 x 768). Crysis is playable with the level of details set to high. It is a good idea to reduce the details a little to take some of the load off during heavy action scenes, which will let you stay beyond 20 frames per second most of the time. Race Driver: GRID played with no problem with the graphics options set to maximum. It was a pleasant surprise, because we didn’t really expect that from a machine of this caliber.

Audio: Above average

The audio of the Envy 15 is well above the sound quality of the average notebook. Naturally the bass leaves something to be desired in absolute terms, but the quality of the sound reproduction is surprisingly good. It’s clean and detailed. This is undoubtedly due to HP’s partnering with Beats Audio to use their sound solution. The headphone output is good, despite a slight hiss that was audible when no music was playing.

Portability & Battery Life: Light weight, low endurance

We didn’t expect the HP Envy 15 and its six-cell battery to break any battery life records. And sure enough, we were a little disappointed – the Envy clocked only 1 hour 42 minutes playing video with the display set to 100 cd/m², headphones plugged in, and Wi-Fi disabled. By comparison, the 15'' MacBook Pro managed 3 hours 19 minutes in the same test. Those figures do need to be taken with a pinch of salt, though, because Apple’s notebook has a larger battery.

Still, we’d have liked to see the HP top the 2 hour mark. If you’re a true nomad, you’ll have to go for the additional battery, which increases the Envy’s thickness and weight. At 5.18 pounds, the Envy is lightweight, despite its 15.6” display. It’s .31 pounds lighter than the 15'' MacBook Pro. However, the HP Envy 15 is .094-inches thicker. Nevertheless it’s still very thin.

Main features available in 10 seconds

The HP Envy 15 is equipped with Instant-On technology. This solution offers a mini OS that can boot in 10 seconds, very similar to the Express Gate feature on some Asus products. With it, you can do basic tasks like browsing the web, read your e-mail or listen to music.

It comes in handy when you need to check on something quickly. You would think energy consumption would be low using Instant-On, but the system uses just as much power, which reduces the advantage of the feature. Windows 7 started up in only 35 seconds (to the desktop). Shutdown took 16 seconds. Is 25 extra seconds really too long to wait to have access to all system functions?