HP Envy 15 x360 review: design and features

HP Envy 15 x360 review: design and features
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The HP Envy range of devices has traditionally been associated with high-end prices and luxury finishes, but recently the company has begun to widen the brand's appeal. Nowadays, an Envy product needn't cost the earth, as its £649 HP Envy 15 x360 ably demonstrates. It even comes with a year's subscription to Microsoft Office 365 Personal.
Despite the reasonable price, though, this new Envy is a good-looking machine. It isn't the slimmest or lightest laptop around – at 24mm thick and 2.4kg without the charger – but the smooth, metallic-coloured plastic it's wrapped in looks smart. Open it up and the keyboard and touchpad are surrounded by an attractive, brushed-aluminium plate, with bevelled edges surrounding the touchpad that glisten and catch the light. It's no MacBook Pro with battery such as Hp 510 battery, Hp 530 battery, Hp 440266-ABC battery, Hp HSTNN-FB40 battery, Hp EliteBook 8530P battery, Hp EliteBook 8540P battery, Hp EliteBook 8730P battery, Hp HSTNN-LB60 battery, Hp HSTNN-OB60 battery, Hp KU533AA battery, Hp HSTNN-CB0D battery, Hp HSTNN-I70C battery,, but neither does it look cheap.
Build quality is impressive: the keyboard base is unyielding, remaining immobile even when subjected to heavy-handed twisting, and the keys are well spaced and feel firm under the fingers. And there's a reason for the x360's bulk. It has a 360-degree hinge that allows the laptop to be used in a variety of positions, just like Lenovo's Yoga convertibles.
We found HP's system worked well: the weighty keyboard base and light lid allow you to push the screen all the way back without the device toppling over, and the 360-degree hinge works a treat. We had no problem contorting the convertible into the different positions: “stand mode” sees the base flipped all the way round with the screen facing front; “tent mode” involves the entire laptop taking on a triangular shape, with the hinge facing up and the screen out; and in tablet mode the screen is folded completely flat against the base of the keyboard. In all of the modes the hinge felt smooth, solid and sturdy.
Another unusual feature is the touchpad, which is broader than average and flanked by two separate touch zones to the left and right. The idea behind this is to make Windows 8's edge-swipes more accessible. Click the left zone and the app switcher pops up, while swiping up and down scrolls you through the available apps. Clicking the right zone does the same thing with the Charms bar.
It's a clever idea; alas it isn't implemented well. Since the side zones are part of the main surface of the touchpad, we found it far too easy to accidentally click or swipe into the additional zones during use. Perhaps they may have worked better if they'd been separated by half an inch on either side.