HP's Envy laptop lineup hits stores December 7
Summary: HP targets gamers with the new Envy 15, Envy 17 and Envy 17 3D this holiday season.
Sick of hearing about thin and light Ultrabooks when you're looking for power and performance from your laptop for games? Well you may just want to put one of these HP Envy machines under your Christmas tree when it arrives on December 7.
This aptly named laptop series from HP certainly has the potential to make your spec-conscious friends drool, but the base configurations that HP is announcing today for the Envy 15, Envy 17 and Envy 17 3D make these machines seem ho-hum -- probably to minimize sticker shock -- when they are anything but. The starting price and specs for all three models are below:
HP Envy 15 (pictured right)
- Display: 15.6"
- Processor: Intel Core i5-2430M
- GPU: AMD Radeon
- RAM: 6GB
- Storage: 500GB HDD
- Audio: Beats Audio with 6.1 channel system
- Optical Drive: DVD-RW 9.5mm slot
- Battery: 8-cell Lithium 76WHr
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Wi-Di
- Backlit keyboard with proximity sensor and HP Imagepad
- OS: Windows 7 Premium 64-bit
- Starting price: $1099.99
HP Envy 17 (pictured below, right)
- Display: 17.3" Radiance Full HD 1080p LED; 1920 X 1080 resolution
- Processor: Intel Core i5-2430M
- GPU: AMD Radeon
- RAM: 6GB
- Storage: 750GB HDD
- Audio: Beats Audio with 6.1 channel system
- Optical Drive: DVD-RW 12.7mm slot
- Battery: 6-cell Lithium 91WHr
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Wi-Di
- Backlit keyboard with proximity sensor and HP Imagepad
- OS: Windows 7 Premium 64-bit
- Starting price: $1249.99
HP Envy 17 3D (pictured right)
- Display: 17.3" Radiance Full HD HP 3D LED; 1920 X 1080 resolution; 120Hz; wide viewing angles
- Processor: Intel Core i5-2430M
- GPU: AMD Radeon
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 750GB HDD
- Audio: Beats Audio with 6.1 channel system
- Optical Drive: Blu-ray + DVD-RW 12.7mm slot
- Battery: 6-cell Lithium 91WHr
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Wi-Di
- Backlit keyboard with proximity sensor and HP Imagepad
- OS: Windows 7 Premium 64-bit
- includes 1 pair of active shutter 3D glasses
- Starting price: $1599.99
All three can actually be outfitted with the Intel quad-core CPU with discreet AMD Mobility Radeon HD graphics, Radiance Full HD Infinity LED displays at 1920 x 1080 resolution for richer colors and wider viewing angles than conventional displays, as well as a 128 GB SSD plus dual hard drives up to 1TB each for extensive media storage and snappy access to your programs/computer. HP somehow managed to pack six speakers and a sub-woofer into the a relatively compact package, so that you can properly appreciate the Beats Audio by Dr. Dre acoustics whether you're immersed in a game or a HD movie. To complement the great audio, you'll also be able to plug in up to three external displays via the built-in HDMI and display ports, whether to maximize your productivity or create your own Imax-like experience.
I'm curious just how much such a spec-out Envy laptop would cost even if I could never afford it, but I suppose HP doesn't want its price to overshadow the product like with the Sony Vaio Z brouhaha. Price aside, I'm not too keen on the Envy 17 3D's display requiring Active Shutter 3D glasses because Toshiba's Qosmio F755 3D can do it glasses-free, which is more user-friendly in the long run. After all, who would travel with a bulky pair of goggles that require charging?
If you're eager to bring one of these HP powerhouses home this holiday season, you would have to order one direct from HP: these machines are simply too niche and require too much customization for mass retailers. Be sure to let us know if the laptop lives up to its name.
Here is a video that describes some of the design considerations built into the Envy line:
[Source: HP, HP's YouTube Channel, NotebookCheck]
Related:
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Talkback
RE: HP's Envy laptop lineup hits stores December 7
RE: HP's Envy laptop lineup hits stores December 7
RE: HP's Envy laptop lineup hits stores December 7
RE: HP's Envy laptop lineup hits stores December 7
Yes, some people want Apple to get credit for every single idea or design
ever used, but then again I guess when the former CEO publicly anounces he got his ideas from someone else, well they assume [b]everybody[/b] does that.
Someone very wise once said this:
"We have always been shameless about stealing great ideas"
He also greatly admired this quote:
"Good artists copy, great artists steal"
In other words, you have just congratulated HP for doing exactly what Apple strives to do.
RE: HP's Envy laptop lineup hits stores December 7
RE: HP's Envy laptop lineup hits stores December 7
The active shutter screen has its advantages...
RE: HP's Envy laptop lineup hits stores December 7
Given the true cost of RAM, make it 16 GB, or much much higher. Then we can talk.
mbtkton 35 wmf
A MacBook Pro Clone? REALLY?!! Enough Already!
[b]The HP Envy 17 is the portable desktop workhorse[b] I've been waiting for, and at a truly fair price. In fact, it comes with the quality of built-in upgradable options that will give me my monies worth of real use over time. I recommend getting 6 to 8 gigabytes of memory for fast processing and the newer software that's coming in 2012 and beyond. Thankfully, I was given the 8 GB I need for my heavy small business work, and weekend high-def games. The quality is durable, stylish and clean. The overall computing engine and user functions make the Envy 17 a genuinely enviable choice if you're considering a strong, feature-rich, and truly affordable PC in these shaky economic times. I hope HP continues its loyalty and widely promotes this great product.
[b]Inevitably, there will be the comparisons to Mac and Windows laptop computers.[b] No matter how hard anyone may want to churn the Apple hype, feature-for-feature, the HP Envy 17 stomps MacBook Pros and anything similar to them. That's fact over hype. It's not a Mac killer or competitor. Having used a MacBookPro, I believe it out-classes them. Envy 17 is really a PC game changer, period!
[b]Compare the actual specs,[b] along with the many potential ways the HP Envy 17 can be used right out of the box and over time. I work in the federal government sector. Among my friends that now drool at my new birthday machine are a fine artist, gamer, architect, two musicians, an office administrator, a video hog, and one public official. [b]If you're like me and need to get some serious heavy-duty work done, and then have some outrageous entertainment fun, this very portable laptop PC is the one.[b]
Moreover, the price is fair and affordable for its class, quality, features and user-friendly assets. [b]Dollar-for-dollar, you get more than what you pay.[b] For me, it was a birthday gift. Thankfully, I received my top PC wish for 2011-2012 and beyond: the HP Envy 17. I didn't mention that it has a wrap-around Beats Audio system, and a bass-pounding sub-woofer on the bottom. OMG!!! My Hip-Hop classics, Jazz and Classical music now have a new life, even without headphones.
[b]Again, please do your homework,[b] take a little time to compare the specs with other hot brands. You're likely to spend your money wisely on an HP Envy 17. In stressful financial times (to use for night college, self-employment, personal finances, secure online shopping, bill paying, home entertainment, or better job searching), this will surely be your best computer investment over at least the next five years. Maybe you'll receive yours as an unexpected gift too.