HP Envy 15 Review

As I plan to write an article on the best laptops of 2012, I’m slowly but surely adding the most sought after laptops of this year to the Laptop section of TechOD. Today I’ll be reviewing the specs and features of the HP Envy 15.
 

HP Envy 15 Review

The Envy series of notebooks from HP is their most sought after product, and rightly so. Every model so far has been very impressive due to the combination of great looks, high build quality, features, and of course, performance.

The HP Envy 15 is the medium sized addition to the Envy series, with a vibrant 15.6inch HD screen that HP likes to call ‘Radiance’, and the same sleek design you’ll find with rest of the Envy notebooks. It also comes with an extended 2 year warranty, which for me is a great selling point.
With a starting price of around $1,099, it undercuts Apple’s 15inch MacBook Pro, while taking direct aim at the other high-spec 15inch competitors, such as Dell’s XPS 15 and Samsung’s Chronos. But how does the Envy 15 really shape up? Here’s the stuff the matters!
 

HP Envy 15 Specs

CPU / RAM / Storage

• Intel Quad Core i7-720QM @ 1.6GHz
• 6GB High Speed DDR3 RAM – Expandable to 16GB
• 500GB SATA3 HDD (7200RPM)

Graphics & Display

• ATI Radeon HD 7690M Graphics card with 1GB of GDDR5 memory
• Award winning 1920 x 1080 HD Radiance Display
• 15.6 Inch Display

Connectivity & Network

• 3x USB 2.0 Ports
• Bluetooth
• HDMI Output
• Microphone & Headphone 3.5mm Jacks
• Integrated 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN
• Intel WiFi (802.11 b,g,n)
• 2-in-1 Card reader that supports SD and MMC memory cards
• E-SATA port

Other Features & Info

• SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW Double Layer Drive
• Full size keyboard with One-touch launch keys
• Kensington Lock
• Support for third-party security devices
• 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery
• Dimensions – 14.96″ x 9.60″ x 1.04″ (W x D x H)
• Weight – 5.2 lbs
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

All in all, the HP Envy 15 is a really good buy, and it’s certainly worth its $1,099 price tag. However, if you have an extra $200 to spare, you might want to take a look at the Asus G75VW.
 

HP Envy 15 Design