HP - HP Envy 13 (2018)

HP

New HP Envy 13 (2018): a screen that changes everything

Aprox. 1464€

See specifications

HP is not changing a winning formula and continues to bet on its Envy 13 in the high-end ultraportable segment. If this new model is more evolution than revolution, a few changes still leave us circumspect, especially at the screen.

Our review

Presentation

Ultra high-end portable, the HP Envy 13 is making a comeback in 2018 in a refreshed version. If trust is first of all, a few small details, especially on the screen, spoil a computer that could have been excellent. This is all the more infuriating given that the 2017 version already had some shortcomings.


Construction

HP remains on its main line and offers a brushed aluminum chassis of the most beautiful effect, with angular shapes and well-defined lines. Small feature, the rear edge of the PC sports a wood imitation. If the thing will not necessarily please everyone, it has the distinction of making the PC recognizable.

HP therefore retains its high-end line, indicated by the usual stylized logo of HP on its "exceptional" products. Another peculiarity of the design, the computer rests on the base of the screen when it is open, slightly elevating the keyboard for better comfort - an elevation that is however not recommended by occupational therapists.

A keyboard which, moreover, is correct, without shining. The race is indeed a little long and the finish not as neat as that of the rest of the product. The trackpad provides service and is efficient.

The connectors of the Envy 13 consist of two USB 3.1 ports, a USB Type-C port and a microSD card reader. The right edge for its part has a fingerprint reader - which does not serve as an ignition button.

This laptop doesn't get too hot. During our usual test protocol (Unigine Heaven for one hour), the PC reached 46 ° C. If we have known fresher PC, it remains all the same in an acceptable average and does not heat in an annoying way. On the noise side, it does not exceed 39 dB and is almost inaudible, which is normal for a laptop in this category.


Screen

The HP Envy 13 is equipped with a 13.3-inch IPS non-touch screen with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 px. The screen / facade ratio is quite low (68.2%). It is however not him which handicaps the Envy 13, but indeed the calibration of colors completely in the cabbages.

contrast 855: 1 Delta E 10.8 temperature 6691 K

Once passed under the lens of our probe, the screen of the Envy 13 reveals unforgivable weaknesses for this type of PC. If we put aside a passable contrast (855: 1) and the excellent temperature (6,690 K, very close to the reference temperature of 6,500 K), it is the respect for colors that is the problem. The average Delta E is here measured at 10.8 and practically all of the colors displayed deviate from the expected color. A real concern that can be seen with the naked eye. The colors seem completely washed out and are unforgivable on this type of PC. The brightness is also poor, since it goes up to only 144 cd / m².

The remanence is high (24 ms), which has little impact on the use made of this type of PC not dedicated to gaming.


Performances

The HP Envy 13 is equipped with an Intel Core i7-8550U processor (4 cores, 8 threads) clocked at 1.8 GHz supported by 8 GB of RAM, which promises optimal performance. And they are confirmed during our tests:

In fact, during our usual tests (photo, video, audio compression, etc.), the HP Envy 13 reached the index of 148, which places it among the best ultraportables on the market, a little above its predecessor. One can thus run software greedy in computation without having to worry. It should also be noted that this PC is equipped with a GeForce MX 150 graphics card, which allows you to have a little graphics power and to make the game very casual.


Mobility / Autonomy

The HP Envy 13 measures 30.54 x 21.56 x 1.39 cm and weighs 1.32 kg. If it is not the lightest on the market, it can nevertheless be easily transported in a bag. To this must be added a reduced size diet.

On the autonomy side, the picture is however less brilliant, without being catastrophic. During our usual test protocol (Netflix in Chrome, backlight off, headphones plugged in), the HP Envy 13 shut down after 6 hours and 12 minutes. A score certainly honorable, but very fair for an ultraportable. Pity.


Audio

Before analyzing the audio performance of the HP Envy 13, it should be noted that it is equipped with speakers branded Bang & Olufsen, accompanied by preinstalled software. Unlike many of its counterparts, this software is not difficult to find and therefore deactivate. So much the better, because the treatments it applies to sound are irrelevant. These include a very unpleasant dynamic compression.

Located both between the keyboard and the screen, and under the chassis, the speakers deliver very good sound, despite some weaknesses. Thus, we can note a distortion to little too present. A significant peak around 1 kHz in particular gives human voices a slight whistling edge. The overall rendering, however, remains very correct, of honest power and also benefits from a very clear and natural stereophony. The headphone jack is very good, delivering a signal of excellent quality and generous power. You can easily connect to little greedy monitoring headphones, for example.


Conclusion

With as many defects as qualities, the HP Envy 13 of 2018 takes a step back compared to the old versions, mainly because of a very poorly calibrated screen and barely satisfactory autonomy. It only has a very good computing power to seduce and a Geforce MX 150 to possibly play occasionally.


Specifications