HP ENVY x360: slim convertible laptop with cool features

Given how competitive the laptop space is, HP’s ENVY x360 for 2022 may not generate envy as it once did. However, the company’s take on the all-in 2-in-1 convertible laptop is certainly worth a second look. The new ENVY x360 covers all the essential bases–relatively lightweight, slim, with adequate processing power, and it doubles up as a drawing tablet.

The slim (16.1mm thick) ENVY x360 is made to look and feel even slimmer with the help of curves on the edges while the weight of 1.34kg isn’t bad either; it’s slightly lighter than the average slim laptop. However, it feels unwieldy as a tablet and is more suited to be a table-bound drawing tablet. To accommodate the USB-A ports, HP uses a hinge to create a semi-closing flap that maintains the shape of the body when the port is not in use.

In addition to the two USB-A v3.1 Gen 2 ports, the ENVY x360 features two Thunderbolt 4 ports, one microSD card slot and a headphone jack. The Thunderbolt ports are also used for charging and for connecting to an external display (via an external adapter).

While this is somewhat of a personal preference, I found myself particularly fond of the typing experience. The keyboard has a short key travel, but the feedback is pretty satisfying. They’ve added a few interesting Function keys-namely an emoji menu, a quick app launcher, and a soft switch for the camera.

The 5MP webcam isn’t the best in resolution and image quality, but the baseline is pretty decent, and HP adds a host of features to further boost its usability in most call situations–backlight adjustment filter, enhanced lighting (use backlight of your laptop display to brighten face). Auto Frame is probably the most eye-catching of the lot, as it shifts the camera view to keep you centred in the video.

The software is generally decent. Bloatware isn’t as big of a problem these days and HP’s add-ons aren’t too bad either. Stuff like QuickDrop lets you transfer files from your mobile phone and gives you a Universal Clipboard-like feature as well.

Our unit packed a low-power Intel Core i7-1250U CPU, Iris Xe graphics, 16GB of RAM and 1TB storage. Performance-wise, so long as you’re not doing heavy video editing work and the like, you’ll be fine. The trade-off for performance comes in the form of battery life. I can easily last a day on the laptop doing productivity work; unless you’re constantly spamming 4K videos and the like, which understandably drains the battery relatively quickly.

While the OLED model is not available in Singapore, the IPS display with 100% sRGB coverage is not too bad at al. It’s touchscreen-enabled and supports the use of a stylus, which is included in the package. Paired with the Bang & Olufsen speakers, the laptop makes a pretty nice movie machine, especially in tented mode. The dynamic range of the visuals isn’t killer, but at least the colours are pretty on point. Note that while the brightness is adequate, visibility isn’t that good outdoors because of the rather glossy screen.

HP also includes a stylus that you can attach to the side magnetically–which is great–however, it doesn’t charge wirelessly and you need to slide open the shroud to access the USB-C port for that. I’m not an artist so I can’t comment on the finer aspects of the stylus, but for note-taking taking at least, it feels pretty natural and is responsive enough.

On the whole, the ENVY x360 is a pretty good package for someone who spends a lot of time on the road. The regular price of $2,299 is on the steeper side (but somewhat understandable) even with its excellent features but the sale price of $1,999 (not sure if or when they will reduce it again) is actually a pretty good sweet spot to hit and one I can get behind.