HP Envy 13-ab016nr Notebook (Intel Core i5-7200U, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) with Windows 10

I am about to start school in August for an Electrical Engineering degree and have a decent background with building my own PC's. When you buy a laptop it's very important to look at EVERY aspect of it's performance since you'll likely be unable or unwilling to upgrade the internal parts later without a lot of unnecessary hassle. That being said here are the things I love about this laptop, 256GB Storage space: Admittedly this isn't the BEST in the market, however considering how thin and attractive this PC is and the price point, i'm very happy with it. BONUS: ALL of the memory on this pc is SSD storage which means increased performance and cooler/quieter running. 8GB of RAM: I run Photoshop for my personal/professional life. so having the extra RAM to process all my brushstrokes and effects makes this a MUST. anything 4 and under just doesn't cut it if you have lengthy projects to work on. Intel Core i5-7200U: Again another category where you get the best of both worlds, this is both inexpensive and performs well on many benchmarks. It's no powerhouse for gaming mind you, but it'll do the job all the same and give you little trouble. I also get minimal stuttering from Heroes of the storm The keyboard feels soft but responsive and is quiet, plus the backlight is nice. I also like the trackpad, multitouch gestures, smooth surface that doesn't lend to gathering oily junk. The battery is O.K. it's not some megahouse but it's enough to get the job done if you're moving from point A- to point B (Besides who doesn't travel without their cable anyway) I made sure to wipe the OS with a fresh install immedietly after purchase and I notice both a performance and battery boost. Overall rating: I will need more time and will possibly update my review after about a month or two, however I really REALLY enjoy the laptop so far, it's light, responsive, quiet and sexy. Would recommend for price/performance B+

Although this is a decent notebook, there is one major problem I encountered. Once fully charged and with Windows completely shutdown, the battery loses its charge within a week. I don't use the notebook much, but when I recently tried to turn it on, there was no power as expected. However, even when I plug in the AC power, the battery would not charge. So now I can only use the notebook while it's plugged in to AC power. This is definitely due to a defective battery. Update: HP Support helped troubleshoot the problem and it was in fact a bad battery. There was also a defect in the display glass. I sent the notebook in for repair and both the battery and display glass were replaced. The technician who diagnosed the problem was very knowledgeable and helpful. The whole process went smoothly and quickly. The repair was performed under a 3 year extended warranty that covered the cost of shipping and repair. Overall, HP Support did a great job. To complete this review, I also wanted to mention that the display is glossy so reflections can be a problem when the screen is dark. Even though the screen picks up finger smudges, this is not a touch screen so one normally would not be touching the screen. The keyboard back-lighting is either on or off whereas some laptops have several brightness settings. Some have complained about the fan noise. The fan only comes on during heavy use, and it is noticeable but I wouldn't say it is too loud. The only other limitation I see is the use of a micro-SD slot instead of a full sized SD slot, but this shouldn't be a problem for most people. It also does not have a fingerprint reader or a Windows Hello compatible camera. Other than these minor cons, I am happy with the performance, functionality, styling, size and weight of this notebook.

After researching laptops for the past 3 months, I decided to go with the HP Envy 13, and I'm really glad I did. I wanted something that was powerful enough to run Photoshop and Illustrator, as well as something that I could code on and this machine fits the bill. The Kaby Lake core i5 processor (the latest generation chip) coupled with 8 GB of RAM really makes this thing fly. The 1920x1080 pixel screen has a great color profile with decent contrast, and is one of the best screens I've seen in a sub $600 laptop, and images are vivid and crisp on this beautifully bright IPS panel. I've had no issues with overheating or a loud fan as some people have noted, and I've put it through its paces. The build quality on this is awesome, with it's all aluminum body. Very solid and feels good to carry around. It's also a very stylish, attractive machine that rivals the design of a macbook. It's also very easy to type on this (which was a big selling point for me The solid state drive in this thing enables Windows to boot in under 8 seconds, and it has a very high read/write speed. The touchpad is very responsive and a pleasure to use, handling Windows 10 gestures perfectly, making web surfing a breeze. Battery life is great, and I've averaged about 8-9 hours on a charge, and this machine charges fast too... I've gotten a full charge from 5% to 100% in about an hour and a half. Overall I'm very pleased with this purchase, and would recommend it to anyone looking to buy an affordable ultraportable laptop. Fast, stylish and a great screen makes this machine a pure gem. Don't hesitate to purchase it, I'd definitely buy it again.

I did a lot of research when I wanted to buy a new laptop for school and occasional gaming. This laptop has everything that you'd want in a portable, lightweight laptop. It weighs almost nothing, it's very thin, and it has a backlit keyboard. It's also very fast so far. I'm using it for school work on the go, and the occasional game when I don't want to get out of bed. It runs WoW pretty well from what I can tell so far. I want to comment on a note that I saw a lot - the fan is loud and it gets hot. It did get hot when I was setting it up, and the fan IS audible, but it's tolerable. I was using the laptop on my lap without a cooling pad and it did not overheat. With any laptop if you have it right on something like a blanket it will get hot. I haven't had any issues with it though. This laptop is perfect for someone on the go that wants a long battery life combined with a fast laptop. I'm extremely happy with this so far.

This laptop promises quality notebook material, but is rubbish. First, the hinges are low quality and squeaky. Second, the rubber bases at the bottom are glued with a glue that does not tolerate heat. If you use this laptop over the summer, its own heat will make the rubber base fall off!! Finally and most importantly, the external speakers went bad after 9 months of use. It is so distorted it is painful to hear any video or sound from it. Now, I can only use headphones if I don't want my ears to bleed. The customer support offered to fix it if I pay for shipment even though laptop is still in warranty (they say shipment is not included in warranty) and wait 7-9 business days to fix it, and this is my work laptop. Absolutely a bad laptop and I regret my purchase. Take my advice and avoid this nightmare of a laptop. It is just troubles that keep coming.

Review update, 12/6/17: Now that I have had the Envy for a few more months I'm starting to see problems emerging. Specifically, the speaker doesn't work. For no reason it cuts out while listening and the only solution (thanks to the so helpful Windows troubleshooter) is to restart the computer. This happens at least once a week. I suspect than in another 3 months I'll have yet another problem emerging. It's not that this is such a big deal, but once again indicative of why you should probably just buy a Mac. The Envy looks like a Mac and has many of the features, but like all PCs is ultimately going to have a shorter lifespan for you and one filled with problems. Original review: I have had the HP Envy for about 3 months now, and it seemed right to review it at this point. It's a great deal, especially if you're the kind of user who doesn't need some of the power of higher end laptops, but you want something better than a Chromebook. It is lightweight and looks good, and the keyboard has nice resistance and is well laid out. It's very quiet, doesn't heat up, and the battery lasts for days. My one minor qualm is with the touchpad, which is overly sensitive no matter what setting you have it on. You really need a mouse for daily use. But I do want to add this caveat to my review: this is my first PC is many years, after using a MacBook pro. The MacBook is more laptop than many of us need, as I have found out with the Envy. But being back on a PC has reminded me why I left, which is the MS operating system. Windows has made great strides in many ways, but some of the age-old problems still exist. They REALLY want you to use Cortana, so you get a pop-up once a day. The anti-virus protection is much worse, but don't worry! You'll get a pop-up message about that too. Windows just can't seem to leave well enough alone, and the only times I have regretted this purchase have nothing to do with the HP Envy, but do have to do with Windows: its still overstuffed with information and intrusions into your daily use. This doesn't change my 5-star review (that would be unfair). But for those who might also be considering moving back to a PC, I thought it worthwhile to share.

I was looking around Amazon for a good enough laptop to last me through a couple of years if high school, a good coding machine and for a couple of games. I spent less time than I should've researching alternatives and other options, so before you make any decisions, I’m going to recommend the obvious, look around, get a feel of what the market at this price point feels like and then make your call. What I use it for: TL/DR: it can run several games, including AAA titles. A light, thin and fast enough, with a great processor, laptop is what I needed for coding. For basic stuff, the first things I’ve learned at least, the machine can stand up for itself. Its good enough and has out sped several of my peers’ Macbooks. Even though it doesn’t have a dedicated graphics card, I still use it for a couple of games. • Battlefield 4, amazingly can run and with a couple of tweaks can run at 60fps, but at the lowest setting, very playable. • Minecraft, not a surprise, a CPU demanding game that the LT handled with ease, even with a couple of mods. • League of Legends, great, more than so, can pay at good resolutions and maintain smooth gameplay. • Watch_Dogs, kind of? It’s a demanding game, an depending on what you deem “playable” you could, or at least I can. • Call of Duty-BlackOp2/MW3, good enough to play for fun, with decent enough graphics not to look like Minecraft. There are several other games, but these are the ones I play the most. And lastly, I use this LT for media consumption. PROS: • Its lightning fast, boots in record speed and can load programs and files like they were nothing. The 8GB of RAM are enough for some multitasking. • The looks on this thing are godly. One of the main reasons why I bought it. The build quality of overall great (more on this later) and the hinge hasn’t seemed to have worn off, nor has the chromed finished at the border. • For my taste the keyboard is great, it’s backlight adds to it, it’s a shame there are only to modes; either on or off. • THIN, comparing it against a MacBook Air, I can dare to say they are about the same and this baby kills the other machine in power. • Ports for a laptop this thin wasn’t something I expected, but with a USB-C (non thunderbolt) a couple of USB-A, and HDMI and an Mini SD card there’s nothing to complain about. • Battery is outstanding, can last as advertised. 14 hours and even more. OK: • The speakers are great, sound clear and loud enough, Bang&Olufsen doesn’t disappoint. I had a couple of issues were they wouldn’t work, had to reinstall the audio drivers. Currently there is a recurring annoying sound on the left speaker that seems to be physical. • While the build quality is great, and it look even better, excessive heat from intense loads of work bent and warped the screen and hinge. It isn’t a big deal, but it’s annoying considering the edge of the screen is what the computer rests on and it can wobble sometimes. • Screen is good enough for gaming, not sure how color accurate it is. CONS: • You can’t open it to upgrade anything, and I filled up the SSD quite quickly. • Can’t manage heat as good enough as expected for it to carry this much of a processor. • Trackpad isn’t great for my liking. • You shouldn’t even consider using the WebCam for anything but necessary Skype calls. • There’s only two USB-A ports and are so close together that bulky drives won’t fit at the same time, even more annoying when using mice. A great laptop overall, I kind of exceeded its intended use. It is practically a coffee shop machine, a worthy opponent to the MacBook Air.

I absolutely love this laptop(I am writing this review with this laptop). First impression very hard build quality(little down point on the plastic screen though). I am using it overseas and was bit worried whether the laptop will arrive in new condition but it was well packaged and i can't seem to find any defect. I bought this laptop for school use. I carry my laptop to classes and to study on my own. This is great so far. (I just had for a day) If anything goes wrong in few weeks I'll update. But it is perfect for now. (There is little fan noise when updating windows or something but it's ok unless you update it in the quite place such as library.) Update 17/02/17 It's great so far. There is a little fan noise when watching 1080p Youtube videos. Still it's fast and gives you what you expect. I don't know about the battery life since I have only used it at home. I guess it will last for 6-7hrs based on my usage(Internet surfing, Youtube, Facebook, typing stuff and Amazon shopping of course!) The speakers are awesome. They don't get Bang&Olufsen logo for nothing. Added a photo of this laptop too. Update 22/02/17 I looked at the warranty status on this laptop and it said it started from Dec. 2016 and ends at Dec. 2017. I bought this laptop on Feb. 2017 so I asked the amazon first and they directed me to ask Hp support team. After explaining my situation to Hp technicians they asked me to send a mail with invoice attached. So I did. And I just received a mail that my warranty is updated. So if there's anyone who has same problem with me contact hp support. (Live chat is the fastest way) About the laptop, It's working great. I also did BIOS update from hp site. I frequently hear fan noises when I update a driver or install something. Still great laptop at an amazing price.