Revamped HP Envy 14: A Premium Ultrabook That Perfectly Balances Power and Portability

HP updated its Envy line of high-end Windows Ultrabooks last August, and today, we have the Envy 14, a fully equipped model. Available in 14-inch and 15-inch sizes, the latest Envy lineup promises robust performance packed into premium, portable designs. The 2021 iteration features Intel’s 11th generation Core processors and a refined aesthetic, positioning it competitively alongside competitors such as Dell’s XPS series. The cost of the HP Envy 14 also aligns it with Apple’s MacBook Pro (M1) offerings.

Now, let’s determine whether this ultrabook deserves a spot on your wish list this shopping season.

Design of the HP Envy 14 (EB0021TX)

The industrial design of the HP Envy 14 has grown on me during my testing period. This laptop is only available in a single silver color, which adorns most of its body apart from the display bezel. The sharp contours throughout the device, including the rubber feet underneath, provide it with a unique appearance. The aluminum body feels robust, giving both the lid and base a rugged quality.

The HP Envy 14 features a more sophisticated industrial design than a flamboyant one

For a laptop with a 14-inch display, the HP Envy 14 presents a respectable array of physical ports. You will find two USB 3 (Gen1) Type-A ports that function with ‘HP Sleep and Charge’, along with an HDMI 2.0 port, a Thunderbolt 4 (Type-C) port, a microSD card slot, a DC charging port, and a headphone jack. The Type-C port can also be used for powering and charging the device if you don’t have the included charger. The single hinge that supports the display offers good stability, and the lid can be easily tilted back. However, opening the lid when closed can be somewhat challenging since the provided groove isn’t deep enough for a comfortable grip with your fingers.

The HP Envy 14 comes with a solid selection of ports for a laptop of this size

The chiclet-style keyboard keys are well spaced and pleasant for typing. It features three levels of white backlighting, providing even illumination across the keys. A fingerprint sensor replaces the right Ctrl key. The palm rest area is spacious, and the central glass trackpad is notably large.

The display is a vibrant 14-inch IPS panel offering full-HD+ resolution and a 16:10 aspect ratio. Its design looks modern, thanks to the narrow bezels on three of its four sides. The vent above the keyboard serves ventilation, while stereo speakers are located on the laptop’s underside, one on each side. A larger vent is also present in that area.

Specifications and Software of the HP Envy 14 (EB0021TX)

The HP Envy 14 utilizes Intel’s Evo platform, which defines the standards for features, performance, and efficiency. The model I’m reviewing is equipped with an Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU, integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics, 16GB of soldered DDR4 RAM, a 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD, and a dedicated Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti GPU optimized with Max-Q technology. It’s a fully equipped machine with strong components throughout. The Envy 14’s stereo speakers are tuned by Bang & Olufsen. It includes a 720p webcam, featuring a software-based camera off switch for privacy, which operates via a dedicated button on the keyboard. For wireless connectivity, it supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.

The 14-inch display boasts crisp visuals with vibrant colors and minimal reflection

The HP Envy 14 is shipped with Windows 10 preinstalled, but you can upgrade to Windows 11 during setup (however, it might be wise to read through the rest of this review first). You’ll find a selection of trial programs preinstalled, alongside a full license for Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019. HP also includes apps for adjusting sound, display settings, battery profiles, and system optimizations. A helpful utility called HP Enhanced Lighting creates a virtual ring light on the screen to brighten your face during video calls.

Performance and Battery Life of the HP Envy 14 (EB0021TX)

Throughout the weeks I used the HP Envy 14 as a daily work companion, it performed admirably. I encountered a software glitch on the review unit provided, causing it to enter a boot loop during attempts to update to the latest firmware. This issue appeared on a replacement unit as well. Entering Windows recovery and uninstalling the last feature update temporarily solved the problem, and it appears connected to a conflict between the HP Support Assistant app and Windows 11. If you purchase an Envy 14 or plan to do so, I recommend updating the firmware before transitioning to Windows 11 to potentially avoid this problem.

The HP Envy 14 features a comfortable keyboard and a large glass trackpad

During casual usage, primarily involving web browsing and apps on Chrome, the HP Envy 14 remained cool and quiet. I occasionally noticed some fan noise when background processes were active, such as an update in Steam, but overall, it was comfortable to use on my lap. Despite its compact design, it feels slightly weighty at just over 1.5kg. Nevertheless, the comfortable keyboard and bright, sharp display made both work and entertainment enjoyable. The stereo speakers deliver rich and detailed sound. The integrated webcam performs adequately in well-lit environments, but it struggles in low-light conditions, resulting in grainy footage.

The HP Envy 14 also excelled in benchmark tests, achieving impressive scores of 5,548 in PCMark 10 and 7,790 in 3DMark Fire Strike. The laptop’s SSD performance stood out as particularly strong, with sequential read speeds averaging around 2.65GBps and solid random write speeds of 1.75GBps.

While the Envy 14 is not tailored for gaming, the dedicated Nvidia GPU allows for playing titles like Fortnite at high settings with smooth frame rates. Heavier games, such as Remedy’s Control, remain playable at the ‘High’ quality preset at 1080p, though the average frame rate hovers around 26fps. Lowering the quality settings did help improve this. Notably, during charging or when engaged in intensive tasks, only the bottom of the laptop heats up, with minimal warmth felt on the keyboard or palm rest.

The HP Envy 14 offers adequate battery life to last most workdays on a single charge

The HP Envy 14 is equipped with a 4-cell, 63.3WHr battery, which HP claims can sustain up to 17.5 hours of video playback. While I didn’t conduct any single-length video session of that duration, my mixed-use activities—including working on Google Docs in Chrome, Slack communications, streaming videos, and taking breaks—generally yielded around 8-9 hours of runtime on a single charge, which I consider quite good for a Windows laptop of this size. I appreciated that I didn’t need to rely on using Windows 11’s battery efficiency profile to achieve this. The Battery Eater Pro score was surprisingly lackluster; the laptop lasted just 1 hour and 22 minutes in this resource-intensive benchmark test.

Final Thoughts

The HP Envy 14 model I tested (EB0021TX) was priced at Rs. 1,24,999 at the time of this evaluation. This is certainly on the higher side, but when compared to its competitors, the Envy 14 offers slightly enhanced value. For instance, the Dell XPS 13 is similarly priced but offers half the SSD capacity and lacks a discrete GPU. The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon, another Ultrabook based on Intel’s Evo platform, is priced lower than the Envy 14, sporting nearly identical specifications and a QHD display, yet also lacks a GPU.

I believe the HP Envy 14 strikes a solid balance of portability, performance, and battery life, making it a worthy Ultrabook contender. While a direct comparison with the MacBook Pro 13 (M1) isn’t feasible due to their differing software platforms and CPU architectures, the Envy 14 stands out as a strong Windows-based alternative. Some drawbacks include its slightly heavy weight and the effort needed to open the lid. The webcam quality is also a tad underwhelming.

In conclusion, if you’re in search of a premium Ultrabook capable of handling work and light gaming while providing a full day’s use on a single charge, the HP Envy 14 should be at the top of your list.