A slim design with a metallic finish meshed with a strong processor and extra video memory creates a quality ultrabook in the HP Envy 4. This small and thin laptop comes with all the Envy trimmings, such as Beats Audio and a backlit keyboard. You'll also find a top-notch processor in this model. The battery life is good, but it isn't great, and this ultrabook is a little heavier than others, but you can expect this laptop to function flawlessly, even with multimedia tasks.
The laptop has a third generation Intel i3 processor with 4GB of RAM. The CPU runs at a speed of 1.8GHz, which is around the industry standard. The graphics card is a HD Graphics 4000. With this card, images look sharp and colorful, and high-definition movies are clear. You can opt for the i5 processor when customizing this laptop, which will also give you a more powerful, game-friendly graphics card with 2GB of video memory.
Since this ultrabook is part of the Envy family, you will find Beats Audio built into the laptop. Dual speakers and a subwoofer give you sound clarity, especially when using headphones. Plus, the audio system has numerous presets that you can tailor for any type of media.
The Envy 4 uses HP's CoolSense technology, which will automatically adjust the laptop's temperature based on usage and conditions. So if you are lying in bed watching a movie, you can rest assured the computer won't overheat. You will also find a keyboard with raised keys on it for easy typing. The trackpad sits by itself and has a good feel to it, but we found it to be a little stiff as well as too sensitive. Sometimes, the arrow would jump across the screen while our hands were just hovering over the pad.
HP offers a one-year warranty with the Envy 4. This covers parts or hardware malfunction. There is traditional phone support, which we found to be quick. They didn't keep us on hold for longer than five minutes, which is great considering this is a global company. You can also download drivers online and see what other customers are saying on their user forum.
The HP Envy 4 offers standard performance, but you can upgrade the processor and graphics card for a little more oomph. Even with the standard equipment, programs load quickly and HD movies look beautiful. This thin and light laptop also knows when to cool itself down so you won't run into any overheating issues. Overall, the HP Envy 4 is powerful ultrabook with capabilities that are on par with industry standards.
