HP Envy 17: HP's MacBook Pro Killer?
by Dustin Sklavos on December 16, 2010 12:30 AM ESTThe 1080p BrightView Infinity LED EX plus Alpha
If nothing else, we'd appreciate it if HP cut down the number of words used to describe their screen, but that said, we're always big fans of seeing at least 1080p screens around here. This resolution feels like it should pretty much be the standard from about 15.6" upward (at least, given the quality of the screens we've seen at that size and resolution), and the Envy 17's screen is at least subjectively of good quality. Now let's see how it measures out.
If nothing else, the screen HP employs on the Envy 17 is among the best we've seen. The upgrade from the 900p to 1080p screen when customizing the notebook is just $100 and we think that's absolutely worth it. HP advertises a 72% color gamut and we practically hit that on the dot. (Note: 68% of AdobeRGB is where sRGB falls, so in practice the 72% value is far better than the oversaturated result you get with high-gamut displays in non-color-managed applications.) Contrast, levels, and color accuracy are all excellent and at least in subjective use the screen is attractive. Viewing angles aren't a major issue either; the Envy 17's screen doesn't have a massive "sweet spot" problem the way many smaller or lesser quality screens do.
See, this is what we're talking about when we say we want to see better screens in notebooks. Now we just wish we could get these kinds of panels without having to constantly buy premium-grade hardware.
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gomakeit - Thursday, December 16, 2010 - link
agreed - same hereFinite Loop - Thursday, December 16, 2010 - link
When I reached page 42 of the article, I started getting this distinct feeling that I had read this article before.ciparis - Thursday, December 16, 2010 - link
The last page seems to be missing; it just redirects to the first page.I'd like to read the conclusion :)
mrmbmh - Thursday, December 16, 2010 - link
Thanks for your nice review.when I click on the "conclusion page" it leads me to the first page... fix it please.
janwuyts - Thursday, December 16, 2010 - link
With that title for the article, why not include an actual macbook pro in the comparison?tarunactivity - Thursday, December 16, 2010 - link
Yes. . Doesn't the ENVY have a right to face its accuser?Funny that the MBP does not feature in any of the charts!
retnuh - Thursday, December 16, 2010 - link
Agreed, there should have been some attempt to compare where applicable, screen, weight, battery tests, jury rig win 7 bootcamp & newer drivers to test 3d even or starcraft2 (Win7) vs starcraft 2 (OSX), portal. But to use a headline like that and not include data from a MBP is lame. OR EVEN LINK to a review of the MBP inside the article so we can easily look up what was forgotten is even worse.Next time try,
title: "HP Envy 17 review"
somewhere in the first two paragraphs: "we've gotten a lot of requests to compare this to an apple mbp 17, here's a link to our previous review for comparison"
Then its a side note, for the curious, not a slap in the face.
retnuh - Thursday, December 16, 2010 - link
There doesn't seem to be a 17" MBP review, but here's the link to the 15" for those interested.http://www.anandtech.com/show/3669/apples-15inch-2...
damianrobertjones - Thursday, December 16, 2010 - link
"HP Envy 17: HP's MacBook Pro Killer?"Please, PLEASE, stop referencing damn apple products. You're instantly referencing another product and possibly removing sales by the headline alone, which, HP should be pretty annoyed at.
P.s. I own a HP Envy 13... fantastic machine (Once you slap an intel 1.8" SSD in there
takumsawsherman - Thursday, December 16, 2010 - link
This is perhaps unintentionally hilarious. The article sort of reads like an apology for HP. It's not supposed to be an HP advertisement, so therefore Anandtech shouldn't be worried that HP will be "annoyed". If HP didn't want to be annoyed, maybe they should have maybe created a product that was actually a credible threat to even the base MacBook, never mind the MacBook Pro. The battery life at *idle* is a complete laugh, and you cannot even watch a 90 minute movie!From the actual data of the review, and some salient points from the text, no one should ever buy this laptop. Of course, considering that HP just made me send in a customer's laptop in as opposed to sending me a replacement hard drive (in-warranty failure) unless I pre-paid for the hard drive (refund would be issued when they received the return part). This is on a laptop that is 10 months old and HP diagnosed the hard drive failure (after I already gave them info from another diagnostic tool - another 30 minutes on the phone so that they could verify).
Then there was the firmware update that was supposed to fix a problem with 4 laserjets on a network. These laserjets had this quirk since they were purchased a few years ago. Installed the updates, and one failed and borked the printer. HP's response? Not our problem, pay $40 for us to even chat with you. Problem - bad formatter board as a result of failed firmware upgrade, not our problem, though.
That is one of the many reasons why HP won't have a product that is a "killer" anything. They have no concern for the customer's view of them. There is no reason for anyone to be a "repeat" customer of HP.
(except ProCurve switches - never had a problem with that support or the products)