HP Envy 13 Reviewed: Elegant, Powerful, and Wonky

Our full review of the HP Envy 13 is now live. We tested and benchmarked this attractive and, yes, MacBook Pro-like machine and found that it mostly lives up to HP’s performance promises. Comparing it to other ultraportables was practically pointless. We had to look at our mainstream benchmark averages to find comparable numbers in our overall performance tests. The switchable graphics will please media mavens, and we even got decent gaming frame rates (albeit at lower resolutoin). Having spent more time with the Envy 13 we’re still fans of the design and the keyboard. We’re not the only ones who found fault with the temperamental touchpad, though. It’s awkward to use, and the multitouch gestures don’t always work the first time. The included 4-cell battery lasted a little over 4 hours on our test, which is considerably less than the 13-inch MacBook Pro. We’re testing the extended battery slice tonight — HP promises 14 hours. Will the Envy deliver? The system starts at $1,699 (our configuration is $1,899), so this luxury laptop has a lot to live up to. Read the full review to determine whether the Envy is worth the price.