HP Envy 15 Reviewed: Hot Performance, Hot Temps

On the surface, the HP Envy 15 has a lot going for it: a sleek aluminum and magnesium chassis with a unique laser etched pattern, a powerful 1.6-GHz Core i7-720QM CPU, ATI Mobility Radeon 4830 graphics, 6GB of RAM, and an ultrabright 1920 x 1080 screen. But with great power comes great responsibility, and this $1,799 system just doesn’t deliver. We’ve posted our full review of the HP Envy 15 ($2,278.00) and, while it runs circles around the 15-inch MacBook Pro in terms of performance, we ultimately don’t recommend it.

What disappointed us most about this machine were the hot 103-degree wrist rest and mere 2 hours and 5 minutes of battery life. We also found the keyboard layout to be awkward and touchpad to be oversensitive (the cursor would sometime move as we typed). HP told us it is targeting creative professionals with the Envy 15, the demographic most likely to be using a MacBook Pro now. For a starting price of $1,799, this group — or frankly any group — requires more than just raw performance. They need a system they can use for hours in comfort.

Check out our full review of the HP Envy 15 for more details. Also, tell us whether you’d buy a system that reaches well over 100 degrees.