HP - ENVY x360 2-in-1 15.6" Touch-Screen Laptop - AMD Ryzen 7 - 8GB Memory - 512GB SSD - Nightfall Black

I had bad experiences with low/mid range AMD mobile processors 8 years ago - so much so that I swore them off and told myself I would only buy Intel machines going forward. Apparently... lot has changed in 8 years. I was looking to replace an older Intel i7 machine that was starting to show its age. My requirements weren't too high (I have another machine for more processor demanding work), I just wanted the best value-to-performance mid-range machine for daily use, occasional Creative Cloud work here and there, media editing, etc. HP's Envy seemed to fit into that market segment perfectly (it also happened to be the same line of the machine I was trying to replace, so I was already familiar). I was stuck between the i5 and i7 models, determined to shun AMD again, but right there in between them was the Ryzen 7 version - which came with more on-board storage than the i5, and cheaper than the i7. A few short reads later through several PC reviews nudged me to give AMD another try. Worst case scenario I'd learn my lesson again and simply exchange it for an Intel machine. No exchanges necessary, this thing more than meets expectations. I love it. For the past two weeks it's handled everything I've thrown everything at it without as much as a stutter. The only exceptions being some Adobe LR / PS / Premiere workflows that were a bit more intensive than usual and gave the machine a little more than it could chew. It got through them but not without some noticeable resource slowdowns. But then again, Adobe CC is a processing power black hole all on its own and gives machines that are 2X this cost similar troubles. Can't give this laptop fault for this. The design quality is great, significantly better than my older Envy. It's stylish and sleek, and the screen real estate is very good with a moderate bezel that houses the webcam. The keys feel good though I sort of question the power button placement. It's not a physical switch and actually fooled me for a good minute the first time I went searching for it to turn it on. HP decided to place it in the upper function key row just above the backspace button. Kind of odd to me. I figured that was always going to be one-typo slip away from a mid-typing sleep command, but it hasn't happened yet. The one thing I will say is the 15.6" is HEAVY. Let be real, you don't really buy 15" laptops for their ease of portability, but this thing's heft is noticeable. Because of that, I don't really see anyone using the convertible function very often. It becomes a hassle, it's just too big and too heavy to consistently use it in tablet mode. If that's a big selling factor for you, you're going to want to look at 13" models instead. This is more of a "find a semi-permanent desk spot for it and leave it there" type of machine. All in all I'm really impressed with the performance and quality here. Even more so if you can manage to grab it on a weekend sale for $150-200 less - it's an absolute no brainier at that point. I'd definitely recommend it for anyone searching for a new machine in the $700-900 range, and I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better performer.

Very happy with my purchase. Runs well, is perfect for streaming/podcasting, lite weight, very responsive, and battery life is pretty good.

Sleek and inexpensive laptop light. Compared to my old laptop, the keys are quite. Simple configuration. Easy set up.

I reviewed and reviewed and reviewed and for all my needs this computer met everyone. I love the sleek compact of it, I can pack it in any purse and go. The matte finish gives it a cute touch for me. It’s fast and quiet. Most definitely the best I’ve owned so far and glad I chose this laptop. Recommend!

Purchased this during the summer for nieces 1st year of college. She hasn't been able to sit for ONE online class without the Audio and Mic causing issues. Bestbuy/Geek squad reinstalled drivers and Windows 10 with no success.

This laptop starting faster and easier to set-up and meet with my budget

I've been trying to find a quiet laptop for several months. I tried an HP Spectre which was beautiful but loud and had a high pitched fan sound (think dentist's drill) that was driving me crazy. I tried a Lenovo C940 which was even louder (though more tolerable because the sound wasn't so high pitched). Finally, I tried this HP Envy. It is by far the fastest and most responsive computer of the bunch. It's noticeably faster just doing every day tasks like web browsing. You'd think the bottleneck for web browsing would be the internet connection but I kid you not, websites feel like they are loading twice as fast on this thing. AMD Ryzen 7! The build quality seems very comparable to the Spectre, which costs twice as much, and unlike the Spectre there is no coil whine that I could hear. Unfortunately, it also fairly loud and the fans are on about half the time with basic web browsing. If the CPU is really working hard then you get a high pitch that sounds similar to the Spectre. The other two notes I'd make are that the screen and speakers are not any better than the computer I'm trying to replace (Acer Aspire E1) which was a $450 computer. Although both are decent I would expect more from a computer that is twice the price. I think it's possible to get one with an upgraded screen though. If you aren't noise sensitive I would definitely recommend this product.

Pros: Classy understated design 2-in-1 capability Decent keyboard/touchpad Reliable fingerprint scanner Ryzen 4700u (!) Upgradable WiFi, SSD, and RAM Great battery life Cons: Bad display Heavy Fan noise I came to the 15.6" Envy x360 4700u from a 13.3" Spectre x360 1065-g7 and before that, a dying Surface Pro. First things: the performance of the 4700u is absolutely phenomenal and the Envy has a revamped cooling solution that keeps it below 85 during load. Also, the integrated graphics performance is on par with a 960m from a few years past for a pretty smooth light gaming experience. Honestly, the majority of the appeal for this laptop comes from the performance, its 2 in 1 form factor, and (for me) its looks. On to the bad stuff: It is kind of heavy, or at least dense. Dell's XPS 15 and the Surface Laptop 3 15" are both noticeably lighter. For the first few hours while I set it up the fan noise was near unbearable and it seems to have settled into a low but constant hum even when idling. If you are the kind of person very bothered by fan noise you might look for something quieter. It is silent about 50% of the time though. The display is... workable. I keep it on maximum brightness or at least 80% and it's comfortable to work with, but colors are washed out and inaccurate. Spotify Green looks more like puke, and Netflix Red has become Netflix Orange. If you're looking for a laptop for photo editing or any color intensive work, or otherwise like looking at accurate colors, you should probably steer clear of this specific model, Final thoughts: while there are serious cons, really it's just a few areas of improvement in a laptop that otherwise is basically an amazing (and only) 4700u 2 in 1 solution. The fans can get loud, but the processor stays really cool. The battery life is on par with the 10th gen Spectre x360, due to AMD's 7nm process using much less power than Intel. And the processor, if you haven't heard, is godlike. Even if you do video editing, photo editing, etc. and are concerned about the display... if you want the most powerful 2-in-1 there is to work faster than near anything else on the market right now, honestly just hook up a color accurate monitor. Laptop displays have always been lacking and when you think about the performance and upgradeability of this laptop it's something I can easily overlook. It feels like HP's sleek take on the ThinkPad, which I love, and it's something you can bring to the office looking very professional instead of potentially "too" cool like the HP Spectre and it's angled edges. I give this a strong recommendation (4/5) and wholeheartedly recommend this over the weaker Intel version with the following disclaimers: If you want this exact model with better brightness, color gamut, etc. you can customize a version on the HP online store. It will obviously be more expensive, and it'll take a month or more to get built and shipped to you from Chongqing. But if you are willing to wait, that option is available to you (I wasn't willing to wait). Also, mind that Ryzen 4000 in laptops is very new, and AMD's driver support has historically been worse than Intel's. I think Ryzen 4000 is the turning point where AMD is becoming a serious competitor to Intel again, and I haven't faced any issues yet, but it is something you should know.