Laptop Lookout: HP Envy 17

HP is announcing an update to its Envy Line. HP Envy 17 will be available this summer, and is packing a nice bit of power. Now in 2018, HP has slimmed the bezels around the screens on the Envy laptops. Making the 17 big, powerful and beautiful.

The Great

• Great Screen
• Fantastic Performance
• Great Battery
• Sleek Desgin

The Not

• Bigger, Heavy

The Conclusion

THe HP Envy 17 is a powerful laptop, pretty that most can afford. Its big, to big to always have with you, but it should keep you from missing your desktop PC in most ways.

The Envy 17 packs a high-end quad-core mobile processor that will deliver more power than most people will use. Our tests on other laptops have shown that a simple dual-core processor suffices for mainstream applications, but quad-core comes in handy for more intensive uses such as gaming and creating graphics-heavy content.

Sound Upgrades

HP has now designed a  row of Bang & Olufsen-tuned speakers line the front and they’re angling up at 45 degree. This points them at your ears for listing and not lower, much better sound receptions. I guess its the little things. The volume is now controlled by a touch scroll wheel in the base, where there is also a high-speed wireless charger.

Webcam, Pop Up

I’ve seen this getting adapted around a few tech devices that I hope catches on. Its the pop up camera. I know its kinda gimmicky but i like the assurance of not having some hack in to my camera and spy on my life. The pop up camera can be popped down and blinded when I’m not using it.

Lets Talk Speed

Speed and performance are off the charts. On the performance front, HP has updated from 7th Generation CPUs to the latest 8th Generation Intel Core quad-core CPU (4C/8T) running at a base frequency of 1.8 GHz with a maximum Turbo frequency of 4 GHz while fitting in a 15W TDP at base frequency. The 17-inch runs the massive processor but has 12GB of DDR4-2400 in a 4+8 GB tilted configuration.

Quick Spec Look

• CPU: Intel 8th-generation Core i7-8550U
• Memory: Up to 16GB of DDR4-2400 SDRAM (the base model has 8GB)
• Display: 17.3-inch FHD (1920×1080) IPS WLED backlit touchscreen
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce MX150 with 2GB GDDR5 memory
• Storage: 1TB 7,200rpm hard drive with a 16GB Intel Optane Memory module, plus a DVD drive

The Final Thought on the HP Envy 17

Solid, solid upgrades, beautiful design. I didn’t want to talk to much about the look of this, because its impressively stunning and something to experience first hand with about pre-building expectations. Just look at it you will know what I mean. Its got the screen and power we need but I think it will be more of a home computer for us,  because of its size and weight, and not get to travel and see the world like the smaller versions. Sad