A slower (and less-expensive) Core i3 CPU is available, but only in the non-Beats standard Envy 14. We tested a version with an Intel Core i5-450m CPU. Killer audio may not be at the top of most laptop shoppers' lists, but this is certainly one of the best performers in this category.
#Hp envy desktop beats audio software software
Most notably, HP has teamed with Beats Audio to include special bass-boosting software and hardware that purportedly works especially well with Beats-branded headphones, but certainly also sounds clear and hefty with other headphones or through the system speakers. Our previous Envy 14 had a higher 1,600x900-pixel resolution, but that option does not appear to be currently available from HP. The 14.5-inch wide-screen LED display (notable, as most 14-inch laptop screens measure only 14 inches diagonally) has a standard 1,366x768-pixel resolution. The scrolling movement is stuttery, and the touch pad also lacks the inertial scrolling that helps MacBooks (and iPhones, iPads, etc.) feel so natural.
Unfortunately, every HP laptop with this new touch pad we've tried has the same problem: the multitouch gesture controls don't work consistently, especially the all-important two-finger-scrolling move. The look and feel is great, and it rivals Apple for sheer size. The Envy's oversize touch pad is now common on many HP laptops. So if you try to use them while playing a game or watching certain kinds of full-screen video, you'll be kicked out of the full-screen mode or even back to the desktop. The volume controls have the unfortunate side effect of jumping to the onscreen volume indicator when you hit the volume down, up, or mute buttons (F7, F8, and F9, respectively). One small switch for this Beats version: the "B" key is stamped with a Beats Audio logo, which is in the shape of a stylized letter B. One big advantage the Envy 14 has over the older Envy 13 is that the new keyboard is backlit (in this case, with red lights through matte-black keys), which is one of our must-have features in any high-end laptop. Though there are no quick-launch or media control keys, the row of Function keys has media control and other attributes as the primary mapping, with the actual F4, F5, etc., tasks requiring you to hold down the Fn key at the same time (a setup HP and others are using more frequently). The system interior consists of a slightly sunken keyboard tray, with a keyboard made up of widely spaced, flat-topped keys and a single power button.
At 5.3 pounds, it's not exactly something you'd want to carry in a shoulder bag during a daily commute (and a 14-inch laptop is already just over the line of what we'd consider truly portable), but we could see it working for semi-regular trips to the office or coffee shop. The Envy 14, like its Envy predecessors, feels solid and rugged, but is also dense and heavy compared with other laptops of a similar size. Using the volume control buttons automatically brings up an onscreen volume bar that bumps you out of full-screen games the large multitouch touch pad is nowhere as smooth as Apple's version and the ATI switchable graphics don't switch as seamlessly as Nvidia's Optimus graphics do. The Envy 14 looks great and generally runs great, but there are also a handful of minor but frustrating issues that seem out of place on a high-end laptop. If that remains the case, we'd have no problem choosing the Beats Edition if we liked the color better than the standard gray. Originally, this version included a pair of Beats Solo headphones, and added about $250 to the bottom line, making it a bad deal on paper, if only by a little (Beats Solo headphones will run you about $179 by themselves).Ĭurrently, the Envy 14 Beats Edition is available without the headphones, and we were able to configure an identical-but not entry-level-build in the black Beats and gray standard editions for $1,149 (you can't knock the Beats Edition down to the same $999 starting point as the regular Envy 14). As with the original Envy, there is also a black-clad Beats Edition of the Envy 14, which highlights the partnership with Beats Audio.
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