The HP ENVY 14 Spectre is a hauntingly
beautiful, sultry machine.
Price: $1,290
Website: www.hp.com
HP
ENVY 14 Spectre – The Spectral Beauty
There is certain elegance to the HP ENVY 14
Spectre that draws you in, much like the obsidian glass that makes its lid.
This elegance is even more striking when you open it, to find a display that
melds into the bezel, and a minimalistic keyboard design sitting on top of
matte silver and classy glass. The Spectre looks cool, beautiful and classy;
there's no doubt about that. But is the Spectre more than just a haunting look?
The Spectre's quality in design is not only
skin deep. At one side of this Ultrabook is a collection of I/O ports that's
welcomingly complete, which include Ethernet, USB 2.0 and 3.0, HDMI and a
mini-DisplayPort. The keyboard, while unassumingly simple, types fantastically,
while the touchpad is one of the most precise and sensitive ones we've had. The
experience of using this Ultrabook is great, and it doesn't end here.
The screen is also worthy of praise; it
doesn't just display crisply and brightly, but also manages a 1,600 x 900
resolution, which gives it a much sharper image compared to most notebooks This
display enjoyment can further be enhanced by the excellent Beats Audio
integration, with speakers that are both loud and sultry.
The only potential problem with the ENVY 14
Spectre is its overall size and weight, which is comparably more than its
competitors. It's not downright bulky or heavy per se, but it's not very much
closer to the thinness of most Ultrabooks either.
Running an Intel Core i5-2467M at 1.6GHz,
which is coupled with 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD, the Spectre provides the
computing power to match the Ultrabook market. It's not essentially the most
powerful, but its performance chops easily plays HD videos and manages most
software perfectly. The battery power here isn't exponentially impressive, but
clocking 5 hours in our battery test (video looping at high screen brightness
with Wi-Fi on) makes it pretty good.
The
keyboard types well, and the track pad is one of
the most precise we've had.
Benchmark results
PCMark 7: 3,215 points
PCMark 7 (Productivity): 2,685 points
PCMark 7 (Entertainment): 2,335 points
PCMark 7 (Computation): 7,804 points
Comment
The HP ENVY 14 Spectre is hauntingly
beautiful, a classily crafted Ultrabook with premium designs, gorgeous display,
great keyboard and touchpad and wonderful audio. It's undoubtedly heavier and
bulkier than its competitors, but its overall performance and design makes it
one great Ultrabook, a substance to its spectral wonders.
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Specifications
CPU: Intel Core Í5-2467M @ 1.60GHz RAM: 4GB
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Display: 14-inch HD+ Radiance LED Backlit Display
Storage: 128GB SSD
Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, 1 X USB 2.0,
1 X USB 3.0, HDMI, mini-DisplayPort
Extras: Webcam, Card Reader, Beats Audio
Dimensions: 32.7 X 22.1 X 2cm Weight: 1.8kg
Pros and cons
Pros
Cool, elegant design
Great keyboard
Excellent display
Beats Audio
Cons
Slightly heavier and bulkier than other Ultrabooks
Ratings
Performance: 4/5
Features: 4/5
Design: 4/5
Value: 3/5
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