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Face Off: Asus X302UV vs. HP Envy 13 vs. Lenovo IdeaPad 710S

Mainstream 13-inch workbook. You don't have to spend over $1000 USD for a portable 13-inch notebook. These options may not look as pretty as the XPS 13 or Spectre series, but they have just enough features to get the job done.

The 13-inch space is filled with plenty of options for users looking into mainstream or high-end solutions. Our comparison this week focuses on three mainstream subnotebooks retailing for under $1000 USD each to be noticeably cheaper than the popular XPS 13, Spectre 13, Yoga 900, and other well-known flagship subnotebooks. These less expensive alternatives may not look as pretty or have as many fancy features as some costlier solutions, but they're still light and portable with enough processing power for standard day-to-day workloads.

We encourage users to check out our dedicated review pages below for more data and detailed analyses of each of the three models. This comparison is by no means a replacement, but a condensed aid for those on the fence.

Asus X302UV
Asus X302UV
HP Envy 13
HP Envy 13
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S

Case

Case quality is overall average between these three systems. First, the Asus is completely plastic with textured surfaces made to mimic brushed aluminum and is the most well-rounded build. The Envy 13 is perhaps the most attractive with its premium aluminum design, but it's overall more flexible around the base and lid. The Lenovo is similar as well because of its extra-narrow bezels, so users must be even more careful not to flex the display.

As for size and weight, the Asus is heavier and larger by far and is even over twice the thickness of the Envy 13. Its sheer size gives the notebook a more balanced build quality from top to bottom with other benefits as well as shown in our Performance and Emissions sections. Meanwhile, the IdeaPad 710S is the lightest and most portable because of its reduced length and width despite being just slightly thicker than the Envy 13.

328 mm / 12.9 inch 234 mm / 9.21 inch 25.6 mm / 1.008 inch 1.6 kg3.51 lbs326.5 mm / 12.9 inch 226 mm / 8.9 inch 12.6 mm / 0.4961 inch 1.4 kg3.09 lbs307 mm / 12.1 inch 214 mm / 8.43 inch 14 mm / 0.551 inch 1.2 kg2.56 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Ports in Comparison

Asus X302UV
Asus X302UV
HP Envy 13
HP Envy 13
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S

Connectivity

Available ports are fairly limited due to the sizes of these 13-inch notebooks. The Asus X302UV offers more features thanks to its thicker design with VGA, full-size HDMI, and RJ-45. The Lenovo is on the other end of the spectrum with fewer USB ports, no RJ-45, and a micro-HDMI port that will require an adapter or special cable to use. None of the three notebooks are shipping with USB Type-C ports.

Ports and Connections

Asus X302UV HP Envy 13 Lenovo IdeaPad 710S
USB 1x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0 3x USB 3.0 2x USB 3.0
Video-out 1x VGA, 1x HDMI 1x HDMI 1x micro-HDMI
Audio Headphone jack Headphone jack Headphone jack
Other Gigabit RJ-45, SD reader, Kensington Lock SD reader, Kensington Lock SD reader
Storage Bays 1x 2.5-inch SATA III 1x M.2 1x M.2

Input Devices

The typing experience is far from perfect on these three models. Feedback is spongier on both the Asus and HP while the former doesn't even include a backlight option. The keys on the HP can flex with enough applied force and travel on the Lenovo feels just as shallow. These are all characteristics of most Ultrabooks, so the short travel and soft feedback should be of no surprise to most users. The XPS 13 and ThinkPad AccuType keyboards continue to be our favorites in terms of comfort in this size category.

As for the integrated touchpads, the one of the Asus is easier to use as the Lenovo requires more force when inputting a mouse click. The HP can feel uneven towards the upper half of its touchpad surface, so users are likely to accidentally input a left click when using the HP. The slightly larger surface of the Asus touchpad gives the notebook a slight edge over its two competitors.

Asus X302UV
Asus X302UV
HP Envy 13
HP Envy 13
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S

Display

The panels here are all from different manufacturers resulting in very different color gamuts and contrast levels. The Asus sports the worse display by far with its low 768p resolution panel, dimmer backlight brightness, and more limited color space from its TN panel. The Envy 13 with the higher 1800p display option utilizes a RGBW subpixel array for improved color accuracy at the cost of high black levels. Note that the same notebook with the less expensive 1080p SKU option is superior to the 1800p configuration in terms of contrast and brightness without sacrificing gamut. The Lenovo panel is similar to the Envy 13 1080p SKU, but we recommend a quick calibration of these panels to obtain more accurate grayscale and balanced color profiles.

Asus X302UV
Asus X302UV
HP Envy 13
HP Envy 13
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S
Asus X302UV
Asus X302UV
HP Envy 13
HP Envy 13
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S
Displays at a Glance

Asus X302UV HP Envy 13-d000ng HP Envy 13-d020ng Lenovo IdeaPad 710S
Size 13.3-inch TN matte 13.3-inch IPS glossy 13.3-inch IPS matte 13.3-inch IPS matte
Native Resolution 1366 x 768 3200 x 1800 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080
Pixel Density 118 PPI 276 PPI 166 PPI 166 PPI
Panel ID InfoVision M133NWN1 R3 Samsung SDC415A AU Optronics AUO272D Sharp LQ133M1JW15
Asus X302UV-FN016THP Envy 13-d000ngHP Envy 13-d020ngLenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK 80SW0031US
Display
Display P3 Coverage
48.37
64
63.7
65.9
sRGB Coverage
72.6
88.8
93
97
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
49.98
65
65.1
68
Response Times
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
42 ?(20, 22)
37.6 ?(14.8, 22.8)
34 ?(11, 23)
56 ?(22, 34)
Response Time Black / White *
23 ?(6, 17)
26 ?(8.8, 17.2)
24 ?(5, 19)
44 ?(9.2, 34.8)
PWM Frequency
50 ?(90)
1316 ?(50, 78)
208 ?(40)
219.3 ?(59)
Screen
Brightness middle
218
291
345
349
Brightness
210
276
335
339
Brightness Distribution
88
82
95
88
Black Level *
0.5
0.63
0.25
0.393
Contrast
436
462
1380
888
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
3.89
2.76
4.94
6.85
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
7.11
8.85
10.27
Greyscale dE 2000 *
4.9
2.61
5.85
6.43
Gamma
2.41 91%
2.31 95%
2.25 98%
1.83 120%
CCT
7860 83%
6731 97%
7105 91%
7820 83%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
46
57.5
60
61.9
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
73
88.7
93
97.3
Total Average (Program / Settings)

* ... smaller is better

Asus X302UV color profile
Asus X302UV color profile
HP Envy 13 QHD
HP Envy 13 QHD
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S

Performance

CPU Performance

Asus, HP, and Lenovo offer multiple ULV CPU options on their respective notebooks, so our comparison below is only between the models we have on hand. This includes two SKUs of the IdeaPad 710S with the mid-range Core i5-6200U and the higher-end Core i7-6560U CPU.

CineBench benchmarks show the higher-specced IdeaPad 710S outperforming the i5-6200U in the other notebooks by about 10 to 15 percent. 3DMark Cloud Gate Physics shows a similar performance gap between them while Fire Strike Physics shows no performance differences.

As for serviceability, the three notebooks are not the easiest to access. The Envy 13 and IdeaPad 710S both have hidden screws under their rubber feet and may require a sharp edge to pry out their bottom panels. The Asus notebook is even more involved as the top shell of the base must first be removed before the bottom panel can be carefully opened.

See our dedicated CPU pages on the Core i5-6200U and Core i7-6560U for more benchmarks and comparisons.

Hardware at a Glance

Asus X302UV HP Envy 13 Lenovo IdeaPad 710S (Core i5) Lenovo IdeaPad 710S (Core i7)
CPU 2.3 GHz Core i5-6200U 2.3 GHz Core i5-6200U 2.3 GHz Core i5-6200U 2.2 GHz Core i7-6560U
TDP 15 W 15 W 15 W 15 W
RAM 8 GB DDR3-1600 (4 GB in 1x SODIMM + 4 GB soldered), Dual-Channel 4 GB DDR3L-1600 soldered, Dual-Channel 8 GB LPDDR3 soldered, Dual-Channel 8 GB LPDDR3 soldered, Dual-Channel
GPU GeForce 920MX HD Graphics 520 HD Graphics 520 Iris Graphics 540
Asus X302UV
Asus X302UV
HP Envy 13
HP Envy 13
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
Asus X302UV-FN016T
115 Points
HP Envy 13-d020ng
112 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK 80SW0031US
107 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK
130 Points
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
Asus X302UV-FN016T
290 Points
HP Envy 13-d020ng
285 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK 80SW0031US
273 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK
318 Points
Cinebench R11.5
CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
HP Envy 13-d020ng
1.33 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK 80SW0031US
1.1 Points
CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
HP Envy 13-d020ng
3.09 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK 80SW0031US
2.41 Points
wPrime 2.10
1024m (sort by value)
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK 80SW0031US
650 s *
32m (sort by value)
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK 80SW0031US
21.16 s *
Super Pi Mod 1.5 XS 32M - 32M (sort by value)
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK 80SW0031US
473.2 s *
3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Asus X302UV-FN016T
37549 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK 80SW0031US
35444 Points
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Physics (sort by value)
Asus X302UV-FN016T
34706 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK 80SW0031US
33113 Points
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Physics (sort by value)
Asus X302UV-FN016T
3023 Points
HP Envy 13-d020ng
3140 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK 80SW0031US
3123 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK
3509 Points
1920x1080 Fire Strike Physics (sort by value)
Asus X302UV-FN016T
4525 Points
HP Envy 13-d020ng
4474 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK 80SW0031US
4441 Points
Fire Strike Extreme Physics (sort by value)
Asus X302UV-FN016T
4525 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK 80SW0031US
4388 Points
PCMark 7
Score (sort by value)
Asus X302UV-FN016T
4955 Points
Lightweight (sort by value)
Asus X302UV-FN016T
4664 Points
Productivity (sort by value)
Asus X302UV-FN016T
3837 Points
Entertainment (sort by value)
Asus X302UV-FN016T
3700 Points
Creativity (sort by value)
Asus X302UV-FN016T
8955 Points
Computation (sort by value)
Asus X302UV-FN016T
14708 Points
System Storage (sort by value)
Asus X302UV-FN016T
4717 Points
PCMark 8
Work Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
Asus X302UV-FN016T
4464 Points
HP Envy 13-d020ng
4113 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK 80SW0031US
4339 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK
4680 Points
Creative Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
Asus X302UV-FN016T
3885 Points
HP Envy 13-d020ng
3774 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK 80SW0031US
4058 Points
Home Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
Asus X302UV-FN016T
3466 Points
HP Envy 13-d020ng
3246 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK 80SW0031US
3414 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK
3883 Points
X264 HD Benchmark 4.0
Pass 1 (sort by value)
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK 80SW0031US
96.2 fps
Pass 2 (sort by value)
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK 80SW0031US
18.8 fps

* ... smaller is better

GPU Performance

The HD Graphics 520 GPUs in both the HP and Core i5 Lenovo SKU are essentially identical in performance according to 3DMark and Bioshock Infinite benchmarks. Both the GeForce 920MX and integrated Iris Graphics 540 offer much faster graphics performance than the HD Graphics 520.

When comparing the Iris Graphics 540 GPU to the GeForce 920MX, however, there is no clear-cut winner. 3DMark 11 and Cloud Gate results show the Intel GPU running ahead of the Nvidia solution while Fire Strike favors the Nvidia GPU. The gap may be attributed to the lower resolution of the Asus compared to the Lenovo. Otherwise, the Bioshock Infinite benchmark shows both GPUs neck-to-neck in frame rates.

See our dedicated GPU page on the GeForce 920MXHD Graphics 520, and Iris Graphics 540 for additional benchmarks and comparisons.

3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU (sort by value)
Asus X302UV-FN016T
1747 Points
HP Envy 13-d020ng
1326 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK 80SW0031US
1372 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK
2101 Points
Cinebench R15 - OpenGL 64Bit (sort by value)
Asus X302UV-FN016T
36.81 fps
HP Envy 13-d020ng
38.72 fps
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK 80SW0031US
36.66 fps
3DMark
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics (sort by value)
Asus X302UV-FN016T
1282 Points
HP Envy 13-d020ng
848 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK 80SW0031US
812 Points
Fire Strike Extreme Graphics (sort by value)
Asus X302UV-FN016T
604 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK 80SW0031US
352 Points
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics (sort by value)
Asus X302UV-FN016T
7733 Points
HP Envy 13-d020ng
7031 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK 80SW0031US
6813 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK
11531 Points
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Graphics (sort by value)
Asus X302UV-FN016T
49876 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK 80SW0031US
33589 Points
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Graphics (sort by value)
Asus X302UV-FN016T
73997 Points
HP Envy 13-d020ng
62078 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK 80SW0031US
52857 Points
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK
73869 Points

Stress Test

To test system stability, we run both Prime95 and FurMark to simulate maximum stress. These unrealistic conditions do not represent daily workloads, but are instead meant to put both the CPU and GPU at 100 percent capacity.

The Asus notebook performs the best when under extreme loads with no CPU or GPU throttling. Core temperatures are fairly low as well at the mid 60 C to 70 C range. The HP runs the warmest at just under 80 C with the CPU throttling down to 2.0 GHz and below. Throttling is even more severe on the Lenovo SKUs, but core temperatures subsequently stabilize at a much lower range.

Our authors for the Envy 13 and IdeaPad 710S (i7-6560U) did not provide GPU clock rates when the systems were subjected to extreme loads.

Asus X302UV
Asus X302UV
HP Envy 13
HP Envy 13
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S (Core i5)
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S (Core i5)
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S (Core i7)
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S (Core i7)
CPU and GPU Clock Rates Under Stress

Asus X302UV HP Envy 13 Lenovo IdeaPad 710S (Core i5) Lenovo IdeaPad 710S (Core i7)
Processor Core i5-6200U Core i5-6200U Core i5-6200U Core i7-6560U
Rated GPU Core Clock (MHz) 965 - 993 300 - 1000 300 - 1000 300 - 1050
Stable GPU Core Clock on FurMark (MHz) 993 -- 750 --
Rated CPU Core Clock (GHz) 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.2
Stable CPU Core Clock on Prime95 (GHz) 2.7 1.7 - 2.0 1.2 0.7
Average CPU temperature (C) 74 77 - 80 61 62
Average GPU temperature (C) 65 -- -- --
Asus X302UV
Asus X302UV
HP Envy 13
HP Envy 13
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S

 

 

 

 

 

 

Emissions & Energy

System Noise & Temperature

While the Lenovo SKUs are quiet when under very low or idling loads, the fans in the HP and Asus notebooks are always active no matter the workload. Thus, expect a quiet whir from these two model whenever they are powered on. The thicker Asus utilizes just a single system fan compared to two each on the HP and Lenovo.

Higher loads like gaming will increase fan noise most significantly on the IdeaPad 710S SKU with the more powerful Core i7-6560U CPU. This configuration reaches almost 40 dB(A) to be noticeably louder than its two competitors and even the lower-specced IdeaPad 710S, so the GPU boost when moving to Iris graphics comes at a cost. It's interesting to note that the fan in the Asus is apathetic to onscreen loads with a very low maximum RPM. This means less pulsing and more steady system noise when compared to the HP and Lenovo units.

As for surface temperatures, the thinner Envy 13 is the warmest at about 50 C on its warmest spots when under extreme loads compared to around 40 C on both the Asus and Lenovo. This correlates with the warmer running core temperatures of the HP.

Asus X302UV (top)
Asus X302UV (top)
Asus X302UV (bottom)
Asus X302UV (bottom)
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S (top)
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S (top)
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S (bottom)
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S (bottom)
Asus X302UV-FN016THP Envy 13-d020ngLenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK 80SW0031USLenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK
Noise
off / environment *
31.2
29.5
29
Idle Minimum *
32.9
32.5
29.5
30.1
Idle Average *
32.9
32.5
29.5
30.1
Idle Maximum *
33
32.4
29.5
30.1
Load Average *
33
36
34.2
39.2
Load Maximum *
34.6
36.5
34.4
39.3

* ... smaller is better

Power Consumption

Our power readings reveal interesting characteristics between different configurations and SKUs. When idling, the Envy 13 QHD SKU appears to draw more power than the other two competitors even when compared to the IdeaPad 710S with the more powerful Core i7-6560U. When under load, however, this same Lenovo SKU becomes the more demanding system with a draw of about 36 W to 44 W compared to 30 W to 40 W from SKUs limited to the HD Graphics 520 GPU. The Asus draws about as much power as the more powerful Lenovo SKU when under extreme loads.

Asus X302UV-FN016T
GeForce 920MX, 6200U, Hynix HFS128G3MND
HP Envy 13-d000ng
HD Graphics 520, 6200U, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP
HP Envy 13-d020ng
HD Graphics 520, 6200U, Samsung MZRPC256HADR-000SO
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK 80SW0031US
HD Graphics 520, 6200U, Samsung MZNLN128HCGR-000L2
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK
Iris Graphics 540, 6560U, Samsung PM951 NVMe MZVLV256
Power Consumption
Idle Minimum *
3.3
5.4
4.2
4.8
3.3
Idle Average *
5.1
10.1
7.4
7.7
7.4
Idle Maximum *
5.2
11.1
10.1
7.9
8.2
Load Average *
29.5
32.1
33.4
25.8
36.5
Load Maximum *
44
40.1
34.7
38.1
43.7

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

Runtimes are longer on the Lenovo system followed by the Asus and the HP. All three models are relatively close in battery life save for the Envy 13 QHD SKU where WLAN runtimes are about an hour shorter than its FHD SKU under similar conditions. The battery packs are integrated and non-removable for each of these models.

The chart does not specify, but the numbers below represent minutes before automatic shutdown from a full charge.

Asus X302UV-FN016T
38 Wh
HP Envy 13-d000ng
45 Wh
HP Envy 13-d020ng
45 Wh
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK 80SW0031US
46 Wh
Lenovo IdeaPad 710S-13ISK
46 Wh
Battery Runtime
WiFi v1.3
392
324
381
429
418
Reader / Idle
517
903
810
Load
108
88
89

Verdict

The IdeaPad 710S is much smaller and more portable than both the Asus and HP without sacrificing display quality or battery life. This may be the better and more affordable option for users constantly on the go.
The IdeaPad 710S is much smaller and more portable than both the Asus and HP without sacrificing display quality or battery life. This may be the better and more affordable option for users constantly on the go.

The IdeaPad 710S is an easier recommendation over the X302UV and the Envy 13 for several reasons. Not only is it lighter and smaller than the Asus or HP, its battery life is slightly longer than both as well. There are no sacrifices made to display quality as it is just as bright as the 1080p Envy 13 SKU with good contrast levels and deep colors. Main disadvantages include more severe CPU throttling, weaker lid, higher fan noise for the i7-6560U SKU, and fewer connectivity ports. The Envy 13 comes close and is a good alternative save for its disappointing 1800p SKU where contrast levels and battery runtimes are significantly lower.

The Asus system does not offer enough in terms of features and performance to justify its thicker build and heavier weight. It runs much quieter under load with no throttling and includes more connectivity features such as VGA, but its poor 768p display is a deal breaker.

Asus X302UVHP Envy 13Lenovo IdeaPad 710S

+ More rigid lid

+ VGA and HDMI

+ Larger, more comfortable clickpad

+ No CPU or GPU throttling when under extreme stress

+ Quieter fan noise when under load

+ Lightweight and thinner; aluminum construction

+ Higher resolution glossy options

+ Smaller and more lightweight; aluminum construction

+ Full-size Arrow keys

+ Deeper contrast, wider color gamut, brighter display backlight

+ Cooler core temperatures when under load

+ System fans silent under low loads

- Thicker and heavier; plastic construction

- More involved serviceability

- No keyboard backlight

- Dimmer display backlight, lower resolution, narrower color space; lower contrast

- System fan always active

- More susceptible to twisting and bending

- No RJ-45

- Lower contrast (for RGBW panel)

- Inferior GPU performance

- Warmer core temperatures under load

- System fans always active

- Shorter battery life (QHD SKU)

- Susceptible to twisting and bending, especially of the lid

- Micro-HDMI port will require an adapter

- No RJ-45 or Kensington Lock; fewer USB ports

- More severe CPU throttling when under load

- Louder fan noise when under load (i7-6560U SKU)

Asus X302UV

Pricecompare

HP Envy 13

Pricecompare

Lenovo IdeaPad 710S

Pricecompare

See more quick comparisons in our Face Off series:

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Face Off: Asus X302UV vs. HP Envy 13 vs. Lenovo IdeaPad 710S
Allen Ngo, 2016-10-11 (Update: 2020-06- 8)