HP Envy x2 15-c000ng Convertible Review
For the original German review, see here.
Just how HP's Envy x2 15c000ng is to be classified is really a personal point of view. It could be a small, compact all-in-one PC for the desk at home, a not very pocket or handbag-friendly tablet, a laptop or even a convertible. We think the Envy is a convertible. The device is not a complete stranger to us. We just recently tested a 13.3-inch sister model dubbed HP Envy x2-j001ng, and it made a good impression. Our report reveals whether the 15.6-inch model also accomplishes that.
We count 700 to 900-Euro (~$861 to ~$1107) convertibles as the Envy's rivals, such as Asus' Transformer Book Flip TP550LA-CJ070P and Lenovo's Flex 2 14. The latter is a 14-inch device. The Flex 2 model that we tested sported a GeForce graphics core, but it is also available without a dedicated GPU.
Case
The Envy's casing is largely comprised of silver aluminum. A black plastic bezel surrounds the screen. The speakers are behind a perforated cover on both sides of the screen. The tablet part is quite slim with a height of 1.5 cm. However, the user will not want to hold it for a longer time due to its weight of approximately 1.8 kg (2.45 kg with docked keyboard). That will not be necessary because the tablet features a stand, which enables various angles. There is no risk that the stand will fold over. A bit of force is needed to adjust it. We naturally cannot say what that will look like after a few years of use.
The keyboard is attached to the tablet with a magnet. The fastening supplies the keyboard with energy and recharges the keyboard's battery. The tablet and keyboard are actually linked via Bluetooth, and thus a physical connection between the two is not really needed. The touchpad is not located below the keyboard, but rather at its side. That has an advantage: The lower half of the keyboard can be folded and the Envy can then be used even in tight spaces. The keyboard's underside is made of gray-white textile. The upper side is covered by soft, black leatherette. The keyboard can also be used as a protective cover for the screen. It closes on the tablet via a magnetic clasp.
Connectivity
Despite the limited room compared with a convertible with a foldable screen, HP has managed to integrate the most important interfaces. Two full-sized USB 3.0 ports (not micro-USB) are installed. Even an SD memory-card reader (not micro-SD) has moved in. Contenders like Asus' Transformer Book Flip TP550LA-CJ070P and Lenovo's Flex 2 14 do not have much more to offer either. They provide a third USB port and an Ethernet socket. The interfaces in HP's laptop are distributed over both lower sides of the tablet part.
Communication
Intel's Dual-Band Wireless-AC 7265 module that supports the 802.11 a/b/g/h/n/ac Wi-Fi standards is inside the Envy. The connection was always stable within a 15-meter radius around the router. We did not ascertain speed losses either. An Ethernet socket is not available. However, a Bluetooth 4.0 module is installed. The Envy sports a webcam that shoots a noisy picture with a resolution of up to 1920x1080 pixels. The tablet part does not have a rear-facing camera.
Accessories
The computer is shipped with only a quick-start poster and warranty information. The device has also been made for use with a digitizer pen, which has to be purchased separately. At test time, there was no compatible pen listed on HP's website.
Operating System
Windows 8.1 (64-bit) is preloaded on the Envy. A recovery DVD is not included.
Maintenance
There is no maintenance cover. However, it is possible to remove the back of the tablet part. That is not advisable because the screen could be damaged. According to the hardware manual, HP recommends suction cups for separating the display from the back.
Warranty
Like Asus' Transformer Book Flip TP550LA-CJ070P and Lenovo's Flex 2 14, the Envy comes with a two-year warranty, including a pick-up service. The warranty period can be upgraded to three years for approximately 120 Euros (~$147).
Input Devices
Keyboard
HP installs a backlit chiclet keyboard in its Envy. The level, sleek keys feature a short drop and clear pressure point. Their resistance could be a bit crisper though. The keyboard yields a bit when typing on it. Additionally, the keyboard is not quite even in the bed, and thus it wobbles a bit more intensely at the edges. Folding the wrist rest under the keyboard prevents that to a small degree. In total, HP delivers a quite satisfactory keyboard. We have dealt with worse keyboard docks. It is sufficient for home use, but prolific writers will not be happy with it.
Touchpad
The multi-touch ClickPad (a touchpad without dedicated mouse buttons) is not below the keyboard, but rather on its right. It has a surface area of approximately 7.6 x 10.2 cm (portrait mode). Thus, it offers enough room for gesture control. The sleek surface does not thwart fingers from gliding. The pad features a short drop and clear pressure point.
Touchscreen
We did not encounter any problems with the Envy's touchscreen. It responded immediately to inputs.
Display
The Envy is equipped with a 15.6-inch screen that has a native resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. The screen's brightness of 222.8 cd/m² is disappointing. 250 cd/m² would be the absolute minimum for this purchase price. The recently tested 13.3-inch HP Envy x2-j001ng model (368.3 cd/m²) shows how the job is done properly. The brightness of the screens in Asus' Transformer Book Flip TP550LA-CJ070P (200.6 cd/m²) and Lenovo's Flex 2 14 (215.3 cd/m²) is even lower.
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Brightness Distribution: 81 %
Center on Battery: 234 cd/m²
Contrast: 1300:1 (Black: 0.18 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.35 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.86
ΔE Greyscale 2.88 | 0.09-98 Ø5.1
Gamma: 2.49
| HP Envy x2 15-c000ng HD Graphics 5300, 5Y10 | Asus Transformer Book Flip TP550LA-CJ070P HD Graphics 4400, 4210U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680 | Lenovo Flex 2 14 GeForce 840M, 4010U, Samsung SSD PM851 128 GB MZ7TE128HMGR | Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro HD Graphics 5300, 5Y70, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP | HP Envy 15-u001ng x360 HD Graphics 4400, 4210U, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A7E630 | Toshiba Satellite P30W-B-104 HD Graphics 4400, 4210U, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256GMCU | Asus Transformer Book Flip TP500LN GeForce 840M, 4210U, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024 HN-M101MBB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | |||||||
| Display P3 Coverage | 43.06 | 38.81 | 49.85 | ||||
| sRGB Coverage | 64.8 | 58.2 | 73.3 | ||||
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 44.51 | 40.12 | 51.7 | ||||
| Screen | -123% | -10% | -49% | -118% | -1% | -37% | |
| Brightness middle | 234 | 205 -12% | 216 -8% | 287 23% | 264 13% | 303 29% | 154 -34% |
| Brightness | 223 | 201 -10% | 215 -4% | 280 26% | 242 9% | 305 37% | 143 -36% |
| Brightness Distribution | 81 | 87 7% | 88 9% | 88 9% | 85 5% | 87 7% | 84 4% |
| Black Level * | 0.18 | 1.33 -639% | 0.21 -17% | 0.792 -340% | 0.59 -228% | 0.37 -106% | 0.3 -67% |
| Contrast | 1300 | 154 -88% | 1029 -21% | 362 -72% | 447 -66% | 819 -37% | 513 -61% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 4.35 | 5.6 -29% | 4.56 -5% | 3.08 29% | 12.78 -194% | 2.82 35% | 4.84 -11% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 2.88 | 5.38 -87% | 3.51 -22% | 3.36 -17% | 13.46 -367% | 2.06 28% | 4.53 -57% |
| Gamma | 2.49 88% | 2.18 101% | 2.53 87% | 2.5 88% | 3.18 69% | 2.47 89% | 2.22 99% |
| CCT | 6784 96% | 7737 84% | 6401 102% | 6087 107% | 19149 34% | 6271 104% | 7307 89% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 41 | 37 | 48 | ||||
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -123% /
-123% | -10% /
-10% | -49% /
-49% | -118% /
-118% | -1% /
-1% | -37% /
-37% |
* ... smaller is better
However, the contrast (1300:1) and black level (0.18 cd/m²) are excellent. Lenovo's Flex (1029:1; 0.21 cd/m²) can match the Envy here. The Transformer (154:1; 1.33 cd/m²) supplies extremely poor rates. We cannot provide a statement about the color-space coverage of the Envy's screen because our measuring device could not perform any measurements.
The installed screen's color reproduction is already appealing in state of delivery. With a DeltaE 2000 shift of 4.35, the screen only misses the target range marginally (DeltaE less than 3). The screen does not exhibit a bluish cast.
The Envy sports a viewing-angle stable IPS screen. Thus, it can be read from every position. Using the Envy outdoors is only conditionally possible. The reflective surface together with the screen's low brightness prevent any more.
Performance
Hewlett Packard has a 15.6-inch office device that offers enough power for applications from the office and Internet fields with its Envy x2 15-c000ng. Our review sample is available for approximately 800 Euros (~$984). We did not discover any other configurations.
Processor
The Core M-5Y10 processor in the Envy comes from Intel's brand new Broadwell CPU lineup. The "Y" reveals that the processor is a very frugal model. Intel states a TDP of just 4.5 watts. Thus, the Core M clearly undercuts the "Y" models of the Haswell generation (TDP: 15 watts). That is achieved with a low base clock of 800 MHz, among other things. However, its speed can temporarily be boosted up to 2 GHz via Turbo. It is a dual-core processor that supports Hyper-Threading (every core can process two threads simultaneously).
The CPU always processed the single-thread tests of the Cinebench benchmarks with its full speed. The multi-thread tests were performed with 1.5 to 1.6 GHz (battery mode) and 1.6 to 1.7 GHz (AC mode). A look at the different benchmarks scores shows that the Core M beats a Core i3-4030U - providing the Core M can make use of its full speed.
| Cinebench R10 | |
| Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit (sort by value) | |
| HP Envy x2 15-c000ng | |
| Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro | |
| Acer Aspire V3-371-36M2 | |
| Rendering Single 32Bit (sort by value) | |
| HP Envy x2 15-c000ng | |
| Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro | |
| Acer Aspire V3-371-36M2 | |
| Sunspider - 1.0 Total Score (sort by value) | |
| HP Envy x2 15-c000ng | |
| Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro | |
| Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro | |
| Peacekeeper - --- (sort by value) | |
| HP Envy x2 15-c000ng | |
| Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro | |
| Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total (sort by value) | |
| HP Envy x2 15-c000ng | |
| Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro | |
| Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
| HP Envy x2 15-c000ng | |
| Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro | |
| Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro | |
* ... smaller is better
System Performance
The system ran smoothly and we did not encounter any problems. The PCMark benchmark scores are also good and are on par with laptops that feature Core i3 (Haswell) processors. The relatively weak graphics core prevents slightly better results.
| PCMark 7 Score | 3168 points | |
| PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 2000 points | |
| PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2 | 1956 points | |
| PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 1866 points | |
Help | ||
Storage Devices
The just 15 mm thick casing of the tablet part does not allow installing a conventional 2.5-inch hard drive with a height of 7 or 9.5 mm. HP installs an only 5 mm thick model from Western Digital in the Envy. To be precise, it is a hybrid hard drive. It spins with 5400 revolutions per minute and has a capacity of 500 GB. A 16 GB SSD cache is also on board. It ensures faster loading of frequently used applications. The drive's low height does not lead to losses in the transfer rates. They are on par with the rates of other 5400 rpm hard drives.
Graphics Card
Intel's HD Graphics 5300 is responsible for video output. It supports DirectX 11.2 and clocks with speeds ranging from 100 to 800 MHz. The 3DMark benchmark scores are roughly on par with those of a HD Graphics 4400 GPU that draws on a working memory that operates in single-channel mode. The HD Graphics 5300 has a working memory available that operates in dual-channel mode and allows it to close in on the 4400 core. Otherwise, its performance would be between the HD Graphics 4200 and 4400 cores.
| 3DMark 06 Standard Score | 4803 points | |
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 771 points | |
| 3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 34160 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 3358 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 439 points | |
Help | ||
| 3DMark | |
| 1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Score (sort by value) | |
| HP Envy x2 15-c000ng | |
| Lenovo Flex 2 14 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro | |
| HP Envy 15-u001ng x360 | |
| Toshiba Satellite P30W-B-104 | |
| Asus Transformer Book Flip TP500LN | |
| 1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Score (sort by value) | |
| HP Envy x2 15-c000ng | |
| Lenovo Flex 2 14 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro | |
| HP Envy 15-u001ng x360 | |
| Toshiba Satellite P30W-B-104 | |
| Asus Transformer Book Flip TP500LN | |
| 1280x720 Sky Diver Score (sort by value) | |
| HP Envy x2 15-c000ng | |
| Lenovo Flex 2 14 | |
| 1920x1080 Fire Strike Score (sort by value) | |
| HP Envy x2 15-c000ng | |
| Lenovo Flex 2 14 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro | |
| HP Envy 15-u001ng x360 | |
| Toshiba Satellite P30W-B-104 | |
| Asus Transformer Book Flip TP500LN | |
| 3DMark 06 - 1280x1024 Standard Score AA:0x AF:0x (sort by value) | |
| HP Envy x2 15-c000ng | |
| Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro | |
| Cinebench R15 - OpenGL 64Bit (sort by value) | |
| HP Envy x2 15-c000ng | |
| Asus Transformer Book Flip TP550LA-CJ070P | |
| Lenovo Flex 2 14 | |
| Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro | |
| HP Envy 15-u001ng x360 | |
| Asus Transformer Book Flip TP500LN | |
| Cinebench R10 - Shading 32Bit (sort by value) | |
| HP Envy x2 15-c000ng | |
| Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro | |
Gaming Performance
The installation of a very frugal processor already indicates that the Envy was not made for computer games. Only very few games can be played in a low resolution and low quality settings. Games available in the Windows Store should normally run without problems. Like in the 3DMark benchmarks, the Envy delivers frame rates on par with a HD Graphics 4400 core that draws on a working memory that operates in single-channel mode in games.
Buyers looking for a gaming-capable alternative for the Envy have plenty of devices to choose from in the 800-Euro (~$984) price range. However, the selection is smaller if it is to be a convertible. An alternative would be Asus' Transformer Book Flip TP500LN. This convertible is equipped with a GeForce 840M and costs approximately 800 Euros (~$984).
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World of Warcraft (2005) | 43.6 | 12.6 | ||
| Trackmania Nations Forever (2008) | 188 | 52.3 | 21.8 | |
| Resident Evil 5 (2009) | 48.1 | 21.4 | 10.3 | |
| Deus Ex Human Revolution (2011) | 40.9 | 21.5 | ||
| Alan Wake (2012) | 11.2 | 6.4 | ||
| Far Cry 3 (2012) | 19.4 | 12.6 | 6.5 | |
| Tomb Raider (2013) | 37.4 | 18.1 | 11.8 | |
| StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm (2013) | 99.5 | 28.3 | 18 | |
| BioShock Infinite (2013) | 24.7 | 14.3 | 11.9 | |
| Splinter Cell: Blacklist (2013) | 18.2 | 11.7 | ||
| Thief (2014) | 10.8 | 6.9 | 4.4 | |
| Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014) | 16.9 | 10 | 5.3 | |
| The Evil Within (2014) | 8 | 6.5 |
| HP Envy x2 15-c000ng HD Graphics 5300, 5Y10 | Asus Transformer Book Flip TP550LA-CJ070P HD Graphics 4400, 4210U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680 | Lenovo Flex 2 14 GeForce 840M, 4010U, Samsung SSD PM851 128 GB MZ7TE128HMGR | Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro HD Graphics 5300, 5Y70, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP | Toshiba Satellite P30W-B-104 HD Graphics 4400, 4210U, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256GMCU | Acer Aspire V3-371-36M2 HD Graphics 4400, 4030U, Seagate ST500LM000 Solid State Hybrid Drive | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomb Raider | 36% | 200% | 3% | 14% | -5% | |
| 1024x768 Low Preset | 37.4 | 53.1 42% | 120.3 222% | 37.5 0% | 42.2 13% | 36.6 -2% |
| 1366x768 Normal Preset AA:FX AF:4x | 18.1 | 25.7 42% | 59.7 230% | 18.8 4% | 23.1 28% | 18.3 1% |
| 1366x768 High Preset AA:FX AF:8x | 11.8 | 14.5 23% | 29.3 148% | 12.3 4% | 12 2% | 10.3 -13% |
Emissions
System Noise
The Envy does not produce any noise. A fan is not installed, and the small hard drive is virtually inaudible.
Temperature
The Envy performed our stress test (Prime95 and Furmark run for at least one hour) in both AC and battery modes in the same manner. While the processor clocked with 800 MHz, the graphics core ran with 450 to 500 MHz. Thus, it is not surprising that the Envy barely heats up. The temperatures remained clearly below 40 °C at every measuring point on the casing. It looks similar in the Asus' Transformer Book Flip TP550LA. Lenovo's Flex 2 14 gets warmer due to its dedicated GeForce graphics core. Flex 2 models without a dedicated graphics core should be on par with both contenders.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 35.6 °C / 96 F, compared to the average of 35.4 °C / 96 F, ranging from 19.6 to 60 °C for the class Convertible.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 35.8 °C / 96 F, compared to the average of 36.8 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26.4 °C / 80 F, compared to the device average of 30.3 °C / 87 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 31.4 °C / 88.5 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28 °C / 82.4 F (-3.4 °C / -6.1 F).
Speakers
HP installs a total of four speakers ("Dual Stereo") in the Envy. They are located behind a perforated cover on the screen's right and left sides. Overall, they are average models that produce a relatively thin sound. There is no bass. Not even the preloaded Beats Audio software can change anything about that. However, the speakers' quality is sufficient for watching YouTube videos and videoconferencing.
Energy Management
Power Consumption
We are used to an idle power consumption of below 10 watts from Haswell ULV laptops like Asus' Transformer Book Flip TP550LA. The Envy can keep up with that with the new Broadwell processor. The energy requirement of HP's computer only increased to 19 watts in the stress test. The reason: The CPU and GPU clock with very low speeds. The Envy's power supply could deliver up to 45 watts. In any case, the Envy is not a power guzzler.
| Off / Standby |   0 / 0.0001 Watt |
| Idle |  4.2 / 8.2 / 8.6 Watt |
| Load |
17 / 19.1 Watt |
    
| |
Key:
min: ,
med: ,
max: Voltcraft VC 940 | |
Battery Runtime
The Envy's battery lasted for 10:05 hours in idle mode. Lenovo's Flex 2 14 (7:45 h) is drained considerably faster. Idle mode is ascertained using Battery Eater's Reader's test with minimum screen brightness, enabled energy-saving mode, and disabled wireless modules. The Envy shut down after 3:23 hours of load. Again, the Flex 2 (1:03 h) cannot match that. The load runtime is determined with Battery Eater's Classic test. Here, the screen's brightness is set to maximum, and the high-performance profile and the radio modules are enabled.
HP's convertible stopped the Wi-Fi test after 6:21 hours. The Flex 2 (5:42 h) and Asus' Transformer Book Flip TP550LA (4:33 h) lag behind that. Websites are opened automatically every 40 seconds, the energy-saving profile is enabled, and the screen's brightness is set to approximately 150 cd/m² in this test. We check the video playback time by running the short movie Big Buck Bunny (H.264 encoding, 1920x1080 pixels) in a loop. The wireless modules are disabled and the screen's brightness is set to approximately 150 cd/m². The Envy lasted for 6:15 hours. The battery in the Flex 2 (5:02 h) is drained sooner.
| HP Envy x2 15-c000ng HD Graphics 5300, 5Y10 | Asus Transformer Book Flip TP550LA-CJ070P HD Graphics 4400, 4210U, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680 | Lenovo Flex 2 14 GeForce 840M, 4010U, Samsung SSD PM851 128 GB MZ7TE128HMGR | Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro HD Graphics 5300, 5Y70, Samsung SSD PM851 256 GB MZNTE256HMHP | HP Envy 15-u001ng x360 HD Graphics 4400, 4210U, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A7E630 | Toshiba Satellite P30W-B-104 HD Graphics 4400, 4210U, Toshiba HG6 THNSNJ256GMCU | Asus Transformer Book Flip TP500LN GeForce 840M, 4210U, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024 HN-M101MBB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | -28% | -30% | -5% | -24% | -20% | -42% | |
| Reader / Idle | 605 | 465 -23% | 635 5% | 486 -20% | 634 5% | 452 -25% | |
| H.264 | 375 | 302 -19% | 379 1% | 310 -17% | 301 -20% | 231 -38% | |
| WiFi | 381 | 273 -28% | 342 -10% | 379 -1% | 351 -8% | 342 -10% | 276 -28% |
| Load | 203 | 63 -69% | 155 -24% | 104 -49% | 94 -54% | 49 -76% |
Verdict
HP's Envy x2 15-c000ng is the first device with a Core M-5Y10 processor that we have tested to date. The CPU fared well and can provide enough computing power for routine use. At the same time, it allows a fan-less design. Consequently, the Envy is virtually noiseless because the hard drive is also almost inaudible. Furthermore, the convertible does not heat up much and does not need much energy. The device translates the latter into a good battery life. A high-contrast, viewing-angle stable, IPS screen complements that. Only the screen's brightness is a bit too low. In our opinion, the Envy is not as much a laptop replacement, but more a (portable) PC for home use. The Envy weighs roughly 2.5 kg with the keyboard dock. There are quite a few 15.6-inch laptops with less weight in the up to 800-Euro (~$984) price range.
