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HP Envy 14 (Summer 2011) review: HP Envy 14 (Summer 2011)

HP Envy 14 (Summer 2011)

Headshot of Dan Ackerman
Headshot of Dan Ackerman
Dan Ackerman Editorial Director / Computers and Gaming
Dan Ackerman leads CNET's coverage of computers and gaming hardware. A New York native and former radio DJ, he's also a regular TV talking head and the author of "The Tetris Effect" (Hachette/PublicAffairs), a non-fiction gaming and business history book that has earned rave reviews from the New York Times, Fortune, LA Review of Books, and many other publications. "Upends the standard Silicon Valley, Steve Jobs/Mark Zuckerberg technology-creation myth... the story shines." -- The New York Times
Expertise I've been testing and reviewing computer and gaming hardware for over 20 years, covering every console launch since the Dreamcast and every MacBook...ever. Credentials
  • Author of the award-winning, NY Times-reviewed nonfiction book The Tetris Effect; Longtime consumer technology expert for CBS Mornings
Dan Ackerman
6 min read

The past couple of generations of MacBook Pro and MacBook Air laptops from Apple have focused on improving the internal components while keeping the high-design exterior largely the same. Hewlett-Packard is taking a similar path with its Envy line of laptops (which not coincidentally also start at $999). The 2011 version of the 14-inch Envy 14 trades up to a second-generation Intel Core i5 processor and adds USB 3.0 and an improved touch pad, built around Synaptics' ImagePad technology.

8.0

HP Envy 14 (Summer 2011)

The Good

The <b>HP Envy 14</b> gets updated with newer Intel processors and a new multitouch touch pad.

The Bad

Despite the improvements, the touch-pad gestures still can't match what you get from Apple's trackpad.

The Bottom Line

A much-needed update to its internal components makes HP's Envy 14 one of the best high-end laptops for those looking for a PC with the flair of a MacBook.

Still, the multitouch gestures are not as smooth as Apple's, and the system as a whole is heavy for a 14-inch laptop. Despite this, the Envy line, currently available in 14- and 17-inch models, is probably the closest Windows users can come to the solid metal construction and sleek, understated design of a MacBook Pro.

8.0

HP Envy 14 (Summer 2011)

Score Breakdown

Design 9Features 8Performance 7Battery 8Support 7