HP Envy 13 (2020)
HP’s refreshed 2020 Envy 13 has slimmer bezels and the latest 10nm Intel CPU.
We give you the HP Envy 13, refreshed for 2020. HP’s slightly cheaper, marginally chunkier answer to the all-conquering Dell XPS 13. Configured here with a quad-core variant from Intel’s very latest 10nm Ice Lake family of CPUs, the broad idea is 13-inch portability without compromising performance.
The first half of that equation is largely delivered. The HP Envy 13 is a few millimetres thicker than the Dell XPS 13. But it remains an eminently portable PC. Overall proportions are kept in check by slim bezels on each side of the display and slightly larger screen borders above and below. The top bezel allows for a 720p webcam with a useful privacy cover enabled with a keystroke.
Again, while Dell does it slightly better when it comes to bezel shrinkage, the HP Envy 13 ain’t bad. As we’re drawing marginally uncomfortable comparisons with that trend-setting Dell, the HP Envy 13 also can’t quite compete for pure style and build quality.
Make no mistake, it’s good by both measures. The all-metal chassis feels rigid and looks contemporary thanks to its sandblasted anodised finish. But there’s more bounce from the keyboard than we’d like and the plastic trackpad feels a little low rent compared to glass alternatives. Overall, the HP Envy 13 is a nice system, but not quite from the very highest drawer.
Speaking of near victories, that applies to the fully touch-enabled 13-inch display, too. In some regards it’s a corker. 1080p native resolution plus IPS tech and 1000nits claimed brightness looks awfully promising on paper. The problem is surprisingly poor viewing angles as a consequence of a fairly bad case of what’s known in the trade as IPS glow. It’s not a total deal breaker, but it is disappointing and undermines what is otherwise a really zingy, punchy and accurate panel. For the record, however, the sound quality from the Bang&Olufsen audio solution is very pleasing for a 13-inch laptop.
Next up, ports. In the plus ledger, you get a pair of hinged USB-A sockets for legacy and a single USB-C socket supporting Thunderbolt 3. Unfortunately, the latter can’t be used to charge the HP Envy 13, something that’s achieved via a barrel connector that doesn’t feel terribly robust. That’s a pity because one of the major benefits of USB-C is cross compatibility.
As for battery life, there’s good news in the shape of over 10 hours in the very demanding PCMark 10 test. This is a true all-day device in other words. Well, it is so long as you don’t run anything really demanding. Like many laptops based on the latest Intel CPUs, the HP Envy 13 runs a little hot and heavy, accompanied by plenty of fan noise, under load.
HP has refreshed its compact Envy 13 laptop for 2020 with slimmer bezels and the latest 10nm Intel CPUs, but the absence of USB-C charging is a let down.
Jeremy Laird