HP ENVY x360 15 (2023) Laptop Review

The HP ENVY x360 15 has a relatively simple design with thin bezels, rounded edges, an island-style keyboard with an extra column of navigation keys on the right, and up-firing speakers on each side of the keyboard. There are air vents on the bottom and the back of the laptop. Since this is a 2-in-1 convertible, you can flip the screen around into tent mode for media consumption or use it as a tablet. The laptop supports pen input and comes with a stylus that you can attach magnetically to the laptop's right side for transport. It's available in two colors: Natural Silver and Nightfall Black.

The HP ENVY x360 15's build quality is great. It has a full-aluminum chassis that feels very sturdy, with no gaps or obvious flaws in the construction. The lid and keyboard deck flex a little bit, but not the display. The finish feels smooth and doesn't scratch easily, although the Nightfall Black model is a fingerprint magnet. The whole device feels relatively hefty, with evenly distributed weight.

The HP ENVY x360 15 has good hinges. They're very stable, so there's very little wobbling, even when typing aggressively. However, they're stiff, making it impossible to open the laptop with one hand.

The HP ENVY x360 15 isn't bulky for a 15-inch laptop, but it's on the heavier side. The power adapter is compact and lightweight.

The HP ENVY x360 15's serviceability is okay. Accessing the internals is easy; you only need to remove four T5 screws and undo the clips holding the panel. You'll need a prying tool because the clips are tight. Unfortunately, the memory isn't user-replaceable. You can see the maintenance and service guide here.

• HP ENVY x360 15 laptop
• 65W USB-C power adapter and cord
• HP rechargeable MPP 2.0 tilt pen
• 2B and 2H pen tips
• Documentation

Note: Intel models with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU have a 90W power adapter.

The HP ENVY x360 15 is available with the following displays:

• IPS 1920 x 1080 60Hz Touchscreen (45% NTSC, 250 cd/m²)
• IPS 1920 x 1080 60Hz Touchscreen (400 cd/m², Intel model only)
• OLED 1920 x 1080 60Hz Touchscreen

A 1080p resolution looks decently sharp on a 15.6-inch screen. The 16:9 aspect ratio is great for media consumption, as most videos are in that format; however, a taller 16:10 or 3:2 aspect ratio would have been better for productivity, as the increased vertical space lets you see more information at once, reducing the need to scroll. 16:9 also feels too narrow when using it as a tablet in portrait mode. There's a permanent burn-in risk on the OLED display, especially with static elements like Windows' taskbar, though it's unlikely to be an issue for those viewing varied content.

The HP ENVY x360 15 is only available with 60Hz displays. The OLED display has a slow response time, resulting in noticeable ghosting behind fast-moving objects. The IPS panels will likely perform similarly.

The OLED display has a superb contrast ratio. It's effectively infinite since OLED panels can turn off individual pixels to produce perfect blacks. The IPS panels have a significantly lower contrast ratio, likely between 1000:1 and 1500:1. For dark room viewing, it's best to go with the OLED display, as the IPS panels will produce blacks that look gray in dim settings.

The OLED display gets bright enough for use in most well-lit settings but not quite outdoors in broad daylight. It gets very dim at the lowest brightness setting, which helps reduce eye strain when viewing content in the dark. The 45% NTSC IPS panel has an advertised brightness of 250 cd/m², while the full sRGB panel has an advertised brightness of 400 cd/m².

The display's reflection handling is okay. Its glossy finish doesn't do much to reduce the intensity of bright reflections, so it's best to avoid having light sources directly behind you, as the reflections are visible, even with the screen at maximum brightness.

The OLED display's black uniformity is superb since OLEDs can turn off individual pixels to produce perfect blacks. The IPS panels have worse uniformity, as IPS screens tend to suffer from clouding and backlight bleed.

The OLED panel's horizontal viewing angle is okay. Like most OLEDs, color shifting is the main issue, as it happens fairly quickly when moving to the side. This isn't a problem for sharing text documents or casual content with someone else; however, it's best to be directly in front of the screen if you need perfect accuracy. The IPS panels are better regarding color shifting but likely worse regarding brightness and gamma.

The vertical viewing angle is okay. Like the horizontal viewing angle, the colors shift fairly quickly when viewing from above and below. Again, the IPS panels have less color shifting but likely suffer more from brightness loss and color washout.

The HP ENVY x360 15's display accuracy is decent out of the box. The white balance inaccuracies are very minor and hard to spot. However, most colors are off because the default color profile targets a wider color space, resulting in punchier, oversaturated colors. The color temperature is very close to the standard 6500K target. The gamma doesn't follow the sRGB curve; most scenes are too dark, while bright scenes are too bright.

The OLED display's color gamut is superb. It has full coverage of the sRGB, Adobe RGB, and DCI P3 color spaces, making it suitable for general media consumption, print photography, and HDR content creation. The manufacturer advertises the 400 cd/m² IPS panel (Intel models) to have full sRGB coverage, while the 250 cd/m² IPS panel is advertised to have 45% NTSC, which is roughly 65% sRGB coverage. Most content will look slightly washed out on the 250 cd/m² panel since it can't display all the colors in the commonly-used sRGB color space.

The HP ENVY x360 15's OLED display isn't flicker-free, as the brightness drops at every frame change. However, these brightness dips are extremely small and aren't noticeable to most people. The IPS panels are flicker-free.

The HP ENVY x360 15 has a great keyboard with a spacious layout and high-quality, premium-feeling keycaps. The extra column of navigation keys on the right might take some time to get used to, as it slightly shifts the entire keyboard to the left. The keys are stable, have a good amount of travel, and provide satisfying tactile feedback. However, the operating force is on the higher side, which might cause some fatigue over time. Typing noise is very low and isn't bothersome in quiet settings. You can adjust between two backlight brightness levels or turn it off completely. Our unit has a bilingual keyboard (English and French) because we got it in Canada. The layout changes depending on the region.

The HP ENVY x360 15 has a great touchpad. It feels very smooth and tracks all movements and gestures well. It's reasonably large but could have been larger, as it's sometimes hard to perform actions like dragging and dropping over a long distance or zooming in and out of images. There's no problem with palm rejection or tracking around the edges. The clicking mechanism feels relatively satisfying, but you can only click in the bottom half of the touchpad.

The HP ENVY x360 15's speakers get very loud with minimal compression artifacts at max volume. They sound full and relatively natural, with good instrument separation. There's some bass but not a whole lot, so they aren't the best for bass-heavy music genres or action-heavy movies.

The webcam's video quality is excellent. Although a tad underexposed, the image looks clear and detailed, with true-to-life colors. There's some noise in darker areas; however, it's very minimal and isn't distracting. As for the microphone, voices sound loud and clear but a little thin. The privacy cover doesn't turn off the camera or microphone at the software level, meaning it can still record audio when closed. You can turn off the microphone separately using the F8 hotkey.

The HP ENVY x360 15 has an excellent port selection. Both USB-A ports support USB 3.2 Gen 2 data transfer speeds of up to 10Gbps. The right one supports HP Sleep and Charge, which lets you charge a mobile device even when the laptop is in sleep mode. The USB-Cs also support USB 3.2 Gen 2 data transfer speed, plus DisplayPort 1.4, Sleep and Charge, and Power Delivery. The latter allows for fast charging of the laptop and other PD-compatible devices connected to the port. HP advertises the HDMI as an HDMI 2.1 port; however, we list it as HDMI 2.0 because it can only output up to 4k at 60Hz. The USB-C ports on the Intel models support Thunderbolt 4 (up to 40Gbps data transfer speed and up to two 4k displays at 60Hz).

The wireless adapter is a MediaTek Wi-Fi 6E MT7922. You can also get the laptop with a Realtek Wi-Fi 6E adapter. The Intel models are available with an Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 or a Realtek adapter. Wi-Fi 6E has faster speeds, lower latency, and less signal interference than previous Wi-Fi standards; however, you need a router that supports Wi-Fi 6E to benefit from these features.

The HP ENVY x360 15 is available with the following CPUs:

• Intel Core i5-1335U (10 cores/12 threads, up to 4.6GHz, 12MB cache)
• Intel Core i7-1355U (10 cores/12 threads, up to 5.0GHz, 12MB cache)
• AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (6 cores/12 threads, up to 4.5GHz, 16MB cache)
• AMD Ryzen 7 7730U (8 cores/16 threads, up to 4.5GHz, 16MB cache)

All four are low-power CPUs designed for light productivity tasks like text processing, web browsing, spreadsheets, and video playback. They can also handle some moderately intensive workloads like photo editing and programming. The Intel CPUs are likely faster; however, the difference isn't really noticeable unless you push the CPUs to near-maximum capacity. On the AMD side, the Ryzen 5 is likely fast enough for most people with a light workload, though it may be worth upgrading to the Ryzen 7 if you want more headroom to run more intensive applications. As for the Intel CPUs, the Core i7 is only slightly faster than the Core i5.

The AMD version of the HP ENVY x360 15 is only available with integrated Radeon graphics. In contrast, the Intel version is available with integrated Iris Xe only or with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 discrete laptop GPU (4GB of GDDR6 VRAM). HP doesn't specify the RTX 3050's TGP (Total Graphics Power), though it's likely at the lower end of the 35W-80W power range, considering the size of the chassis and the cooling system. The integrated GPUs can only handle general productivity tasks like text processing, web browsing, and video playback. If you need to do more intensive stuff like video editing or gaming, getting an Intel model with an RTX 3050 is best. The RTX 3050 is an entry-level discrete GPU that can push around 60 fps in modern AAA titles, but you may have to play with low graphical settings.

Both the AMD and Intel versions of this laptop are available with 8GB or 16GB of RAM. However, the AMD models use 4266MHz LP-DDR4x memory, while the Intel models use 5200MHz LP-DDR5 memory. The RAM is soldered onto the motherboard and isn't user-replaceable. HP also sells this laptop with 3200MHz DDR4 memory, but it's best to avoid these models, as the performance of AMD CPUs is very dependent on memory speed.

You can get the HP ENVY x360 15 with 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of storage. The SSD is user-replaceable; the slot supports M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4 SSDs.

The HP ENVY x360 15's overall score in Geekbench 5 is excellent. The AMD Ryzen 7 7730U performs well in single- and multi-threaded workloads, making it suitable for general productivity tasks and more demanding workloads like programming. The AMD Ryzen 5 7530U is slower in multi-threaded workloads but still more than adequate for light productivity tasks. The Intel CPUs are likely faster, but the difference isn't noticeable unless you perform intensive tasks that push the CPUs to near-maximum capacity. As for GPU computing tasks, the integrated graphics perform poorly. If your workload needs a lot of GPU processing power, getting the Intel model with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 is best. The RTX 3050 is an entry-level discrete GPU from NVIDIA's previous generation of graphics processors, so it isn't exactly top-of-the-line; however, it's still far better than the CPU's integrated graphics.

The overall score in Cinebench R23 is outstanding. The AMD and Intel U-series CPUs can handle 3D rendering and other similarly demanding workloads; however, know that there are significantly faster CPUs on the market, like the H-series processors typically found in gaming laptops and mobile workstations, as well as Apple's M1 and M2 Pro/Max SoCs.

The HP ENVY x360 15 performs well in Blender; however, getting a laptop with a discrete GPU is best if you need to render images professionally. Even an entry-level GPU, like an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650, can render images much faster than the CPU.

The HP ENVY x360 15 with an AMD Ryzen 7 7730U performs poorly in the Basemark GPU benchmark. The CPU's integrated graphics can only handle simple, puzzle-like games, and even then, you may need to play with low settings to get smooth gameplay. The other integrated GPUs will perform similarly. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 discrete GPU will provide a smoother experience at around 60 fps in AAA titles, albeit with low settings.

The SSD's performance is outstanding. Although it's a little slow for a PCIe Gen 4 SSD, it's still plenty fast for a general productivity laptop. Larger-capacity SSDs are usually faster, so you can expect slower speeds on the 256GB and 512GB SSDs.

The HP ENVY x360 15's battery life is decent. You can get through a typical workday on a full charge, but depending on your workload, you may need to plug it in for a short time. Models with an IPS panel likely have longer battery life, as OLED panels typically consume more power. The Intel models with an NVIDIA discrete GPU will likely have significantly shorter battery life. If you want a similar 2-in-1 laptop with longer battery life, check out the Lenovo Yoga 7i 16 (2023).

Borderlands 3 isn't playable on models with integrated graphics only. The gameplay is extremely choppy, even with low graphical settings. You can expect similar performance in other graphically intensive games. The Intel models with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 will provide smoother gameplay at around 60 fps, albeit with low settings.

Civilization VI and other similar strategy games are playable on models with integrated graphics; you just need to lower a couple of settings. The Intel models with an RTX 3050 discrete GPU will provide a smoother experience. The turn time is decent and within the expected range for an AMD Ryzen 7000 CPU. The other CPUs will give you roughly the same turn time.

The performance in CS:GO is okay. The average frame rate is over 60 fps, but the gameplay isn't smooth due to frequent frame drops. It's better with low settings, though you may still experience occasional stutters. Models with Intel Iris Xe will perform similarly. For the smoothest experience, getting an Intel model with a discrete RTX 3050 GPU is best.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider runs poorly at 1080p with high settings. It's smoother with low settings, but occasional frame drops remain. The integrated graphics on the Intel and AMD CPUs aren't designed for this and other similarly demanding games. It's best to get an Intel model with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 discrete GPU if you want to play demanding AAA titles like this one.

The keyboard is cool when idle, and the fans are near-silent. The area around the Enter and Backspace keys gets warm under load, but it isn't uncomfortable. The fans are quiet in the Balanced mode. Switching to the Performance mode only increases the fan noise to 41dBA, which is still relatively quiet.

The HP ENVY x360 15's performance over time is outstanding. Neither the CPU nor the GPU suffers from noticeable performance loss under load. The Intel models will likely perform similarly.

The HP ENVY x360 15 has many pre-installed applications, including:

• Alexa: Amazon's digital assistant.
• AMD software: Lets you tweak the performance and power settings, check for updates, change the display's color profile, create hotkeys, monitor the system's status, and view system information.
• Booking.com: App for the travel booking service.
• Concepts: Sketching and drawing app.
• Duet Display: Software to connect and manage external displays.
• Express VPN: Link to virtual private network service.
• HP Command Center: Lets you tweak the laptop's performance and fan speed, optimize network performance, and view system information.
• HP Documentation: User's manual.
• HP Enhanced Lighting: Adds a virtual light ring on the screen to improve lighting during video calls.
• HP PC Hardware Diagnostic Windows: Helps diagnose system issues.
• HP Pen Control Plus: Lets you change the buttons' function on the stylus.
• HP Privacy Settings: Lets you choose what type of information you share with HP.
• HP QuickDrop: Lets you transfer files between your PC and smartphone/tablet.
• HP Smart: App for HP printers.
• HP Support Assistant: Lets you access information on how to repair and diagnose issues. Also contains guided troubleshooting via a virtual assistant.
• HP System Event Utility: Lets you see the system's information and run diagnostics.
• LastPass: Password manager.
• MyHP: Settings to optimize audio and video quality during video calls.
• McAfee Security: Antivirus software.
• OMEN Gaming Hub: Lets you access your installed games, HP rewards, and picture gallery. It also lets you see system information like CPU and GPU usage and temperatures, optimize the PC, and change the power profile.
• Solitaire and Casual Games: Solitaire, FreeCell, Spider, Mahjong, Sudoku, and other casual games.

The HP ENVY x360 15 supports pen input and has an HP-branded MPP (Microsoft Pen Protocol) 2.0 stylus. The pen supports 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity and tilt. For transport and charging, the stylus attaches magnetically to the right side of the laptop (it doesn't obstruct the ports when attached), and you can charge it via a hidden USB-C port on the side of the pen, which you can access by sliding the cover upward. As for the user experience, the pen is responsive and comfortable to hold for an extended period. Palm rejection works well if you touch the pen to the screen before resting your palm. There are two extra pen tips in the box, a 2B and a 2H tip; the former is softer and gives you a more paper-like feel, while the latter is harder.

There's a Windows Hello facial recognition IR camera. You can use it to log into Windows, authorize Windows Store purchases, and auto-fill saved passwords on supported websites.