HP Envy x2: Tablet and laptop meet again on a Windows 8 hybrid]
Take a tablet; add a keyboard. Turn it into a laptop. Do it with full
Windows 8. This is the dream of the HP Envy x2, and the dream, it
seems, of Windows 8 in general. Break down the barrier between tablets
and PCs. Create progressive computing. The future is now. Well, the
future was also over four months ago, when HP first started showing off
the Envy x2 in public, including at CNET.
We marveled then that
the device was well-built, comfortable to hold, and, when you think
about it, pretty shockingly practical. After all, theoretically, this is
the best of both worlds: a laptop and a tablet in one. This is what I
dreamed about going back to the teased-but-never-real
Lenovo U1 Hybrid three years ago.
The
Envy x2 is finally available, and we've got our review unit here at
CNET. But, can it rise above our previous concerns? As Eric Franklin
said back in August, "A lot of the Envy x2's success will rest on what
Microsoft does with Surface, especially its price. Right now I can't see
the Envy x2 costing less than $1,000, which would make it a direct
competitor to the Macbook Air. From what I've seen it would be a worthy
competitor, but is anyone ready to pay more than $1,000 for a tablet?"
Slide
a little tab, and the whole upper lid does, indeed, undock and becomes
its own multi-touch tablet. But, at $849, it's more expensive than most
ultraportable laptops and tablets...and far more expensive than those
little, non-touch, non-detachable-screened 11-inchers of old. You're
paying for style, and also for that clever split-function feature. And
the concern about the x2 versus the MacBook Air, or x2 versus the
Surface Pro, still stands.
(Credit:
Sarah Tew/CNET)
Style vs. substance
Depending on your
perspective, you’ll either love what HP's trying to do with the Envy x2,
or you'll hate it. But, it’s hardly the only innovator:
detachable-screen laptop/tablet hybrids have been kicking around in a
similar form across several manufacturers, including Acer, Lenovo, and
Samsung. It's an official mini-trend in Windows 8 launch PCs.
(Credit:
Sarah Tew/CBS Interactive)
This 11-inch ultraportable laptop is cute, well-constructed in
largely brushed aluminum, and, yes, pretty sexy. It's got the style of
HP’s little dm-series laptops, and a blend of small-business and
personal going about it, much like Apple continually pulls off. It feels
better-built than some competitors, and has a similar heft and discreet
portability to the
HP dm1z.
It also seems to have similar processing power, although stay tuned
for our benchmarking tests to confirm that hypothesis. Yes, it runs full
Windows 8 (not hobbled Windows RT), but its processor is an Atom:
specifically, a 1.8 GHz dual-core Atom Z2760. This is a newer Atom
processor than the older Netbook Atoms of yore, but it's nowhere near
what an ultrabook-level Core processor would provide.
The Envy x2
11t-g000 comes standard with 2GB of RAM and a 64GB SSD. The 11.6-inch
IPS screen has a 1,366x768 resolution, and looks sharp from all angles.
The keyboard base has a secondary battery for extending battery life by
nearly 2x (according to HP) and acting as a tablet recharge station, and
comes with two USB ports, HDMI, and an SD card slot.
The x2 also
has 802.11n, Bluetooth and NFC (Near-Field Communication), and dual
speakers with Beats audio. The x2 weighs 3.1 pounds with keyboard, or
1.5 pounds in tablet mode, just a bit more than the larger Retina iPad.
(Credit:
Sarah Tew/CNET)
Tablet mode: eject and enjoy
Pushing a little dock
tab, situated right above the keyboard, to the left unlocks the top
tablet. You need to pull it apart; it locks solidly. It detaches
smoothly, too, but finding the connectors and lining them up to put the
tablet back in can get pretty frustrating. Also, this laptop is
top-heavy; the tablet/screen outweighs the lighter keyboard base, which
isn't a problem in everyday use generally speaking, because of a hinge
that projects a little lip at the back to elevate the keyboard and
balance the whole package. It does, however, mean you can’t easily open
the Envy x2 one-handed like a regular laptop.
(Credit:
Sarah Tew/CNET)
The tablet's top half has its own power button in the back, a
volume control, and both front and rear-facing cameras (8MP for the
rear, HD Webcam quality for the front). It's comfortable to hold and a
little larger than a Retina Display iPad, but still a well-designed
tablet.
(Credit:
Sarah Tew/CNET)
Are tablet hybrids necessary?
The question is, does
the battery life hold up, and is a Windows 8 tablet worth the
investment for a hybrid Windows 8 laptop? In other words, are you better
off with a cheap laptop and cheap alternative Android/iOS tablet
instead? I can’t tell yet, but the HP Envy x2 might be the best version
of this hybrid-function type of device that I've seen. I just don't know
if I truly need my laptop to be a tablet. You may indeed be thinking
the same thing...and, as tablet prices continue to drop, that may be the
biggest challenge of these hybridized Windows 8 devices: finding a
purpose and avoiding redundancy.
I liked using the Envy x2 the
most in traditional laptop form, and I found the keyboard (which is
non-backlit, by the way) and trackpad to work quite well. Reaching the
touch screen on a small 11-inch device like this is a snap and feels
intuitive. I wonder if I'd forgo the splitting hybrid concept and pay
less for just a snappy little touch laptop instead.
As
CES
looms, consider the Envy x2 a harbinger of Windows 8's presence at the
show, and the challenge of Windows 8 over the next six months: selling
relevancy, and making the myriad zoo of Windows 8 products clear and
understandable. So far, it looks like the mission is far from done. Stay
tuned for a full review after CES.
Windows 8 — which launched in October
and was designed for touch — allows users to swipe, slide and access a
full collection of features via your finger. But because of the cost of
new hardware, many Microsoft fans upgraded to Windows 8 without buying
an expensive touch-screen PC. Now, the Targus Touch Pen aims to give
anyone using Windows 8 on older hardware the touch experience, with the
help of a stylus.
