The slightly golden aluminum body gives a slightly different, but somewhat elegant look to this PC. The hinges that allow the screen to swivel 360 degrees feel solid and the transition to tablet mode is very fluid. The HP Envy x360 can therefore be used as a traditional personal computer, such as a tablet, or in “tent” mode for playing videos or presenting projects.
Hinges allow the screen to be rotated 360 degrees.
The touchpad is responsive and the keyboard is fun to use. The backlight is adjustable in three levels and there are fairly standard switches with a function to mute the microphone and one for the webcam, and a small hood that comes to cover it in case of activation. It only shoots at 720p and its image quality is really limited, especially in low light. It’s unfortunately not compatible with Windows Hello, but a powerful fingerprint reader is built right next to the arrow keys on the keyboard.
The keyboard is fun to use.
Thanks to the thinner chassis (1.6 cm), HP chose two “retractable” USB-A 3.2 ports on the edges of the computer. Next to it is a USB-C Thunderbolt 4 port, as well as a microSD card reader and a mini-jack. Using a microSD reader is very “strange” and an adapter will be necessary to get an HDMI connector. WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 are also supported.
Accessing the components is complicated, which is a shame. You have to remove the long bottom rubber pad under the computer to reveal the three Phillips screws, while the two already visible are Torx. Once the adhesives are removed from the components, we see that the RAM is soldered, but the M.2 SSD can be replaced. It is also protected by a metal plate to contain the heating. The battery can be easily replaced by simply removing the Phillips screws.
The M.2 SSD drive and battery can be replaced.
Despite having one fan, the heating contained well because we only noticed a maximum of 39.3°C in the center of the keyboard, the rest being completely cool. Noise in full heating emitted by ventilation is also limited. With 34.8 decibels on our sound level meter, this remains pretty much tolerable on a daily basis.
The Envy x360’s display has a very classic Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels), but it’s adorned with an OLED (60 Hz) panel. The technology we often encounter on laptops, but at the moment is clearly in the minority. It brings some significant advantages with infinite contrast ratio and zero stability. On the other hand, the color accuracy is lacking: the delta E observed at 5.2 exceeds the recommended limit of 3. It will therefore be necessary to calibrate its monitor with a probe to get the best results. On the other hand, the average color temperature of 6300K is close to the video standard.
Good point for a maximum brightness of 426 cd/m² which exceeds the value declared by HP and remains very true in absolute terms. The screen’s relatively thin bezels give it an occupancy rate of 82.2%, above our average. Unfortunately, the touchscreen is highly reflective (51.9% reflection on average), which affects its rating a bit.
From left to right, gamma curve, color temperature, and delta E.
The HP Envy x360 13.3 inch is extremely portable. Its overall dimensions of 12.65 x 19.46 x 1.64 inches allow you to take it anywhere without any problem. Since it is convertible into a tablet, it turns out to be quite versatile and can be used on the go. Its 286-gram magazine does not take up much space, but it is proprietary, which is somewhat unfortunate.
The charger is compact but proprietary.
In terms of autonomy, the computer works fine because it lasted 8 hours 40 minutes playing video on Netflix, screen set at 200 cd / m² and headphones at 50% volume. It’s clearly not the best in this category either, as other computers easily take an extra hour.
strength point
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Quality design and construction.
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The versatility of the 2-in-1 format.
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OLED screen.
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Good headphone jack.
Weak points
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Screen lacks color accuracy.
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Reflective tiles.
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The computer is difficult to disassemble.
How does grading work?
The HP Envy x360 (13-bd0055nf) 13-inch is a PC for those who need a laptop anywhere. Light, elegant and convertible into a tablet thanks to the 360-degree screen, it is indeed quite versatile, although its use is limited to office automation. It is also equipped with a large Oled board, even if it is not well calibrated when it leaves the factory. So it’s ultra-portable in absolute terms, but with a little caveat about the difficulties you have in accessing components when needed.
- Building
- performance
- Screen
- My voice
- Mobility / Autonomy
