The Envy x360 15 represents a Windows convertible in the 15.6-inch format. While it has a very close resemblance to its predecessor, the build is not identical. The current model turns out slightly more compact, the connections are positioned in other places, and it has a different keyboard. The competitors include devices such as the Lenovo Yoga C740-15IML and the Asus ZenBook Flip 15 UX563FD.
Case and Equipment – The Envy has a metal case
The gap clearances in the elegant, matte-black metal case are right, and there are no noticeable material protrusions. The base unit could have turned out a little stiffer. The battery is built in. You can access the insides after removing the bottom of the case, which is not a process that HP made particularly user friendly.
The x360 brings two USB Type-A connections (USB 3.2 Gen 1), and in addition there is one USB Type-C connection (USB 3.2 Gen 2) that supports power delivery and DisplayPort via USB-C. So together with the HDMI connection, the convertible offers two video output ports.
With maximum transfer rates of 78.6 MB/s (transferring 250 jpg files at about 5 MB each) and 86 MB/s (copying large data blocks), the SD storage card reader belongs to the faster representatives of its kind (using the Toshiba Exceria Pro SDXC 64 GB UHS-II reference card). SD cards can be inserted completely.
The WLAN chip (Realtek RTL8822CE) supports the 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac standards. The data rates measured under optimal conditions (no additional WLAN devices close by, close distance between notebook and Server PC; Netgear Nighthawk AX12 router) turn out good.
Input Devices – Optional pen input
The flat and smooth keys of the illuminated chiclet keyboard (two brightness levels) offer a short stroke and a clear pressure point. The keyboard does get pressed down while typing. Overall, HP delivers a keyboard suitable for everyday operation that is also suited for regular typing tasks.
In contrast to the predecessor, the power button and fingerprint reader are now integrated into the keyboard. In addition, there is a key to turn the camera on or off (the camera app is not opened) and another key to open the Command Center.
The multi-touch capable ClickPad (approx. 11.5 x 7.3 cm; ~4.5 x 2.9 in) offers sufficient space for using gesture control and also responds to inputs in the corners. The smooth surface facilitates the sliding of fingers. The pad offers a short stroke and clear pressure point.
The touchscreen (10 touch points) creates no problems and responds to input promptly. The screen can be operated with the fingers as well as the HP Pen (1MR94AA; approx. 30 to 40 Euros; ~$36-47) which needs to be purchased separately.
Display – IPS onboard
The 15.6-inch touchscreen display (1920 x 1080 pixels) offers a good contrast (1142:1), but the maximum brightness is too low (279.6 cd/m²). We consider values beyond 300 cd/m² as good. The brightness distribution of the panel turns out fairly uneven.
In the state of delivery, the display produces an acceptable color reproduction but misses the target (Delta-E < 3) with a Delta-E 2000 deviation of about 6.1. The display does not suffer from a blue tint. A calibration only offers marginal improvements. The AdobeRGB (38.1%) and sRGB (59.1%) color spaces are not covered completely.
HP has equipped the convertible with an IPS panel with stable viewing angles, allowing the display to be read from any position. Outdoors, the display is hardly readable, since the reflective display surface prevents this.
Performance – Ryzen 5 with mediocre performance
With the Envy x360 15, HP delivers a 15.6-inch convertible that offers sufficient computing performance for office and Internet applications. The test unit that was made available to us can be purchased for between 950 and 1000 Euros (~$1126-1185), with other configurations also being available.
Test Conditions
The preinstalled HP Command Center allows selection of a thermal profile. We ran our tests with the “HP recommended” profile activated.
Processor
The CPU portion of the Ryzen 5-4500U APU (Renoir) consists of a hexa-core processor that operates with speeds between 2.3 GHz (basic clock speed) and 4 GHz (Turbo). Simultaneous multi-threading (two threads per core) is not supported.
It briefly starts running through the multi-thread tests of the Cinebench benchmark at 4 GHz, before the clock speed drops down in steps to between 3.1 and 3.2 GHz. The single-thread tests are completed at clock speeds between 1.4 and 4 GHz. In battery operation, the CPU starts at 1.4 to 2.4 GHz (single and multi-thread), before it goes to similar clock speeds as in mains operation.
We evaluate whether the CPU Turbo is maintained constantly in mains operation by running the multi-thread test of the Cinebench R15 benchmark for at least 30 minutes in a constant loop. After an initially high Turbo speed, it drops significantly from the first to the fifth run.
The laptop responds to brief peak loads with high clock speeds. The highest speeds are reached with the “Performance” profile activated. Under longer load, the CPU speed drops, which is a surprising behavior that happens in all the temperature profiles. All the other Ryzen 5-4500U devices we tested until now reach significantly higher constant clock speeds while running though our loop.
System Performance
HP has delivered a quick and smoothly running system here. The APU delivers sufficient computing performance for office and Internet applications. However, it is only able to run at its highest performance level for a short time. These results are accompanied by good PC-Mark results.
Storage Solution
The system drive is a 512-GB NVMe SSD (M.2-2280) from Intel that delivers good transfer speeds, but it does not belong to the fastest models among SSDs.
Graphics Card
AMD’s integrated Vega 6 graphics core supports DirectX 12 and reaches speeds of up to 1500 MHz. The results in the 3D Mark benchmarks represent the best results that we were able to achieve with this GPU until now. The “Performance” profile does not lead to an increase in the graphics performance.
Gaming Performance
In theory, the APU used would be able to bring many games to the screen smoothly. This should not only include older games or games with moderate demands on the hardware but also various current games.
However, our The Witcher 3 test (the game runs for about 1 h at FHD resolution and max. quality settings; the gaming character is not moved) shows that after a few minutes at its top speed (1500 MHz), the GPU speed is decreased to about 800 to 950 MHz. Until the end of the test, the speeds and frame rates continue to show some brief drops. This will not warrant undiluted gaming pleasure.
To double check, we also ran the test at minimum settings, but the result remained identical.
Emissions and Power Management – The HP Convertible offers a good battery life
Noise Emissions
During idle operation, the two fans usually remain turned off and there is complete silence. Under load, they rev up and we measure a maximum noise level of 43.2 dB(A) during the stress test.
Temperature
During our stress test (Prime95 and Furmark running for at least 1 hour), the CPU and GPU run at high speeds for the first few minutes. After that, they are throttled to values below 1 GHz (CPU) and 700 to 800 MHz (GPU) respectively. The behavior is the same in mains and battery operation. The stress test represents an extreme scenario that does not occur in everyday operation. We are using this test to evaluate whether the system remains stable under full load.
The HP convertible does not get particularly hot. During the stress test, we measure temperatures just above 40 °C (104 ° F) in two measurement spots. In everyday operation, the values remain within the green range.
Speakers
The audio system of the Envy x360 is made up of two stereo speakers and a subwoofer. Together, they produce a decent sound spectrum that strangely lacks some bass. The maximum volume turns out relatively low.
Power Consumption
Overall, the power consumption ranges at a normal level for the hardware used here. The power supply is rated at 65 watts.
Battery Life
In our realistic WLAN test, the HP convertible achieves a battery life of 9:24 h. This test simulates the load when opening websites via a script.
Verdict
With the Envy x360 15, HP delivers an elegant 15.6-inch convertible whose matte-black metal case should be stiffer. Across the whole load range, the laptop only warms up moderately and does not produce too much noise.
The HP Envy x360 15 (2020) is made for usage scenarios where demanding loads are only put on the system for short periods of time.
Thanks to the very good battery life (WLAN runtime of almost 9.5 h), most users should get through the day without a charger. The laptop can be recharged using the included proprietary power supply or a universal USB charger (via the USB Type-C port).
The IPS touchscreen scores with a good contrast, stable viewing angles, and decent color reproduction. However, the maximum brightness and color space coverage turn out too low. The touchscreen can be operated with the fingers as well as the HP Pen, which can optionally be purchased separately (1MR94AA; approx 30 to 40 Euros; ~$36-47).
The main weakness is the poor performance utilization of the Ryzen 5 4500U APU. While it is able to handle brief load bursts (single and multi-thread) with a lot of computing performance, it responds to constant multi-thread CPU load with reduced clock speeds. The same goes for the GPU. In addition, the frame rates drop repeatedly while gaming.
Other compact Ryzen 5-4500U devices such as the Lenovo Ideapad 5 14ARE05 have shown that it is possible to maintain the performance constantly at a high level. We can only hope that HP will be able to offer some improvements via a BIOS or software update.
