The slightly golden aluminum chassis gives a somewhat different, but rather refined aesthetic to this PC. The hinges that allow the screen to rotate 360° seem solid and the transition to the tablet position is very fluid. The HP Envy x360 can thus be used as a conventional PC, such as a tablet or in “tent” mode to play videos or present projects.
The hinges allow the screen to be rotated 360°.
The touchpad is very responsive and the keyboard is pleasant to use. The backlight is adjustable on three levels and there are fairly standard keys with a function to mute your microphone and another for the webcam, a small cover coming to cover it in case of activation. It films in 720p only and its image quality is really limited, especially in low light. It is unfortunately not Windows Hello compatible, but an effective fingerprint reader is embedded next to the arrow keys on the keyboard.
The keyboard is pleasant to use.
Thinness of the chassis (1.6 cm) helping, HP chose two “retractable” USB-A 3.2 ports on the edges of the PC. Next to it is a USB-C Thunderbolt 4 port, as well as a microSD card reader and a mini-jack socket. The use of the microSD reader is very “situational” and it will be necessary to use an adapter to have an HDMI connector. WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 are also supported.
Access to the components is complicated, which is a shame. You have to remove the long lower rubber pad under the PC to reveal three Phillips screws, while the two screws already visible are Torx types. Once the adhesives are removed from the components, we see that the RAM is soldered, but that the M.2 SSD can be replaced. It is also protected by a metal plate to contain the heating. The battery is easily replaceable once its Phillips screws are removed.
The M.2 SSD and battery are replaceable.
Despite the presence of a single fan, the heating is well contained since we only noted a maximum of 39.3 ° C in the center of the keyboard, the whole remaining cool. The noise in full heating emitted by the ventilation is also limited. With 34.8 dB on our sound level meter, this remains largely acceptable on a daily basis.
The screen of the Envy x360 has a very classic Full HD definition (1920 x 1080 px), but it is adorned with an OLED panel (60 Hz). A technology that we encounter more and more often on laptops, but for the moment clearly in the minority. It brings some significant advantages with an infinite contrast ratio and zero persistence. On the other hand, the color precision is not there: the delta E noted at 5.2 exceeds the recommended threshold of 3. It will therefore be necessary to calibrate its screen using a probe for best results. The average color temperature of 6300K, on the other hand, is close to the video standard.
Good point for the maximum brightness of 426 cd / m² which exceeds the value announced by HP and remains very correct in absolute terms. The relatively thin borders of the screen give it an occupancy rate of 82.2%, above our average. Alas, the touch screen is very reflective (reflectance of 51.9% on average), which affects its rating a little.
From left to right, the gamma curve, the color temperature and the delta E.
The 13.3-inch HP Envy x360 is an ultraportable. Its total dimensions of 30.65 x 19.46 x 1.64 cm allow it to be taken anywhere without any problem. Being convertible into a tablet, it turns out to be very versatile and can be used on the go. Its magazine weighing 286 g does not take up too much space, but it is proprietary, which is a bit of a shame.
The charger is compact, but proprietary.
In terms of autonomy, the PC is doing well since it lasted 8 h 40 min in video playback on Netflix, screen set to 200 cd / m² and headphones at 50% volume. It is clearly not the best in this category either, other computers easily taking an extra hour.
Strong points
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Design and build quality.
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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 that lacks color accuracy.
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Reflective tile.
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PC difficult to disassemble.
How does grading work?
The 13-inch HP Envy x360 (13-bd0055nf) is a computer for those who need a portable PC anywhere. Light, neat and convertible into a tablet thanks to a screen that rotates 360°, it is in fact versatile, although its use is confined to office automation. It is also equipped with a significant Oled panel, even if it is not very well calibrated when it leaves the factory. It is therefore a good ultraportable in absolute terms, but with a small caveat on the difficulties encountered in accessing the components when needed.
- Construction
- Performance
- Screen
- Audio
- Mobility / Autonomy