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Battery Life
Hewlett Packard promises a EL04XL battery life of up to eight hours. We were able to confirm this result using the Battery Eater Reader's Test: we measured 8 hours and 5 minutes. For this test, we deactivated wireless, turned the display brightness to its lowest settings, and used the power saver profile. To simulate a more real-life scenario, we use a script that visits different webpages every 40 seconds. The battery life of the Envy 4 was almost cut in half - we recorded 4 hours and 20 minutes before we needed to plug the notebook back in. Under maximum load, the Ultrabook lasts 2 hours and 23 minutes - a pretty average result.
HP uses a 52 Wh lithium ion battery for this model - nothing spectacular. Given the power consumption and battery life of the notebook, the capacity is right around where we would have expected it to be.
Case
Although the Ultrabook is offered at a price point that had to require some compromises along the way, both the design of the chassis and the material selection manage to impress: the lid and the palm rest are made from black, brushed aluminum, while the underside is a matte red and makes for a visually appealing contrast. The chassis mirrors the one of the HP Envy 6-1000sg - down to the susceptibility of the surface areas for dirt and fingerprints. The high-end aluminum requires more frequent cleanings with a cloth than matte plastic would - the palm rest is especially prone to prints and smudges.
The weight of 1.8 kilograms (3.97 pounds) is on par with similar notebooks; the thickness of almost 2 centimeters (0.79 inches) is on par with the (larger) Envy 6. Stability is comparable as well: the hinges manage to hold the torsionally not very rigid display securely in any position without any noticeable wobbles when opening the lid or when the notebook is subjected to vibrations. The red underside is quite sturdy for an Ultrabook - we already commended this feature when we reviewed the Envy 6.
HP generally has a good reputation as far as the design of their chassis is concerned - and the Envy 4 is no exception. Overall, we consider the quality above average for this price segment.
Connectivity
Thin Ultrabooks frequently don't offer a lot of ports, and dongles are usually not an option in this price range. The Envy 4-1000sg has all the necessary ports: the left side houses two USB 3.0 ports, HDMI, a card reader, and a Gigabit LAN connector (which features a spring-loaded cover). The right side is home to the power jack, a USB 2.0 port, audio jacks, and the Kensington Lock slot. The port selection mirrors the one of the bigger brother Envy 6.
Keyboard
The keyboard is a chiclet design and a carryover from the HP Envy 6-1000sg. The overall impression is positive: the keyboard is slightly recessed and the top of the keys are on the same level as the palm rest. The short keystroke is paired with good feedback and allows for a comfortable and speedy typing experience. The space between the keys actually aids in finding the correct placement for the fingers. Some users might not appreciate the smaller arrow keys or the smaller keys in the function row. (HP EL04 Battery)
We should also mention the LEDs which illuminate some keys, like volume (when deactivated), WLAN, and Caps Lock. This thoughtful and nice looking addition adds to the upscale impression. A little bit unusual is the reverse configuration of the Fn keys, which allows for direct access of display brightness, volume levels, and the WLAN on/off switch. Those who would like to use F1 to F12 directly can change a setting in the BIOS.
Touchpad
The touchpad is also unchanged: it measures 11 x 7 centimeters (4.33 x 2.76 inches) and is also recessed a bit. The pad features a plastic surface with a concentric pattern. Fingers glide easily which allows for precise cursor control. Multitouch gestures (scrolling with two fingers or pinch to zoom, for example) are supported and work without a hitch. A double tap on the left upper corner deactivates the touchpad (a little orange LED indicates when the touchpad is off). The two lower corners function as mouse buttons and offer a well-defined click point.
Display
The reflective 14-inch display features a standard resolution of 1366x768 pixels and a 16:9 aspect ratio. Only more expensive notebooks offer higher pixel density - even the HP Envy 6, which has a larger display of 15.6-inches, features the same resolution.
Unfortunately, the Envy 4-1000sg suffers from the same weaknesses we noted when we reviewed the Envy 6. The display measurements are pretty disappointing: a maximum brightness of only 168 cd/m², for example, is what we would expect to see on notebooks in the bottom price bracket. The contrast ratio of 165:1 is also very low. In order for the Ultrabook to be suitable for outdoor use without any reservations, those values should be a least double that. A good quality screen can be had even in this price range - case in point: the Samsung Series 5 535U4C reaches a screen brightness of 300 cd/m²; the display of the Asus UX32A features a contrast ratio of 513:1.
Since the contrast is quite low, the black point of 1.0 cd/m² is not surprising. The average brightness distribution of 95% is actually quite decent and means a uniform brightness level.
The color gamut is as expected for a notebook in this price range: the display doesn't even get close to covering sRGB and especially AdobeRGB. Color accuracy is normally not of the utmost importance to the average user - although it matters a great deal to professionals who work with photos or graphics.
The viewing angle stability, on the other hand, is important - especially if there are additional users trying to watch a movie. The fact that this is a low-priced panel becomes apparent once again: in the vertical plane, the picture inverts quickly if the user is not directly in front of the screen. Horizontal viewing angles are slightly better but of course the viewing angle stability is not nearly as good as what a higher quality IPS display is capable o.
Webcam
The 1-megapixel webcam can capture images and video in resolutions up to 1280 x 720p using Cyberlink YouCam 3. In natural lighting, the webcam produced grainy images. Colors, such as our emerald green shirt were slightly washed out as was Xerxes' royal blue dog collar.
Speakers
Just like the HP Envy 6-1000sg, the Envy 4 uses Beats Audio components and thus promises high quality sound. Similar to the bigger brother (which sounds pretty much identical), our review model features two speakers and a subwoofer. The 2.1 audio system definitely lacks bass, even though the software equalizer ("Beats Audio Control Panel“) allows the user to change some settings. Although the highs are somewhat over-emphasized, the quality is certainly good enough for the occasional movie or for listening to music sometimes. Maximum volume is quite loud too - but we did notice distortion at the highest levels.
Verdict
Great on the outside, mediocre in all other aspects: the HP Envy 4-1000sg is a mix of good and bad. HP's chassis are usually quite decent - and the Envy 4 is no exception: the aluminum used for the lid and around the palm rest not only looks very classy (and quite suitable for an Ultrabook), but also does its part in making the notebook quite rigid and sturdy. The keyboard and the touchpad also manage to convince.
A quick look at the specs leads us to believe that the notebook with the outdated Sandy Bridge processor won't offer the best price performance ratio, since other (only marginally more expensive) Ultrabooks come equipped with substantially more powerful CPUs from Intel's Ivy Bridge lineup. Our tests confirm what we already suspected: playing games on this notebook requires the user to lower expectations significantly. For surfing the internet or office tasks, the notebook with its i3 processor is still suitable. We think that the larger HP Envy 6-1000sg is a better alternative for most users - not only because of the more powerful Intel Core i5-3317U, but also because of the larger 15.6-inch display. The HP Envy 6 is just slightly bigger, 400 grams (0.88 pounds) heavier, and costs only about 100 Euros more.
The Ultrabook also suffers from some teething problems: the surface temperatures are above average (although still within acceptable limits) - even though HP promises the opposite with their CoolSense technology. The fan, which doesn't do a good job in cooling down the system, emits a high frequency whirring sound and gets annoying, since it constantly turns on and off.
More info: laptop-batteries.com.au , laptop-battery.org.uk , battery-store.eu
