The ENVY x360 series from HP has been recently refreshed and relaunched. The model I’ll be reviewing today is the HP ENVY x360 15-cp0010nr. It’s a convertible laptop (as in 2-in-1). Basically, it’s a 15.6 inch notebook that doubles as a tablet when rotating the screen 360 degrees. Considering value for money, this midrange HP isn’t a bad deal at all.
Review
Traditionally, convertible laptops have always been on the smaller side, for good reason. It’s difficult to operate a large screen in tablet mode. Imagine holding a 15-inch screen, with a laptop attached to it in order to browse your favorite online magazine or newspaper. It’s cumbersome. However, looking at the HP ENVY x360 Convertible, I realized it was made with a different sort of user in mind.
More specifically, I’m talking about design students, drawing enthusiasts and working professionals at the start of their career. It’s not as precise as a dedicated drawing pad, but it gets the job done without any extra tools. Well, there is one you’ll need: a Windows Ink compatible pen, like the HP Tilt Pen.
If you’re not into drawing, it’s hard to justify this device. If you want a 2-in-1 laptop for everyday tasks, you should go for more portable and easy to use options. But if you are the creative type who’d like to sketch something on the go, this HP ENVY x360 15-cp0010nr could be an acceptable solution.
At a glance
HP ENVY x360 Convertible (15-cp0010nr)
Pros and Cons:
- Pros:
- Sleek design
- Solid performance
- Great interface options
- Quality display
- Cons:
- Not that portable
- Short on RAM
Essential Specs & Features:
- AMD Ryzen 5 2500U CPU
- 8GB DDR4 RAM
- 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Integrated Graphics
- 15.6″ FHD PS touch display
- 4.5 lbs.
- Up to 8-10 hours of battery life
- Quick charge, backlit keyboard, 2-in-1
Performance
The HP is fitted with an AMD Ryzen 5 2500U processor. If the name doesn’t tell you much, know that it’s almost as powerful as an Intel Core i5-8265U, a popular model among mid-range notebooks. It has 4 cores, 8 threads, a base clock of 2.0 GHz, boost up to 3.5 GHz, 4 megabytes of cache and a thermal design power of 15 Watts. It is in almost all aspects very similar to the i5 I mentioned. And it will be fast enough for almost anything you’ll want to throw at it.
System memory is rated at 8 gigabytes of DDR4-2400 RAM. Most users should find this amount satisfying. It will handle heavy multitasking, number crunching and photo editing or illustrating software with ease. HP say that its memory isn’t upgradeable, yet users have reported installing up to at least 16 gigabytes inside by replacing existing modules.
Storage space is adequate, but in no way roomy enough to accommodate large media collections. The HP ENVY x360 Convertible has a 256-gigabyte M.2 PCIe NVMe Solid State Drive. While it doesn’t reach the speeds that some high-end SSDs boast these days, it’s still way faster than any traditional hard drive.
Performance-wise, I’d say the HP ENVY x360 15-cp0010nr is a decent laptop, well equipped for most users’ needs. Especially considering it is priced as mid-range notebook. Which it actually is. If I were to nitpick, I’d have wanted to see it come standard with 16 gigabytes, instead of the 8 it currently offers.
Graphics and display
The HP doesn’t feature any discrete graphics, instead it comes with an integrated solution: the Radeon Vega 8 GPU. While the Vega is a great integrated graphics solution, it still won’t allow fluid gameplay with many titles. You’ll achieve some success with games that don’t require much resources, such as CS:GO and Minecraft. Don’t even think about titles like Control, Battlefield 5 or FIFA 20. These will be, for all intents and purposes, almost unplayable.
However, the Vega excels at playing 4K content and quickly rendering (for an integrated GPU) 2D and 3D graphics. You won’t need that much GPU power when editing photos in Lightroom, so it won’t inconvenience you at all while working on them.
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Display quality is pretty great for a mid-range laptop, even by 2-in-1 standards. It features a 15.6 inch FHD IPS WLED-backlit touch-enabled display. Viewing angles, as well as picture quality are both amazing. What’s more, the thin bezels mean you get more real screen real estate in a smaller body.
Interface and networking
The HP ENVY x360 15-cp0010nr has plenty of ports, and they’re all modern. Using them, you can hook up two additional 4K monitors (using the HDMI and the USB 3.1 Gen 2). Also, one of the USB ports features Sleep and Charge functionality. Here’s the full list:
- 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A
- USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C
- HDMI 2.0
- SD Card Reader
- Combo Audio Jack
As for networking, your only option of connecting to the Internet is via wireless. It has a 2×2 802.11ac Wi-Fi card and Bluetooth 4.2.
Portability and battery life
For a 2-in-1, the ENVY x360 Convertible isn’t exactly lightweight. It weighs around 4.5 pounds, which is not negligible if you plan on carrying it around with you all day. I think it’s better suited to be used either around home, campus, or the office rather than on the go. Add the projected 8 to 10 hours of battery life into the mix and you have a device that doesn’t offer as much in terms of portability as its non-convertible competition.
Take the similarly priced ASUS Vivobook S15, which weighs half a pound less, while offering about the same battery life. Even the Dell Inspiron 15 with a traditional hard drive and dedicated graphics weighs less. So, I’d say weight is more of an issue, rather than battery life, which seems to be on par with other similar devices.
Conclusion
All in all, the HP ENVY x360 Convertible 15-cp0010nr is a good 2-in-1 option for art oriented college students or drawing enthusiasts to use around the house. Previously, in my Best College Laptops article, I featured the Lenovo Flex 14 as a better alternative. However, I don’t want to bash on the HP, because it’s a really good laptop. It’s built solidly, it has the required specs to handle modern apps and programs and comes with enough features to make it exciting. But the price, in my opinion, should have been slightly lower for what it has to offer.
