HP Envy 14 Spectre (Core i5 2467M Processor 1.6GHz, 4GB RAM)

Whoever came up with the idea of slathering Corning Gorilla Glass on the HP Envy 14 Spectre deserves a pat on the shoulder. It's not an unqualified success: The glass adds to the weight, creating a reasonably slim yet dense 14-inch laptop, and we aren't sure the palmrest needed it. However, the heavy dose of glass is key to its unique design and ensures that this notebook will be a conversation starter. If it's attention you seek, you can't go wrong with the Spectre.

Beneath all that glass is an Ultrabook that doesn't stray too far from the formula. Performance is typical with its standard ultra-low-voltage Core-i processor and SSD (dual SSDs if you get the higher-end version). The screen is competitive with the best Ultrabooks out there with its 1,600 x 900-pixel resolution and the touchpad is one of the better implementations on a Windows machine. An unexpected feature is near-field communication (NFC), but this is woefully underused with a lack of supported apps and feels like HP just slapped it on because it sounds cool.

Finally, the Spectre comes with a one-year concierge service that promises a more personalized level of tech support and service than the typical support hotline. Given the premium price tag on this laptop, we expect nothing less than great service.

The HP Envy 14 Spectre is available in two configurations, a Core i5 version with a 128GB SSD which costs S$1,999 (US$1,588) and a Core i7 model with dual SSDs (256GB). We tested the more expensive Core i7 model that retails for S$2,599 (US$2,058). Both models are available now in Asia, though prices may vary depending on your country.

Design

Unveiled at CES 2012, the HP Envy 14 Spectre promptly went on to win CNET's Best of CES award. There's no doubt that the stylish and unique design of the Spectre played a big part in its win. First impressions matter at these tradeshows and upclose and personal, the Spectre's glass-encrusted lid is stunning. The black and reflective lid is actually fairly thick and solid due to the Gorilla Glass. A small HP logo located at the bottom of the lid glows when the laptop is turned on. In fact, we wished that it was possible to detach the lid/screen and use it alone as a tablet.

At 1.8kg, the Spectre is heavier than most Ultrabooks, but given that it's a 14-inch model, the weight is actually similar to what you'll find on the Samsung Series 5 Ultra (which does have an additional optical drive and discrete graphics). Unlike the many Ultrabooks that try to imitate the tapered profile of the MacBook Air, the Spectre is quite chunky with its uniform 20mm thickness.

Opening the lid poses some difficulty--there's a very thin catch and you'll probably end up using your fingernails to pry it open. Inside, you'll find a Radiance backlit keyboard similar to that on the HP Envy 15. Each key has its own individual LED and a proximity sensor detects when there's a user in front of the laptop and dims or brightens the keyboard accordingly.

The chiclet keyboard feels pretty good--the keys are of a nice size and there's sufficient key travel. As with other HP laptops, Function keys on the Spectre are set by default to enable Wi-Fi, adjust the screen brightness, turn on the keyboard backlight and other multimedia controls. More manufacturers should follow this as the original Function keys are hardly used these days.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

The touchpad and palmrest is slightly raised from a layer of Gorilla Glass on top. Although this glass layer feels comfortable, it spoils the clean lines of the laptop. It also looks more like a layer of plastic than glass from a distance. On the bright side, the glass touchpad is responsive and accurate and is easily one of the better implementations we've tested. Two-finger scrolling was good but pinch-to-zoom is still inconsistent and similar to the experience we had with the HP Folio 13.

Features

In their bid to keep prices competitive, Ultrabooks manufacturers have often gone with 1,366 x 768-pixel displays that perform poorly when viewed from an angle. The Dell XPS 13 is a good example of an almost-perfect Ultrabook marred by a poor screen. Fortunately, the Spectre avoids this pitfall with a 1,600 x 900-pixel display. Despite the reflective Gorilla Glass layer, this screen is bright and off-axis viewing is noticeably better than many of its rivals. Of course, given the higher asking price for this laptop, we wouldn't have accepted anything less.

A feature that makes the Spectre appear more forward-looking than its competitors is its NFC antenna. This technology is currently available only on a few smartphones and the Spectre is the first consumer notebook to integrate it (we have heard of Lenovo adding NFC modules on their business laptops). An app--HP Touch to Share--on the laptop activates this function and it works together with the smartphone app on your NFC-enabled Android device. Once the Spectre and the smartphone is paired, all you have to do is to place it on the Spectre's palmrest and you can share the last-viewed Web page on the phone with the laptop.

It's quite underwhelming and until HP improves the functionality of the app, we don't see ourselves using the NFC feature.

For an Ultrabook, the Spectre has a good number of ports and connectors, including Ethernet and an SD card reader. You'll also get two video outputs--HDMI and mini-DisplayPort, which is more than the typical Ultrabook. However, it could have done with at least one more USB port from the two that's present.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Surprisingly for an Ultrabook, there's a removable cover at the base of the Spectre. Opening it grants access to the battery and SSD, though actually removing those items requires a fair amount of unscrewing. It doesn't quite make sense that while it's easy to remove the cover, changing the internal parts involves much more work. If HP wanted to implement a user-replaceable battery, it should have been easier; if that wasn't the intention, the option shouldn't have been there, like most other Ultrabooks which have non-removable batteries.

(Credit: Vincent Chang/CNET Asia)

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Beats Audio is present on this laptop and you'll even get a similar analog volume dial as the Envy 15 on the right-hand side of the Spectre. Clicking on the Beats Audio button beside this dial brings up the audio controls and it's basically identical to what we had seen previously. However, the two speakers on the Spectre didn't impress us and we recommend using a good pair of headphones (or multimedia speakers) to get the best out of this machine.

Like all recent HP Envy laptops, the Spectre comes with the latest versions of Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements. Besides HP's own suite of helper applications, CyberLink's DVD playback application and Norton Internet Security are some of the other major software titles preinstalled. There's practically no bloatware and that's good news.

While the Spectre is a 14-inch Ultrabook on paper, like the Toshiba Satellite U840 and the Samsung Series 5 Ultra, it's also aimed at a different market segment. This HP laptop is a premium model built with more costly materials along with a better processor and dual SSDs. The Samsung and Toshiba both use less expensive hybrid HDDs, though when it comes to gaming, the Samsung Series 5 Ultra has the edge due to its discrete Radeon graphics chip.

Performance And Battery Life

With its dual SSDs and a Core i7 processor, the HP Envy 14 Spectre is pretty fast when it comes to general system performance. It scored 3,508 in PCMark7, which is slightly less than the Core i7 version of the Asus Zenbook UX31E (3,684). Since both Ultrabooks use a similar CPU, the differences boil down to the SSD used and system drivers.

Unlike the Samsung Series 5 Ultra, which has a discrete graphics card, the integrated Intel graphics on the Spectre is unsuitable for most games. Loading pplications, however, took less time than the Series 5 Ultra, which has a hybrid HDD. The Spectre also took just 17 seconds to start up, which is competitive with other SSD-equipped Ultrabooks. However, Lenovo's IdeaPad U300s is still fastest in this area with its 13.5-second timing.

At 6 hours and 8 minutes, battery life on the Spectre is good enough to put it ahead of most 13.3-inch Ultrabooks that we had previously tested. Only the Toshiba Portege Z830 and the HP Folio 13 had better stamina. For a 14-inch laptop, we think that the Spectre has done very well here.

Service And Support

HP includes an industry-standard one-year parts-and-labor warranty with the system. Support is accessible through a 24-7 toll-free phone line, a well-maintained online knowledge base and driver downloads. There's also a one-year concierge service for users to call in with their queries.