Envy 4 (14″) and Envy 6 (15.6″)
Positioning and Specs
The Envy 4 and Envy 6 are new additions (not refreshes) to HP’s Ultrabook lineup. These are thicker than the Spectre XT, at 19.8mm, and are being offered at the value/budget-oriented option.
In addition to a very similar design as the Spectre XT, the Envy 4 and Envy 6 also offer discrete graphic options and an extra USB 3.0 port over the Spectre XT, which should give anyone looking for a ‘premium’ experience pause to look at the feature:price ratio. The only upper hand that the Spectre XT appears to have is thinness (14.5mm vs. 19.8)mm and one other important difference — the Envy 4 and Envy 6 use second-gen Sandy Bridge processors (and thus HD 3000 integrated graphics [discrete GPU option withstanding]) , while the Spectre XT is using the third-gen Ivy Bridge processors, accompanied by HD 4000 integrated graphics.
The Envy 4 has a 14″ screen while the Envy 6 has a 15.6″ screen. Both share a relatively low 1366×768 resolution which is surprising given the large screens. Both are nearly identical in terms of design, but there are some subtle differences in configuration between the two. In general, most specs are the same, with a few differences in configuration options.
The Envy 4 can be configured with either the Core i3 (1.4GHz) or Core i5 (1.6GHz + Turbo Boost) and a 320GB or 500GB HDD. Also offered is a supplemental 32GB mSSD cache for use with Intel’s Smart Response technology.
The Envy 6 can only be configured with the aforementioned Core i5 processor and HDD options, with the added option for a 128GB SSD. The 32GB mSSD is included by default for Intel Smart Response.
Both units have the option of adding the discrete AMD Radeon HD 7670M GPU, WiDi, and a backlit keyboard. Both support configurations between 2GB and 8GB of RAM.
The port spread is nearly identical to the Spectre XT with the addition of one extra USB port, featuring 3 USB ports (2×3.0, 1×2.0), full HDMI, full SD, 3.5mm headphone jack, and gigabit ethernet (LAN).
Price and Release Date
Both the Envy 4 and Envy 6 Ultrabooks are available from HP today.
The Envy 4 starts at $799 with a maxed-out configuration running $1099 (HP is currently offering $100 off of these prices). Get it from HP here.
The Envy 6 starts at $899 with a top-end configuration at $1,224 (HP is currently offering $100 off of these prices). Get it from HP here.
If you’d like to read more about the Envy 4 and Envy 6 Ultrabooks, see our full article here. Otherwise, read on!
The HP envy 4t-1000 sleekbook is currently available and it has an intel core i3-2367m. It doesn’t have to have an AMD processor to be a sleekbook. In the customization area under the Hard Drive Acceleration Cache it states:
32GB mSSD Hard Drive Acceleration Cache
Select this Solid State cache to upgrade the ENVY 4t to an Ultrabook (TM). Supports Intel Rapid Start Technology for quick resume from power off and Intel Smart Response Technology for fast access to files.
So it is a sleekbook to start and adding the 32GB mSSD upgrades it to an ultrabook. The current article on HP’s new lineup isn’t completely accurate pertaining to the sleekbook designation.
The HP envy 6t-1000 is considered an Ultrabook because the 32GB mSSD Hard Drive Acceleration Cache comes standard (already included in the price).
Thanks for pointing this out, Aaron. According to HP’s press release, the Sleekbooks are supposed to come equipped with AMD APU (which would mean the Fusion platform). This is wholly different than an Intel CPU with an AMD GPU.
It’s quite possible that the PR folks got it wrong (the release was a mess), but it still seems like HP intends to offer the Sleekbooks with AMD processors given that if the Envy 4 without the mSSD is a Sleekbook, why wouldn’t the Envy 6 Sleekbook be available until June 20th… even though the Envy 6 Ultrabook is currently being offered with the mSSD by default (surely it wouldn’t take a lot of effort to offer an Envy 6 sans an additional hardware part — you don’t even need to wait for a shipment, just don’t include the part!)?
Here are the official release words:
“The HP ENVY Sleekbook—available with either a 14-inch diagonal display and the latest Intel Core processors,(6) or a 15.6-inch diagonal display and the latest AMD Accelerated Processing Units (APU)—boasts up to eight or nine hours of battery life,(4) respectively. With optional discrete graphics on Intel platforms and discrete-class graphics from AMD on AMD platforms, users can create and edit videos quickly and experience incredible gaming and multimedia.”
Rather dissapointed with the “premium” Spectre XT. The downgrades seem more significant than the upgrades. Hopefully it can be customized to restore its resolution to its former glory.
Im also disappointed in the Envy 6. There’s no reason to solely offer a low resolution for a 15.6″ screen. I guess I like my laptops screens like I like my land, with plenty of real estate.
Do you not think the current spectre 14 will be refreshed?
Does the xt have a backit keyboard as well?
Yes, backlit keyboard has been confirmed on the XT.
For the Envy 4 and 6, the backlit keyboard is optional (+$20).
The Spectre XT is pretty exciting, except for the screen.
Despite the fanatics that will state that any metallic, thin laptop is a Macbook Air rip-off, I think it’s a pretty unique design, too. Very “stealth-bomber” looking.
The screen and the price considering it includes a fake hybrid SSD are the only downsides assuming that it’s battery is as good as the Folio 13.
$1000 computer should include a REAL SSD.
Adam
Adam what do you mean about a fake SSD hyrbid? The XT can be equipped with a 128GB or 256GB SSD — I haven’t see anything about a hybrid HDD.
I can understand your sentiment, but the 32GB mSATA SSD gives you much of the perceived benefit of an SSD, but with the larger 320 or 500GB hard drive too. Boot times with the mSATA cache SSD are very similar to actual SSDs.
HP Spectre XT or Acer S5, which is more premium and is there a big difference in price between those ultrabooks.
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