Galaxyneon - HP has just expanded its line of Ultrabooks from two to five, and that’s not even counting this guy. And, the company also plans to sell so-called Sleekbooks — essentially, thin-and-light laptops that don’t quite meet Intel’s criteria for Ultrabooks. So what goodies to we have in store?
First up, there’s the 13.3-inch Envy Spectre XT, whose all-metal body looks nothing like the glass-class clad Envy 14 Spectre we reviewed earlier this year. As with its big brother, the major selling point here is design — in this case, a 3.07-pound machine with a 14.5mm-thick profile. As for specs, you can expect an Ivy Bridge CPU, paired with a 128GB SSD and a battery rated for eight hours of runtime.
Like the other Ultrabooks in HP’s stable, it makes room for a USB 3.0 port, HDMI and an Ethernet jack, and similar to other Envys it comes with full copies of Adobe Premiere Elements and Photoshop Elements, along with a two-year subscription to Norton Internet Security. We’re told the warranty on this Envy is one year, not two, but users owners do get a dedicated customer support line, for what that’s worth.
Moving on, HP’s Envy-branded Ultrabooks and “Sleekbooks” will be available in 14- and and 15.6-inch screen sizes in each category, though the Ultrabook configs are naturally Intel-based, while the Sleekbooks will pack Intel or AMD chips. With the Sleekbooks, too, you can also choose optional discrete graphics if there’s an Intel processor inside. (The AMD versions have “discrete-class” graphics, which is really just a nod to the all-inclusive design of AMD’s application processing units.)
If you go for the Sleekbook, you’ll also get up to nine hours of battery life; with the Intel-based Ultrabooks, that rating is eight or nine hours, depending on whether you opt for the 14- or 15-inch version. Of course, the Intel-based models are also home to various Intel-branded technologies, including Rapid Start, Identity Protection, Smart Response and Smart Connect.
One thing that won’t change is the industrial design: both the Ultrabooks and Sleekbooks will be offered in black and red. Both Ultrabooks are available today, starting at $750 for the 14-inch model and $800 for the 15-incher. The 14-inch Sleekbook is on sale today, too, starting at $700, though the 15-inch version doesn’t debut until June 20th, at which point it’ll start at $600. As for that Spectre XT, it’ll start at $1,000 and is expected to land June 8th. Until then, we’ve got a mix of photos, along with starting specs after the break.
Base specs
HP Envy Spectre XT
Starts at $999.99; available on June 8
- Operating system: Windows 7 Premium (64-bit)
- Display: 13.3-inches (1366 x 768 resolution)
- CPU: Available with third-generation Intel Core processors
- Memory: 4GB 1600MHz DDR3
- Storage: 128GB (up to 256GB) SSD
- Input devices: Backlit Keyboard and HP Imagepad
- Connectivity: 802.11a/g/n, 2×2 WLAN, Bluetooth, Intel Wireless Display
- Ports include: Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0 (1), HDMI
- Dimensions: 327 x 221 x 14.5 mm
- Weight: 3.07 lbs.
- Battery life: up to eight hours
- Included software: two-year subscription to Norton Internet Security, full versions of Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Elements 10
- Beats Audio with quad speakers
- HP CoolSense technology
- HP TrueVision HD Webcam
- One-year subscription to Absolute Data Protect
- Concierge phone line dedicated exclusively to HP ENVY Spectre owners
HP Envy Sleekbook (14-inch model)
Starts at $699.99; available on May 9
- Operating system: Windows 7 Premium (64-bit)
- Display: 14 inches (1366 x 768 resolution)
- CPU: available with second- or third-generation Intel Core processors
- Memory: 4GB 1600MHz DDR3
- Storage: 500GB HDD
- Connectivity: 802.11a/g/n
- Ports include: Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0 (2), USB 2.0 (1), HDMI, SD reader
- Weight: starting at 4 pounds
- Thickness: “as thin as 19.8 mm”
- Battery life: up to eight hours
- Beats Audio with dual speakers and a subwoofer
- HP CoolSense technology
- HP TrueVision HD Webcam
- HP Protect Smart
HP Envy Ultrabook (14-inch model)
Starts at $749.99; available on May 9
- Operating system: Windows 7 Premium (64-bit)
- Display: 14 inches (1366 x 768 resolution)
- CPU: available with second- or third-generation Intel Core processors
- Memory: 4GB 1600MHz DDR3
- Storage: 32GB (cache) mSATA with 500GB HDD
- Connectivity: 802.11a/g/n
- Ports include: Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0 (2), USB 2.0 (1), HDMI, SD reader
- Weight: starting at 4 pounds
- Thickness: “as thin as 19.8 mm”
- Battery life: up to eight hours
- Beats Audio with dual speakers and a subwoofer
- HP CoolSense technology
- HP TrueVision HD Webcam
- HP Protect Smart
- Intel Technologies: Rapid Start, Identity Protection Technology, Smart Response and
- Smart Connect Technologies
HP Envy Sleekbook (15.6-inch model)
Starts at $599.99; available on June 20
- Operating system: Windows 7 Premium (64-bit)
- Display: 15.6 inches (1366 x 768 resolution)
- CPU: a second-generation AMD APU
- Memory: 4GB 1600MHz DDR3
- Storage: 320GB HDD
- Connectivity: 802.11a/g/n
- Ports include: Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0 (2), USB 2.0 (1), HDMI, SD reader
- Weight: starting at 4 pounds
- Thickness: “as thin as 19.8 mm”
- Battery life: up to nine hours
- Beats Audio with dual speakers and a subwoofer
- HP CoolSense technology
- HP TrueVision HD Webcam
- HP Protect Smart
HP Envy Ultrabook (15.6-inch model)
Starts at $799.99; available on May 9
- Operating system: Windows 7 Premium (64-bit)
- Display: 15.6 inches (1366 x 768 resolution)
- CPU: available with second- or third-generation Intel Core processors
- Memory: 4GB 1600MHz DDR3
- Storage: 32GB (cache) mSATA with 500GB HDD
- Connectivity: 802.11a/g/n
- Ports include: Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0 (2), USB 2.0 (1), HDMI, SD reader
- Weight: starting at 4 pounds
- Thickness: “as thin as 19.8 mm”
- Battery life: up to nine hours
- Beats Audio with dual speakers and a subwoofer
- HP CoolSense technology
- HP TrueVision HD Webcam
- HP Protect Smart
- Intel Technologies: Rapid Start, Identity Protection Technology, Smart Response and
- Smart Connect Technologies