HP Envy x360 13 13-ay0006AU (2020) Review with Manual / Guide - Similar to smartphones, portable computer devices or laptops come in various price segments, even with a much wider range. Among these ranges, there is a premium middle class laptop that is currently no less powerful. One of the most famous computer electronics manufacturers, HP recently updated a series of their “flexible” portable laptops, namely the HP Envy x360 13 2020. The x360 13 released at 17th April 2020.
For one month of use, I can say that this laptop is practically perfect, or at least very decent for the price offered. All of its features are almost of very good quality, beyond the expectation of a combination of a compact, thin, stylish but powerful device. Here's the review of HP Envy x360 13 13-ay0006AU 2020.
Specifications
- AMD Ryzen™ 7 processor
- Windows 10 Home Single Language 64 Plus
- 13.3" diagonal, FHD (1920 x 1080), multitouch-enabled, IPS, edge-to-edge glass, micro-edge, BrightView, Corning® Gorilla® Glass NBT™, 400 nits, 100% sRGB
- 16 GB DDR4-3200 SDRAM (onboard)
- 512 GB PCIe® NVMe™ M.2 SSD
- Limitless creation, from anywhere
- AMD Radeon™ Graphics
- 1 SuperSpeed USB Type-C® 10Gbps signaling rate (USB Power Delivery, DisplayPort™ 1.4, HP Sleep and Charge); 1 SuperSpeed USB Type-A 5Gbps signaling rate (HP Sleep and Charge); 1 SuperSpeed USB Type-A 5Gbps signaling rate; 1 AC smart pin; 1 headphone/microphone combo
- Up to 11 hours
Display
The screen specifications of the HP Envy x360 are quite good, suitable both for casual use, content creators who need high color accuracy, and graphic designers. The dimensions are quite fitting at 13.3 inches, with a micro-edge bezel that looks thin on all four sides. The panel used is IPS, full HD resolution, and supports 100% sRGB color.
Can light up to 400 nits, no problem with outdoor use or table facing windows. HP has also provided Corning Gorilla Glass NBT protection so you don't worry about getting scratched easily. Oh yes, this screen is also multi-touch, and supports stylus input which is included in the sales package.
The level of accuracy is practically close to the stylus owned by Apple Pencil or Surface Pen, and palm rejection technology is good enough to prevent hand touch when placed on the screen glass while drawing. The sensitivity is also good when used in tablet mode. Even though I have never used a touch screen laptop before, I often use it when this feature is on the HP Envy x360, to speed up the completion of daily tasks.
Design
Not inferior to the Specter series, this 2020 edition of the HP Envy 360 also comes with a very elegant appearance. The Nightfall black color variant is offered, has a dark gray color combination, uses a matte texture that feels smooth in the hand. A slight drawback may lie in the material which is a little easy to imprint fingerprints.
For a convertible laptop with a very powerful chipset, you could say that the dimensions are one of the smallest. Apart from being thin, it only weighs 1.32 kilograms, so it certainly doesn't overload your backpack or sling bag when it's being carried.
Can be rotated up to 360 degrees backwards, the hinge mechanism used by the HP Envy x360 feels very solid, so it remains stable even though it is given touch input on the screen. While the keyboard is quite large, it is very comfortable and only takes a short time to get used to. The touchpad area is not the biggest, but it is very sufficient, especially already using Windows Precision Driver.
What feels a little different, the power button for convertible laptops is usually located on the side of the body. But not for this laptop - it's placed next to the delete button. Maybe because it's so thin, huh. But don't worry, during use, I've never had a wrong push that made it die / sleep. Because to turn off, it needs to be pressed for a few seconds as a security feature.
And speaking of security, the capacitive fingerprint sensor is embedded in the area under the right of the keyboard. This sensor is very responsive and accurate, just put your finger very briefly, the screen lock opens instantly. While above the keyboard now looks plain, without the speaker grille which is now moved under the body.
Performance
This laptop comes with two SKUs, and it happens that the unit I am holding is the highest variant. The chipset used is one that is quite new from AMD, namely the AMD Ryzen 7 series 4700U octa-core with a clockspeed of up to 4.1GHz. The RAM used is of the onboard DDR4 type, so it can't be replaced or upgraded, but at least it's roomy enough at 16GB and is a dual-channel type.
While the storage is 512GB in size, use a type of PCIe NVMe SSD that has read speeds exceeding 3000MBps. With specifications like these, the HP Envy x360 is arguably very powerful. Want to be used to play games that are quite heavy, you can. For digital processing and video editing, of course it is suitable HP also provides a Command Center software where users can adjust to maximize performance.
With a performance that is arguably very fast for a portable laptop, there are a few drawbacks to this laptop. The temperature can be very hot, especially on the underside of the body. It doesn't feel up to the top surface, indeed, but it makes this laptop uncomfortable to use casually by placing it on the user's thigh.
But that is with a note when we use it in performance mode in the battery menu or Command Center, yes. If you use a battery saver, or Quiet mode, of course you don't overheat, and the performance is still very good. This laptop is only equipped with one fan, exhaled through the back of the body. Of course, it will sound very loud when performance mode is activated.
Battery
Actually there is nothing special about the battery capacity of the 2020 HP Envy x360, only use 3-cell 51Wh. I myself was pessimistic at first, especially seeing the claims on the official website that this laptop can be used for up to 12 hours. And it turned out to be proven, not according to claims, but still very satisfying. This laptop can last all day for casual use, without editing videos or playing games.
More or less, for using documents and browsing via Microsoft Edge, it can last for working hours or up to 10 hours. Depending on the mode and screen brightness used. Well, what I like best, the HP Envy x360 supports charging via the USB-C port. So I only need to bring a 65W GaN charger to charge my laptop and smartphone, it's much more practical.
Verdict
For as little as $679.99, you can get a compact, fast laptop that has a good score checklist on all sections. Convertible design, premium materials, bright and accurate screen, satisfying speakers, supports touch input plus a stylus in the sales package, to a highly responsive fingerprint sensor.
Those are still the extras, not to mention the fast performance brought by the fourth generation AMD Ryzen, and the long battery life. Can be charged using USB-C too. If you don't need Ryzen 7, friends can also save $143.16 by taking the Ryzen 5-4500U (with 8GB RAM) option for the 13-ay0005AU version of the SKU. Making the HP Envy x360 very worthy of being considered the best laptop in its price segment.
