A slight issue we found in this rather beautiful design was the keyboard. The aluminium chassis produces a rather annoying flex when you tap away at the keys, so much so that you can actually feel a slight warp underneath your fingers due to the pressure. The lifted hinge design of the HP Envy 13 does alleviate the typing issue a bit , but this too comes at the cost of stability of the device when you place it on your lap.
The HP Envy 13 also features the backlight feature for its keypad, and while its a welcome addition at this price point, do keep in mind, that the brightness cannot be adjusted. Its either turned on or off.
The touchpad is also a bit of a swing and a miss, as the size itself is small, though not overly small. Considering the rather significant amount of negative space available above the touchpad, HP could have increased the size a tad bit more. Another spot of bother is that the touchpad is not precision certified, which can lead to erratic behavior by the same at times. Multi-Touch gestures, however, work perfectly and the fingerprint sensor provided can be used to sign into the device as well.
As always, HP has included B&O speakers in this device, and thankfully, the speakers are upward firing. This is much better when it comes to dispersing sound, but the overall quality of the output is a bit of a bother. They sound tends to get distorted at the highs and the low ends are minimal to non existent at times.
All in all, the HP Envy 13 comes with a mixed package in terms of design. Yes, for the price point, we cannot really expect world class specs, but something as simple as a more robust keypad and precision touchpad wouldn’t have gone amiss.
