HP Envy 13-ba0002na 13.3-Inch Full HD Touch-screen Laptop (Natural Silver) (Intel Core i5-1035G1, 8 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, Windows 10 Home)

The media could not be loaded. The finish is described as natural silver aluminium, whilst being sandblasted and anodized in an all metal chassis. It really is stunning. Slightly heavier than expected which may be subliminal, expect a 1920x1080 full HD IPS screen, which is touch sensitive and a fingerprint magnet, but exceptionally bright at 1000 nits. Charging can reach 50% in thirty minutes, and advertised battery life of 10.25 hours is achievable, as long as you use the battery saving technology, limit brightness, and let go of bluetooth and location respectively. Sound quality is impressive, although not superb, as speaker placement might be questionned by some. The speakers are positioned under the left and right lower contours, either side of the trackpad, so airflow matters. You will need two hands to prise the screen open, as the hinge has been redesigned to a central affair which is relatively firm. At the time of writing, the hinge, which was something of an achilles heel in previous models, is holding strong (note since added below). The fingerprint sensor is fine also, and the quick release buttons for the camera and volume controls work really well. Connectivity comes in the form of a micro sd card reader, two USB type A connectors, a headphone socket and a thunderbolt C port. To be honest, it's a superb purchase, but compromises have been made. The camera quality is a little raw but still functional, and the graphics card/video memory rarely get you beyond first base. Although you will be able to play more dated games like Alan Wake, or the remastered Gears of War, as long as the titles aren't overly next gen and you tweak the settings as you need to. Two quick points which may be of interest: (a) there is a full temperature vent opposite the hinge, which will likely push hot air up the screen; and (b) HP have introduced software which almost allows for a silent fan, as long as you take the hit on processing power (screenshot attached for those looking for the HP Command Center, which is where you apply the necessary tweaks). I did have a few issues initially with the cursor repositioning itself whilst typing, although that appears to be a Windows 10/trackpad fault, so go through the bespoke settings as carefully as you can when setting up, and you'll get there. For those wanting to upgrade their hardware following the transition to home working, this is heavily recommended but do consider the different models carefully. I picked up the entry level version for £850.00 across five instalments, but one or two may need the additional horsepower so do your homework (said politely). And I've included a screenprint for HP's proprietry software, which makes finding information about your warranty, updating your bios, and optimising everything something of a breeze. Don't expect perfection, but you will probably be a little bit proud of what you've purchased, unless you change your ultrabooks on the fly and don't tolerate compromise in any context. I think they achieved a sensible balance, personally, and Wifi reach is the strongest I've had on any device, period.......Note 1 - the left hinge failed after 4.5 months, but the manufacturer has agreed a warranty repair with courier collection and return, although I may use it as a desktop replacement going forward as it's still a great PC (the hinges on each side are likely screwed vertically into a plastic base, which may not be strong enough to support the weight/torque involved - presumably there's a reason they didn't adopt metal foundations, and just bury the issue permanently?Note 2 - if the fan is a concern for you, press F12 to gain fast access to the differing thermal profiles, and choose the last option which renders the fan minimal, barely audible and generally silent.

I've been using this for about 4 weeks. First impression: it's lightweight, nice design, slim, easy to set up, keyboard feels comfortable, touchscreen seems good, it works easily with all my usual software, both mainstream (e.g. Word, Excel, etc) and some specialist programs I need to use for work. It was very easy to move everything over to the new laptop and continue with work projects I'd started.My only small criticisms so far:It says in the description that it has multi SD card slots. It actually has a micro SD slot. Thats a minor issue, but if you need anything else, you'll have to buy an SD card reader with a USB plug.My previous laptop had a black keyboard with white lettering, which was very easy to see. I am a reasonably good typist, so don't normally look at the keys, but on this one the lettering is much harder to see, especially if the light is shining on the keyboard, so if you're not a touch typist, you might not get on well with this keyboard.The battery life isn't too good - around 5-6 hours. Again, not really an issue for me as I use it at home so can easily plug in when needed, but perhaps a problem if you're planning to use it out and about.Other than that, I'm happy so far.

Updated review: defective product. The bottom of the screen popped out and cracked the entire screen when opening the laptop. My little sister bought the same laptop on my advice and the exact the same thing happened to hers. We live in completely different cities. Something about the design makes the screen pop out. I’m sad since I really like everything else about this laptop.Old review: Very good laptop for the price. Good specs. I'm a post graduate student so the camera and in built microphone have really smoothed out the virtual classroom experience. It also gets points for having a slick design and being quite slim to carry around

I wanted a good reliable touch screen laptop and this is exactly what was needed. Nice and easy to use, very reliable and quick charging time with long battery life.

Screen view has very bad reflection issues. I’ve had to buy a stand to tilt the laptop. Even then, on zoom / teams meetings, I can hardly see the other attendeesKeyboard buttons don’t scroll either which is infuriating when you’re trying to highlight or erase area, letter by letter. You can use the mouse pad though

We got this for our daughter for her zoom classes when schools closed at Christmas. She's only 5 and figured it out really quickly and loves the touch screen element. A brilliant laptop with some great additions

The product is lovely and very portable

I'd give it a 5 star as this is really a premium machine, but the Sure View ruined it, which greatly reduced the viewing angle and brightness. This is equivalent to a TN panel screen.Fortunately I am only using my external dual monitors.