Conclusion Get the lowdown
Features How it compares
Performance Real world benchmarks
Differences Technical showdown
Reviews Word on the street
Competition Others to consider
Discussion Answers and opinions

Full specs

HP Envy 14 Spectre

14"
Core i5 1.6 GHz Dual core
4 GB DDR3-1333
256 GB

Released February, 2012

It seems far fetched today, now that we know the company had laptops like the lightweight, long-lasting Folio 13 and the powerful yet relatively inexpensive Envy series up its sleeves.

Rated 80% by by The Verge (Mar, 2012)

Conclusion Check out the HP Envy 14 Spectre

HP Envy 14 Spectre

Apple MacBook Pro 8th Gen

Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga

68%

89%

88%

FeaturesView Details

44%

64%

100%

Popularity

72%

100%

75%

PerformanceView Details

77%

88%

78%

ReviewsView Details

SortableScore

First reviewed February, 2012

Features Key features of the HP Envy 14 Spectre

1.6 GHz

Intel Core i5 2467M

It feels dense in the hand, all that glass can't help the weight, but it's certainly lighter than, say, a 15-inch MacBook Pro.

Rated 81% by by c|net (Mar, 2012)

screen size

Envy 14 Spectre14"

Series 7 Chronos15.6"

MacBook Pro with Retina Display15.4"

At 14" I was very concerned about the small screen, but it's so sharp, so clear and so breathtaking that even out of the box with no adjustment this thing dazzles.

Envy 14 Spectre by Steffan-Piper

I also do think 14 inches is the PERFECT screen size.

Envy 14 Spectre by Lady-Stardust (Dec, 2012)

screen resolution

HP Envy 14 Spectre

1600 x 900 resolution screen

Envy 14 Spectre 1600 x 900 resolution screen

Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display

2880 x 1800 resolution screen

MacBook Pro with Retina Display 2880 x 1800 resolution screen

Apple MacBook Pro 8th Gen

1280 x 800 resolution screen

MacBook Pro 8th Gen 1280 x 800 resolution screen

The 14-inch display has a native resolution of 1,600x900 pixels, which is acceptable for a higher-end laptop, and better than the 1,366x768 pixels found on most other ultrabooks and most mainstream midsize laptops.

Envy 14 Spectre by c|net (Mar, 2012)

The screen is nice with the higher than normal ultrabook resolution (though it is a little easier to see the pixels than some other newer screens).

Envy 14 Spectre by Tyler-D (Feb, 2013)

cpu speed

0 GHz

MacBook Pro with Retina Display2.7 GHz

Envy 14 Spectre1.6 GHz

MacBook Pro Z0GL-R2.53 GHz

3 GHz

Click to EnlargeThe HP Envy 14 Spectre delivers impressive performance in our testing, thanks to a 1.6-GHz Intel Core i5-2467M processor with 4GB of RAM, a 128GB SSD drive and an Intel HD 3000 Graphics GPU.

Envy 14 Spectre by LaptopMag (Mar, 2012)

But is this daring choice, along with fitting a 14in screen into a 13in-equivalent chassis, enough to set it apart and justify its £1,200 price – especially since this puts it up against the Samsung Series 9 900X3B and Apple Macbook AirAt first glance its specifications are nothing too out of the ordinary, with the usual selection of Intel Core i5 and i7 processors backed by 4GB of RAM, while graphics are provided by the default Intel integrated HD 3000 solution.

Envy 14 Spectre by TrustedReviews (Aug, 2012)

processor

HP Envy 14 Spectre

Dual core

Envy 14 Spectre Dual core

Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display

Quad core

MacBook Pro with Retina Display Quad core

SAMSUNG Series 7 Chronos

Quad core

Series 7 Chronos Quad core

The previous generation core i5 processor handles multiple tabs, music and netflix with no hangups or glitches at all.

Envy 14 Spectre by Tyler-D (Feb, 2013)

It's a 1.6ghz i5 processor with basic Intel graphics.

Envy 14 Spectre by I.-Armstrong

memory

0 GB

MacBook Pro with Retina Display8 GB

Envy 14 Spectre4 GB

IdeaPad Yoga8 GB

8 GB

I have upgraded to 8GB of RAM using Crucial's 1.35v model to spare draining the battery with the.

Envy 14 Spectre by M.-Stoddard (Sep, 2012)

To upgrade the RAM, you literally need to disassemble it.

Envy 14 Spectre by Whiskers (Jun, 2012)

Performance Real world tests of HP Envy 14 Spectre

3DMark06 CPU

Envy 14 Spectre2,421.2

XPS 1553,433

MacBook Pro 8th Gen6,971

Performance on CNET Labs' multitasking and single-app benchmark tests was nearly identical among the current lineup of ultrabooks, most of which have the same or a very similar low-voltage Core i5.

Envy 14 Spectre by c|net (Mar, 2012)

Laptop performance has greatly evened out in recent years, and unlike the benchmark arms race I used to see on the desktop side, here one can generally expect laptops in the same class to perform similarly, as they all share a handful of common CPUs.

Envy 14 Spectre by c|net (Mar, 2012)

battery life

0 hour9 hour

Envy 14 Spectre 9 hour

Series 7 Chronos 4.5 hour

MacBook Pro 8th Gen 7 hour

It has everything I need: it's powerful (with i7 and HD4000), has amazing sound quality, very stylish and sturdy body, great keyboard, amazing 14" screen covered with glass, great battery life, average weight and good package (case and nice set up of the software)!

Envy 14 Spectre by Alex-S. (Sep, 2012)

The big, bright 14-inch screen, backlit keyboard, NFC antenna, and specialized audio system must take a bite out of the Spectre's battery life.

Envy 14 Spectre by c|net (Mar, 2012)

cinebench r10 32Bit

Envy 14 Spectre5,891

MacBook Pro 8th Gen22,268.7

IdeaPad Yoga8,516.7

Our analysis How does it stack up against its top 10 competitors

pros

Really high resolution camera

Unknown
Phenomenal battery life

9 hour
Light

1,719 g
Thin

20 mm
Fast RAM

DDR3-1333
Is hyperthreaded
Sharp screen

131 ppi
Really fast USB

572 MB/s (USB 3.0)
Newly release date

Feb, 2012

cons

Limited storage capacity

256 GB
Sluggish turbo speed

2.3 GHz (Intel Core i5 2467M)
Slow processor

1.6 GHz (Intel Core i5 2467M)
Lacks a memory card reader

can't read a camera or phone memory card
Somewhat limited amount of RAM

4 GB
Many fewer USB ports

1
Not much l2 cache

0.5 MB (Intel Core i5 2467M)
Bad CPU benchmark score

23.27
Small screen

14"
Isn't full HD

1080p video will need to be scaled down to fit on the screen
Bad cinebench r10 32Bit

5,891 (Intel Core i5 2467M)
Bad 3DMark06 CPU

2,421.2 (Intel Core i5 2467M)

full specs

Reviews Word on the street

	Read the review (Mar, 2012) The $1,899 model features an Intel Core i7-2677M processor, 4GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD drive and Intel HD 3000 Graphics.

	Rated 70% Read the review (Aug, 2012) Combined with superb dark detailing and punchy colours - lent a little extra something by the glass covering the screen - this is a pretty good display for both work and play.

	Rated 80% Read the review (Mar, 2012) It's nowhere near perfect (it's glossy enough you'll want to use it in darker spaces) but it's wonderfully crisp, clear, gets nice and bright without washing out, and has fairly decent viewing angles to boot.

	Rated 81% Read the review (Mar, 2012) That said, I would not have thumbed my nose at a 1,920x1,080-pixel option, especially as the screen is clear and bright, and has excellent off-axis viewing angles.

	Rated 77% by 56 users at amazon.com My last laptop was a Folio 13 (great ultrabook as well) but the backlit keyboard on the Folio doesn't come close to this one, and I liked that keyboard a lot. Rated 100% by by M.-Resnick (Apr, 2013) With an overhead lamp above me, the camera performed perfectly and produced a very clear image, unlike the typical washed out images cheap webcams make. Rated 100% by by JCEL--Joe (Mar, 2012) It's highly accurate, the glass surface feels exactly like what you get from Apple, multi-touch gestures work perfectly. Rated 60% by by malkovich (May, 2012)

Screen

By the way, don't assume that the Gorilla Glass cover makes the display okay to abuse: while it'll definitely protect from accidental dings and scratches (and if you're lucky, a drop or two) there's no air gap between the glass and the actual LCD panel.

HP Envy 14 Spectre 14", 1.6 GHz, 4 GB, 256 GB | Rated 80% by by The Verge (Mar, 2012)

I've also spotlighted the screen's ability and look by playing a video from youtube - right out of the box.

HP Envy 14 Spectre 14", 1.6 GHz, 4 GB, 256 GB | Rated 100% by by Steffan-Piper

the display is amazingly good and the speaker and sounds is crystal.

HP Envy 14 Spectre 14", 1.6 GHz, 4 GB, 256 GB | Rated 100% by by aenkz (Feb, 2013)

Body

If this is your price point, and you're looking for a wonderfully made, sleek and fast performing PC - then this is it.

HP Envy 14 Spectre 14", 1.6 GHz, 4 GB, 256 GB | Rated 100% by by Steffan-Piper

I'm not going to write a book about this laptop, but I have to say that I've been very happy with my choice and that it has worked great while having a super sleek and cool appearance.

HP Envy 14 Spectre 14", 1.6 GHz, 4 GB, 256 GB | Rated 100% by by CatlinSTJ (Sep, 2012)

If you want performance and style and a great price, you cannot go wrong with this purchase.

HP Envy 14 Spectre 14", 1.6 GHz, 4 GB, 256 GB | Rated 100% by by Aquapetlover (Oct, 2012)

Storage

She used to have external hard disk for game download and photos, so 128 storage is good enough for her.

HP Envy 14 Spectre 14", 1.6 GHz, 4 GB, 256 GB | Rated 80% by by Ko (Aug, 2012)

Quick, but not a gaming machine With a 1.6GHz Core i5-2467M processor, 4GB of DDR3 memory and 128GB of solid state storage (a Core i7 chip and a second 128GB SSD are available for $200 and $300 more), the HP 14 Spectre is pretty much your standard ultrabook as far as benchmarks are concerned.

HP Envy 14 Spectre 14", 1.6 GHz, 4 GB, 256 GB | Rated 80% by by The Verge (Mar, 2012)