Analyzed: HP Envy 6

A couple of days ago we reviewed one of HP's latest offerings, the Envy 4 ultrabook. We also got a chance to play around with the other offering from HP, the big brother to the 4 (at least in terms of size), the HP Envy 6. Honestly there isn't much to be said since we tested the Envy 4 since the specs are virtually identical. We have listed the differences between the two below:

1. Screen size is 15.6" on the Envy 6 vs. 14" on the Envy 4
2. 4 speakers instead of 2 (and no built in sub woofer)
3. Digital media card reader
4. Weight: 4.75lbs

That's it. The display on the Envy 6's 15.6" screen is definitely not as striking as compared to the Envy 4. Yes they have the same dedicated graphics card but you don't get the same clarity on the bigger display. It would have done HP some good to bump up the resolution at least on the bigger display. And despite having the same battery capacity we definitely did not get the same amount of time on a single charge. We clocked a little over 7 hours with the Envy 6. A 500GB hard drive is standard on all machines but we wish the option to replace it with a SSD was available (just like the Envy 4). You do get the choice of Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional for your operating system. With its brushed metal finish, the packaging is very sleek and the options are the same as the smaller version. Sound quality is also above par but lacks that little extra oomph you get out of the built in subwoofer in the Envy 4.

At the end of the day the Envy 6 costs more than the Envy 4 and unless you want a bigger screen, we would recommend sticking with the smaller version. It is definitely more bang for your buck. And you will definitely want to uninstall a lot of the bloatware that comes pre-installed on the system.

Our Rating: 

The HP Envy 6 is currently on sale in India at a starting price of around Rs. 47,000 (~$850).