HP Envy 14 Spectre Ultrabook Review: Something More Than Envy

Conclusion: You Already Know If You Want It

I've used the phrase "you already know if you want it" for another review, but with the HP Envy 14 Spectre it again seems appropriate. This isn't a bad notebook necessarily, but its distinctive design does come with a series of caveats and compromises. No one else you know will have a notebook that looks or feels quite like it, but there are reasons for that.

On the plus side, HP crams nearly every state of the art wireless technology they can get their hands on into the Spectre. That means Bluetooth, 2x2 wireless-n connectivity, and Near Field Communication technology. There's also gigabit ethernet included, both HDMI and Mini-DisplayPort, and singles of USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports. While you could probably ask for a little more USB, the Spectre really does have most of what you need covered. Thunderbolt seems like a notable omission, but I'd actually expect to see that show up in a revision at some point unless the technology as a whole fails to gain traction.

Excellent system performance and low thermals are also accounted for, along with a replaceable battery (provided you have a torx screwdriver handy). Ivy Bridge has done wonders for driving up the performance of ultrabooks without sacrificing thermals or power consumption, and the cooling system HP uses for the Spectre is clearly an efficient one. The pair of SSDs are unusual, but appreciated nonetheless. Finally, a 900p screen in a 14" notebook is always going to be welcome.

So what's the problem? Well, the problem is that ASUS will sell you a comparably equipped Zenbook Prime for just $100 more than the base Spectre configuration (or $350 less than our review unit configuration). $1,499 gets you an ultrabook that's more than a pound lighter, has a higher resolution IPS display, and substantially better battery life. All you're really sacrificing for it is 100MHz off of the CPU, the ethernet port, and NFC. To me, that's tough to argue with.

Without a doubt, the Envy 14 Spectre is distinctive and has features that are undoubtedly going to be compelling to some users. Yet I'm at a loss to figure out exactly who this ultrabook is intended for when there are more portable options floating around. HP has a blend of style and substance here and should be applauded for creating something this unique, and the $1,399 starting price doesn't actually seem too high for what you're getting. I'm just not sure this kind of bling justifies itself in this market; whether or not I'm wrong remains to be seen.