Pros
- Full HD touchscreen
- Intel Core i7 CPU for demanding users
- A massive 512 GB storage
- Good battery life
- Competitive price point
Cons
- No ethernet port
Convertible laptops might not have become the smash hit everyone thought they would a few years back but there's undoubtedly still a niche that's very interested in these devices which keep getting updates and interesting specs alongside the more traditional laptop format.
For many people, a highly efficient laptop that can double as a tablet is pretty much the dream, albeit a slightly larger tablet than most of us are used to. One brand in particular has managed to take this segment by storm, we're talking, of course, about HP and their Envy x360 lineup.
Today, we're here to review one of the latest models to launch within this lineup, specifically the HP Envy x360 15-dr1072ms.
Technical specifications
- Model HP Envy x360 15-dr1072ms
- Dimensions 14.2 x 9.7 x 0.7 inches
- Weight 4.5 pounds
- IPS backlit WLED panel | 15.6 inch
- Resolution Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels)
- Processor Intel Core i7-10510U | 4 cores | Up to 4.9 GHz
- RAM 8GB (DDR4)
- Graphics Controller Intel UHD Graphics (Integrated)
- Storage 512GB (SSD)
- Battery 4-cell (Lithium)
- Operating System Windows 10 Home
- Connectivity Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5, USB 3.2 (Type C) USB 3.2 (Type A) HDMI Multi-format card reader Audio combo connector HD webcam Digital microphone
- Fingerprint reader
Who's it for?
In a nutshell, this laptop is an excellent option for both students and professionals alike. Its powerful 10th generation i7 processor along with its 8 GB of RAM assure us a fluid performance and its massive 512 GB of SSD storage is more than enough to store our entire media library whilst also giving us a significant speed boast on everything we do.
Essentially a laptop that's perfectly suited for anything from streaming movies to programming, doing some light picture retouching - emphasis on light - , and of course editing spreadsheets and having 15 browser tabs open at a time whilst you listen to your favorite playlist is pretty much a given with these specs. Essentially: a powerhouse.
Design and Panel
The design of this Envy x360 fully meets the demands of a full throttle convertible: strong, grippy hinges that are easy to open and close, and ergonomic body on top of a classy design that never goes out of style that's coated by a sandblasted anodized finish.
The base, like the screen cover, is molded in silver plastic, with a good grip and pleasant touch. The backlit keyboard offers good aisles and wide keys with good response. As expected in a full-sized laptop, it does feature a dedicated numeric pad on the side, ideal for long number crunching sessions.
Moving onto the display, the 15-dr1072ms reviewed features a nice 15.6-inch display (WLED IPS) with a welcomed Full HD resolution and a brightness that goes as far as 250 nits, that's rather alright for a laptop and well within the range we're accustomed to. In fact, its the crisp and clear screen one of the features that's been most prominently regarded by its users.
Obviously, it's a responsive screen since we're talking about a convertible over here and, as is usual within this lineup its hinges will rotate a whole 360 degrees to leave the screen atop the keyboard, almost completely transforming it into a pretty massive tablet.
Let's talk about the key components and performance
This convertible is also powered by a pretty hardcore processor: the 10th generation Intel Core i7-10510U with 4 cores. It runs at a base frequency of 1.8 GHz and can go up to 4.9 GHz with Intel's Turbo Boost Technology.
This is a pretty good processor, one of the best ones you can get within the consumer laptop landscape and will definitely deliver big on performance. Also, a really neat feature of the current i7 lineup is that it used to be a very power-hungry model, however, in recent iterations Intel has managed to deliver the power of an i7 with the power consumption of a Core i5.
As far as system memory is concerned, you're more than covered with a base 8 GB of DDR4 RAM. That's enough for most users and you'll be able to comfortable browse the web, listen to music and stream movies without lag. However, if you want to get the most out of the CPU you can always opt to upgrade the RAM which according to Crucial, can be upgraded all the way to 64 GB.
Personally, I wouldn't go that far, it's a bit of an overkill, but a solid 16 GB would definitely future-proof your laptop for years to come and it's quite an affordable upgrade.
Storage-wise, HP has endowed this model with a very generous 512 GB of SSD storage. That's massive and far more then what you would've gotten just a few years back for the same price point.
Basically, with 512 GB you're pretty much free to store your entire media library and have it ready to go. Aditionally, if your previous laptop featured a mechanical hard drive then you're in for a massive treat in terms of speed and performance like you wouldn't believe.
So, what does all of this mean? What Can I do with this laptop?
Basically, with this set of key specs we're looking at a powerhouse laptop capable of dealing with pretty much anything you throw at it (except gaming).
You can edit videos, stream movies, do some graphic design work (light), surf the internet with 20 tabs open at a time, learn to program, edit work presentations, chat with friends on Zoom or Skype, listen to music and do any combination of all the above things mentioned at the same time. AKA: A Full Throttle Convertible.
Battery life and Connectivity
A big part of developing an attractive convertible is to provide it with enough juice that we can carry it along everywhere we go without taking the charging cable with us.
With this in mind HP has never been one to disappoint on that front and, as several users claim, this model is capable of delivering a solid 7 hour battery life without worrying much about saving energy and a bit more when taking this into account.
Variety of connectors for all uses
Connnectivity is also a big deal when it comes to portability and in that sense HP still delivers with a USB 3.2 Type C port, 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, an HDMI port, 3.5 mm audio output, and a reader. multi-format SD card.
As expected on a flashy new convertible launched in 2020 it also features WiFi 6 as well as Bluetooth 5 and a nice HD webcam alongside an integrated microphone and the traditional Bang and Olufsen Speakers that are more of a branding matter than anything else if we're being truthful here.
Verdict: Is it worth it?
Few laptops deliver so much at such a good price, the HP 15-dr1072ms reviewed today is one of such strange occurrences.
It basically doesn't drop the ball anywhere, it's got a solid processor to meet the needs of demanding users, enough RAM to deal well with multitasking - though it can be upgraded - more than enough storage to store your entire media library, a generous battery life and an extensive connectivity suite to allow you to not have to carry a dongle everywhere you go. What more is there to say? It's perfect.