HP ENVY 14-3010NR Spectre 14-Inch Ultrabook Review

HP ENVY Spectre, a 14-inch Ultrabook and the world’s first multi surface glass notebook, is now available in online stores. The HP ENVY 14-3010NR Spectre features a super durable and scratch resistant glass surface combined with aluminum body. It features Beats Audio, an HP Radiance Backlit keyboard that lights up when you get closer and automatically dims when you go away, and many many more cools features. Let’s take a look at HP ENVY 14 Spectre’s complete specifications below.

Advertisements

HP ENVY 14-3010NR Spectre Specifications

Dimensions: 12.88 x 8.7 x .79 inches
Weight: 3.97 lbs
Display: 14-inch HD+ Radiance LED backlit
Resolution: 1600×900
Processor: Inter Core i5-2467M 1.60GHz (2 cores/4 threads, 3MB Cache, Turbo Boost at 2.3GHz)
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Video Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000, up to 1696MB graphics memory
Memory: 4GB DDR3 RAM clock at 1333MHz
Hard Drive: 128GB Solid State Drive (up to 256GB)
Wireless Connection: Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6230 802.11 a/b/g/n WLAN + Bluetooth with WiDi
External Ports: 1 USB 3.0, 1 USB 2.0, 1 mini-DisplayPort, 1 HDMI port, 1 RJ-45 LAN, 1 headphone-out and microphone-in combo

HP ENVY 14 Spectre Features and Highlights

  • Near Field Communication
  • Beats Audio
  • HP CoolSense
  • Full Size Keyboard
  • Digital Media Reader
  • Ulta-light all aluminum body
  • Super Durable and Scratch resistant Glass Surface
  • HP TrueVision HD Webcam
  • Integrated Dual omni-directional digital microphones
  • Long lasting battery like up to 9.5 hours
  • Includes Full versions of Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements software
  • 2 years of Norton Internet Security 2012

HP ENVY 14-3010NR Spectre Review: The Looks

First look at the HP ENVY 14 Spectre will tell you that this is no ordinary laptop. In fact it’s a high-class laptop with elegant and superb craftsmanship. The scratch resistant glass surface looks pretty good and feels tough. The aluminum body makes this ultrabook feels lighter and sturdier.

HP ENVY 14-3010NR Spectre Review: Keyboard and Trackpad

The keys on its keyboard are well spaced. Not to far from each other. It offers better typing experience compared to other Ultrabooks. The keys in the keyboard are backlit, definitely a plus factor. Trackpad is not that perfect but generally better.

Photo Credits: Steffan Piper
Photo Credits: Steffan Piper

HP ENVY 14-3010NR Spectre Review: Performance

The HP ENVY 14 Spectre is not the fastest Ultrabook out there. It’s powered by a second generation Intel Core i5 processor clock at 1.6GHz with Intel HD Graphics 3000. General use like browsing the internet, watching HD movies, listening to music, word processing, some image and video editing, and the likes are very doable with the HP ENVY 14 Spectre.

Light to medium games can be played also. But games like Crysis or Call of Duty 4, that demands a better and higher graphics processing power, this Ultrabook is not designed for these kind of games. If you need a gaming laptop, you might want to look at Alienware m17x10-1847DSB 17‐Inch Gaming Laptop or ASUS G74SX-DH71 Full HD 17.3-Inch LED ROG Gaming Laptop.

Photo Credits: Steffan Piper

HP ENVY 14-3010NR Spectre Review: Display and Audio

It has a stunning and cutting edge display. No further adjustments needed. The display is very pleasing to the eyes and relaxing. I bet you could even stare and use the HP ENVY 14 Spectre even in longer periods without straining your eyes.

The HP ENVY 14-3010NR Spectre features Beats giving a better and fuller audio output. They say that Beats is just a gimmick like in HTC smartphone phones, but it is not. Beats greatly improves the audio quality compared to laptops or ultrabooks that carries regular stereo speakers. You can see the Beat button and volume racker at the side of the HP Envy 14 Spectre.

Photo Credits: Steffan Piper

HP ENVY 14-3010NR Spectre Review: Other features to consider

This ultrabook is WiDi enabled (Intel Wireless Display). With this technology you can transmit what’s in or what you see on your laptop to your TV or big screen without wires. The HP ENVY 14 Spectre ultrabook also has a NFC capability built with it. It can connect wirelessly with NFC-enabled devices like Android smartphones with ease.

Unlike other laptops or ultrabooks built with camera that has poor quality, you might be surprised with the camera built with HP ENVY 14 Spectre. Its built in camera produce smooth images and is resilient to light changes. With additional lighting, it can produce a very clear and sharp image.

HP ENVY 14-3010NR Spectre Review: Battery Life

According to its official specs, the battery life of HP ENVY 14 Spectre is supposed to reach 9 hours. However during actual use, it only reached an average of 5 hours. When compared to other Ultrabooks which has an average battery life of only 4 hours or more, the HP ENVY 14 Spectre has a better battery life.

I guess you could reach 7 or even 8 hours when using very minimal tasks and you have to turn off some features or lower the display brightness.

Photo Credits: Steffan Piper

HP ENVY 14-3010NR Spectre Review: Conclusion

The HP ENVY 14 Spectre Ultrabook is definitely a good looking and sleek ultrabook. It’s not that powerful, compared to the Intel Core i7 powered ultrabooks, but it’s not that bad either. Price is definitely expensive, but it compensates for the features that the HP ENVY 14 Spectre has to offer.

If you need more processing power (like a Core i7 powered ultrabook), and a bigger display, you might also want to look at the 15.6-inch and Intel Core i7 powered HP ENVY 15-3040NR 15.6 Inch Ultrabook here.

Advertisements

Comments

One response to “HP ENVY 14-3010NR Spectre 14-Inch Ultrabook Review”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.