HP Envy x2 with Intel CPU review: Just awful — but not for the reasons you'd expect

HP is on the forefront of releasing new and heady hardware in the Windows ecosystem. The HP Envy x2 with ARM is 1 of our favorite devices, partially due to the overall design and execution.

That makes the Envy x2 with an Intel processor instead of ARM just ... baffling. Although the CPU is excellent, HP went and changed the keyboard and kickstand with consequences to usability, and so much so that it is hard to recommend the Intel version.

HP Envy x2 with Intel CPU – what's new?

HP announced the Green-eyed x2 in late 2022, but even before that version hit the streets in the spring of 2022, the company had announced at CES 2022 that a variant with an Intel processor was on the fashion. That's not too unusual as companies often release variations of devices with different CPU and hardware configurations.

Category	HP Envy x2 (ARM)
Processor	Intel Core i5-7Y54 (7th Gen)
Retentiveness	4GB
Storage	128GB Grand.2 SSD
Graphics	Intel HD Graphics 615
Display	12.three-inch WUXGA+ (1920 X 1280) Corning Gorilla Drinking glass
Keyboard	Backlit, Elan Touchpad
Fabric	Metallic
Camera	5MP front-facing 13MP rear globe-facing
Stylus	North-Trig HP Pen (included)
Wireless	Intel XMM 7360 LTE-A Intel 802.11b/g/n/air conditioning (2x2) Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.ii Philharmonic
Ports	Two USB-C (Gen 1, DisplayPort one.3 Power Commitment), microSD, headphone and mic, SIM tray
Security	Windows Hullo facial recognition
Battery	49.33 WHr
Weight	Tablet: 1.72 lbs (0.78 kg) With keyboard: two.53 lbs (1.15 kg)
Dimensions (W ten D x H)	11.54 in x 8.28 in x 0.31 in
Price	$1,149

Take the Green-eyed x2 with ARM, make information technology virtually a millimeter thicker, a few grams heavier and replace the Snapdragon 835 with a 7th Gen Intel Core i5-7Y54, and you lot have HP Green-eyed x2 (12-g018nr).

Also, there are smaller, more than subtle changes compared to the ARM variant, including:

A 2nd USB Type-C port on the right.
Elan touchpad instead of Microsoft Precision.
Unmarried book rocker instead of a split up push button.
The headphone jack is on the lower left-hand side (instead of right).
Ambience lite sensor for the brandish.
Two (instead of three) far-field microphones.
The pocket-size ridge around the camera (for keyboard cover).
Intel XMM 7360 modem (versus Snapdragon x16).
Thicker at 0.31 inches (vii.88 mm) compared to 0.27 inches (6.86 mm)
Windows ten Home instead of Windows x S (which upgrades to Pro for gratis).

All of this is good for a 2-in-1 PC in 2022, merely HP too inverse one other thing that will have dire consequences for the usefulness of this device: the keyboard and folio embrace.

Other things yous lose with the Intel organization is the "always on" capability, equally the Intel organisation volition hibernate later a few hours of standby resulting in a longer resume time. This feature besides means that Skype calls e'er come in regardless of how long the device is resting, and there are audible email alerts. The ARM version being ever-on similar a smartphone means the Cortana far-field microphones are enabled making the Green-eyed x2 with ARM an platonic Cortana assistant. Finally, at that place is battery life. The ARM version will get about i.5 times the bombardment life of a similar Intel system, which is substantial.

Keyboard and encompass are utterly terrible

Note the difference in trackpads on the Green-eyed x2 with ARM (left) and Envy x2 with Intel (right).

For usability reasons, HP decided to go with the older way of keyboard and folio cover design with the Intel version of the Green-eyed x2. Instead of a single, adaptable hinge for the kickstand, the Intel version uses a pull-out-and-reset manner that Samsung was known to utilize a few years ago.

The result is ane of the most frustrating PC experiences I can think. Due to this modify, the Intel HP Envy x2 now has a shorter keyboard base; only two angles for positioning; and a significantly smaller trackpad.

With nearly a quarter of the keyboard base at present used to create a delta for the kickstand, the keyboard is awkwardly brusk. When placed in the lap, the Envy x2 naturally wants to fall back at even the slightest angle, making this mobile device far from ideal.

The trackpad is also now significantly shorter, which makes using information technology less enjoyable. To brand matters worse, HP is using an Elan touchpad instead of the Microsoft Precision one found in the ARM version.

The pull-out-and-reset is clumsy, takes longer, has reduced viewing angles, and you lot must keep your hands on the keyboard when it's in your lap otherwise information technology may tip back and autumn off.

The different kickstands on the Envy x2 with ARM (left) and Envy x2 with Intel (right).

All of this is made worse because clearly HP figured out the correct design with the ARM version. Part of the reason I loved the HP Envy x2 with ARM is due to the design: it's thinner, lighter, and better to use with a keyboard. Take abroad the excellent trackpad, make it smaller, brand the keyboard base shorter, and yous ruin the entire experience. Which is just what happened here.

For their office, HP states that the Intel version was intended to exist more "laptop like" with the add-on of a reading mode (secondary position) and inking (lay apartment) - that is there is a reason for this change. Some users may find the laptop mode with its single bending ideal when not at a desk, but I struggled with information technology.

Intel and LTE functioning

The dual-cadre Core i5-7Y54 is different from a traditional Cadre i5 processor thanks to the Thermal Blueprint Point (TDP). Typically, a Core i5 processor pulls in 15 watts of ability, though information technology can scale higher for quick bursts. The Core i5-7Y54, yet, simply pulls in nearly 4.5 watts of ability, which results in it running libation, allowing for fanless designs such as this Green-eyed x2.

The other downside is while it tin can still outburst upwardly to iii.2 GHz it can only practise so for very short durations earlier the internal temperature causes the system to throttle downwards. These caveats make the i5-7Y54 smashing for launching apps and quick tasks like spider web browsing, but it will perform poorly for prolonged tasks like gaming or any serious processing. But this is a lite-computing PC, and then those restrictions make sense and is no reason to criticize.

Teeny trackpad with Elan drivers? No thanks.

I won't dwell as well much on the operation of the Envy x2 with the Intel Core i5-7Y54 and the Intel XMM 7360 modem, but here are a few observations:

Battery life is decent at almost eight hours.
While information technology gets warmer on the back, it was never likewise hot.
Geekbench score reveals 3,699 for unmarried-cadre and half dozen,779 for multi-cadre, which is very adept.
LTE data speeds and performance are not every bit good as Qualcomm's modem.

When it comes to app performance, at that place are 2 ways of measuring it: Microsoft UWP Store Apps and everything else (Win32). Store apps are already optimized for ARM and Intel, and then it's trivial surprise to find operation between those the same on either device. Both are fast. Obviously, with the Intel processor running "classic" Win32 desktop apps, it is going to be a amend feel, and the i5-7Y54 is an admirable processor.

Modem performance was interesting. The Intel XMM 7360 is a relatively old modem, having been released in belatedly 2022. Information technology supports LTE-Advanced (True cat. 10), simply only up to 450Mbps versus the 1Gbps of the Qualcomm Snapdragon x16 (True cat. 16), which came out in 2022. While those speeds may sound theoretical, the Qualcomm modem e'er outperformed the Intel one in real-world utilize regarding raw speed by a significant margin, with nearly double the information rate. For checking e-mail, browsing the spider web, etc. such a difference won't likely make a huge departure, simply information technology exists.

Bottom line on the HP Envy x2 with Intel CPU – do not buy it

The HP Green-eyed x2 with Intel tablet hardware is excellent. The cameras are top notch, audio is outstanding, the display is infrequent, and for an Intel-based arrangement, it performs as expected. Equally e'er, HP nails build quality. Just you notwithstanding shouldn't buy it.

The idea you would throw down $one,150 to utilize this solely as a tablet is a stretch. Most people will desire to use it with the included keyboard. Due to the changeup in design, the experience is so bad compared to the ARM version that it makes no sense to buy the Envy x2 with Intel, which is a shame.

And, no, the keyboard and page systems are not interchangeable.

Envy x2 with Intel (left) is thicker than Envy x2 with ARM (right).

The Intel version costs $150 more, but there are some caveats to that. The ARM version ships with Windows 10 S, which tin be unlocked to a Pro license for costless. The Intel version ships with Windows 10 Home making a Pro upgrade a $99 add-on. Additionally, the ARM version is now on sale for $950 from HP (or $880 from Amazon.com), and it comes with gratis data from Sprint through the residuum of the twelvemonth. That's at to the lowest degree a $200 difference — $300 if yous count Windows 10 Pro — and even more than if you account for the free Sprint data or Amazon.com pricing.

Run across at HP.com

Pros:

Solid battery life.
Core i5 Y-serial is zippy for curt bursts.
Ameliorate for running "archetype" Windows apps.
A great tablet-only experience.

Cons:

Keyboard and folio designs are terrible.
Tiny touchpad with Elan drivers.
4G LTE operation is not as good as Qualcomm.
Costs a few hundred dollars more ARM.

The HP Envy x2 with Intel CPU is a missed opportunity. The pricing difference begins to testify how Qualcomm tin undercut a similar Intel system, but for some users that price increase is an acceptable cost for the functioning proceeds from using Intel.

Withal, due to the more than clumsy keyboard and folio, the Envy x2 with Intel is a non-starter. If HP can fix that and only mirror the system that it used on the ARM blazon, the game changes. But by that time, the Envy x2 with a Snapdragon 850 volition be hither (probable by the end of 2022), further shrinking the delta between ARM and Intel.

If the Envy x2 with Intel existed in isolation the blueprint would be easier to forgive - after all, the PC part is groovy. Only because HP did such an excellent job with the Envy x2 with ARM it makes a direct comparing between the ii inevitable and when you do that the latter clearly has the amend design (even if some may think it has a worse processor). If you can alive with the keyboard and page design the HP Green-eyed x2 with Intel is a fine ii-in-1, but nosotros retrieve it may be hard for many users to enjoy.

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