From iPad 4 to HP Envy x2

[muderko]

Hello all wpcentral followers, I jumped iOS ship and got the HP Envy x2 (full Windows 8) three days ago coming from the iPad 4! Here is my own experience so far:

First Unit: I got it in sealed box without even playing with a demo at store! I opened the box and WOOOOW! What a piece of beauty and elegance! Few minutes later, I felt that something was wrong with the docking mechanism but did not really pay a lot of attention because I did not have a good idea about how does it really work. So I docked it and tried to turn it on and was surprised that it was totally dead (both batteries)!

The screen brightness is superb and viewing angles are really great (thx IPS), though, the low resolution and pixilation were obvious especially in comparison to Acer Iconia W700.

After (prolonged) update process using windows update and HP assistant, I started to play with the metal piece and noticed that touch responsiveness was not good at upper left corner of the screen. [Two issues so far within few hours which is really not promising for a crippled 700$ mini system]!

In the morning next day, I was debating either to replace it or to return it and get a regular sized laptop. So, because I loved the build quality and form factor I decided to replace it.

Second Unit: docking mechanism works perfectly, had some battery juice in it, and touch responsiveness is even throughout the screen! WOO-HOO... Time to test the real capability of this thing!

Things that were missing in iPad:
*NO file system/manager
*Small screen
*NO flash player
*No ability to attach files to emails using any web browser! only way is to use native email app (which is totally inconvenient if you have multiple emails).
*NO way to edit Microsoft office documents (may be there is a way through office 365 I am not sure)
*Heats insanely while charging, making it impossible to hold while reading !

SOLD! finally out of Apple cage! back to the old days! WINDOWS! FREEDOM! WOO-HOO

How is the Envy performing ?
Well, the hardware is pretty awesome, kudos HP for building such a robust device, the keyboard is fantastic, totally quite operation (I don't think I can bear those core I5 fan noises anymore!), totally cool, nice sound quality, I cant really get enough of saying how gorgeous does this device look! ( I enjoy looking at it even when it is turned off and closed)!

Some concerns so far:
* It is obvious that the device is slow, I use it mainly for browsing, emails, text, youtube, music. Although no background apps running, loading web pages is not that fast and even cold-loading apps really takes some time.
* My first Windows experience index after updating windows and HP utility updates, was 3.3 (3.3 for gaming graphics and 3.6 for windows graphics). However, I thought of searching for drivers manually through HP support website and installed latest Intel drivers manually, so I ended up having a base score of 3.2 (3.2 for gaming, 3.4 for windows) what the heck! updating to latest drivers should improve performance!
* I have not found any noticeable issues with sleep mode, whenever I am not using the Envy I just press power button once so it goes to sleep mode then it wakes up without an issue (am I missing something? how to test this?)
* I don't know how to test the battery drain issue everyone is talking about.
* Wireless reception: I have a 15 mbps download speed from my ISP, I am getting only around 6-7 on the Envy using Microsoft research app, and 15 mbps using speedtest.net (confused which to trust)! though, connection has been consistent so far.
* How to take a screenshot using tablet mode only?
* Is the Envy going to get the Windows 8.1 treatment on same day released for other x64 based system which is October?
* Is there an app similar to Tapatalk, for checking and posting in forums?

I wanted to share my experience with you guys
Using it as a sole desktop solution.
I hope you have some answers to my concerns

Sent from HP Envy x2

 

[DBDev]

Thank you for sharing your experience! I can answer some of your questions :smile:
To take a screenshot I think you hold down windows and press volume down. It should get 8.1 the same day. For tapatalk you have board express, but it doesn't seem to be any good according to the reviews.

 

[Ruined]

Watch out, a large number of the Envy X2 devices have touchscreens that become unresponsive when the tablet is placed on tablet stand or non conductive surface like a bed without the user holding it. Huge thread on HP's site. I would personally wait until the new wave of tablets come out in 3 weeks.,

 

[_Emi_]

just so you know, if you download the leaker Wzor RTM 8.1 which is the same file MSDN got, you would have 8.1 RTM by now, you dont jabe to wait to october for that of course as it was pointed out before, this RTM is not a pure RTM so its not polished with some bugs. but you could install it and just get the updates on october, im 100% sure 8.1 is better thab 8.0.
it has Intel gpu, so you cant expect much from it, one thing that might help about apps and IE its go to Internet Options -> Advanced -> and check the use of software rendering instead of gpu. of course that will use cpu but it should improve the stability and im sure it would be faster than an Intel gpu, you can test if that helps if not well turn it back off!

anyway its good you like your device more than ipad its always good to see people not hating Microsoft and Windows tablets and then chosing what makes them more productive.

 

[lafester]

I just sold my envy and am now eagerly awaiting something new to take its place. The build of the envy x2 is awesome I agree but the performance just isn't quite there yet in my opinion.
The biggest problem is the emmc memory which bogs the system down to a crawl doing anything which requires random hard drive searches.

For basic everyday media consumption and app use the tab is fine and really much more useful then an ipad. I just wish the new hp pavillion x2 was built as well as the envy.

 

[muderko]

just so you know, if you download the leaker Wzor RTM 8.1 which is the same file MSDN got, you would have 8.1 RTM by now, you dont jabe to wait to october for that of course as it was pointed out before, this RTM is not a pure RTM so its not polished with some bugs. but you could install it and just get the updates on october, im 100% sure 8.1 is better thab 8.0.
it has Intel gpu, so you cant expect much from it, one thing that might help about apps and IE its go to Internet Options -> Advanced -> and check the use of software rendering instead of gpu. of course that will use cpu but it should improve the stability and im sure it would be faster than an Intel gpu, you can test if that helps if not well turn it back off!

anyway its good you like your device more than ipad its always good to see people not hating Microsoft and Windows tablets and then chosing what makes them more productive.

Thanks for the information, well, I am not in a hurry to try Win 8.1, I can wait for few more weeks.
Regarding stability, the system is very stable but I wish it had more speed. I might try your trick by utilizing the software acceleration instead of the GPU.

Well, I have been a Windows user since 1999, but I had to give the iPad a shot as it was the best available tablet at that time (for studying using bizarre positions ) .. Now we have Windows hybrids which does the job, so no excuse to stay trapped with iOS! Though, this is not the case with most people, they simply hate Windows and Microsoft !!!!

What base score do you have on your Envy?

 

[muderko]

I just sold my envy and am now eagerly awaiting something new to take its place. The build of the envy x2 is awesome I agree but the performance just isn't quite there yet in my opinion.
The biggest problem is the emmc memory which bogs the system down to a crawl doing anything which requires random hard drive searches.

For basic everyday media consumption and app use the tab is fine and really much more useful then an ipad. I just wish the new hp pavillion x2 was built as well as the envy.

As long as it did not give you enough performance it was a good decision to sell it.

I checked the Pavilion x2, using Bay Trail Atom the base score was only 3.8! compared to 3.3 on the envy. Moreover, the built quality is ridiculously shiny plastic! ... I quite liked the Acer Iconia W700 with Intel Core i3, but the main issue was that the provided keyboard solution was not as sturdy, plus it lacked a touchpad (which is really important for a 11.6 screen).

I wish the Surface 2 had an 11.6 screen, I would not even mind getting the RT version as I see that I use the metro UI the most on my Envy.

 

[lafester]

Yes the build materials on the pavillion x2 are much worse then the envy. Thing with the scoring is you only see the worst number... guessing that would be the emmc storage.
I still don't know what I'm going to end up with for a replacement. Will be looking closely at the asus t100 since it releases first to see how bay trail performs.

As long as it did not give you enough performance it was a good decision to sell it.

I checked the Pavilion x2, using Bay Trail Atom the base score was only 3.8! compared to 3.3 on the envy. Moreover, the built quality is ridiculously shiny plastic! ... I quite liked the Acer Iconia W700 with Intel Core i3, but the main issue was that the provided keyboard solution was not as sturdy, plus it lacked a touchpad (which is really important for a 11.6 screen).

I wish the Surface 2 had an 11.6 screen, I would not even mind getting the RT version as I see that I use the metro UI the most on my Envy.

 

[muderko]

Thank you for sharing your experience! I can answer some of your questions :smile:
To take a screenshot I think you hold down windows and press volume down. It should get 8.1 the same day. For tapatalk you have board express, but it doesn't seem to be any good according to the reviews.

I checked Board express app, and YES it sucks and actually does not work at all!

 

[muderko]

Yes the build materials on the pavillion x2 are much worse then the envy. Thing with the scoring is you only see the worst number... guessing that would be the emmc storage.
I still don't know what I'm going to end up with for a replacement. Will be looking closely at the asus t100 since it releases first to see how bay trail performs.

No, the emmc on my Envy scores a 5.7, so the low score is either for the CPU or the GPU on the Pavilion x2.

I was interested in the T100 as well, but after seeing it has a 10.1 screen I just opted out.

 

[Brendan Dooley]

I just sold my envy and am now eagerly awaiting something new to take its place. The build of the envy x2 is awesome I agree but the performance just isn't quite there yet in my opinion.
The biggest problem is the emmc memory which bogs the system down to a crawl doing anything which requires random hard drive searches.

For basic everyday media consumption and app use the tab is fine and really much more useful then an ipad. I just wish the new hp pavillion x2 was built as well as the envy.

How did you sell it, out of curiosity? I'm looking to sell my VivoTab Smart before Bay Trail tablets come out and I'm not sure what is my best bet.

 

[TeknoBlast]

For performance, usually on all my devices that need a little extra help, I change the performance settings. It's a simple change and does improve. First I select "Adjust for best performance" and then in the check box area, I select "Smooth edges of screen fonts" only. Click OK to everything and you should notice a performance change.

 

[Ruined]

Bay Trail in real world use will decimate Clover Trail in the Envy X2, windows experience index is rather meaningless. The Envy X2 can't even play some YouTube videos without stuttering due to getting overloaded with flash, Bay Trail will address this with its more powerful out of order CPU and better GPU.

I would return and pick up a Bay Trail. You mentioned the T100 which is a great deal, but if the 10.1 is too small how about the Dell Venue Pro 11 that will be out in 3 weeks?