HP Envy 13-ab016nr Notebook (Intel Core i5-7200U, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) with Windows 10

I am about to start school in August for an Electrical Engineering degree and have a decent background with building my own PC's.When you buy a laptop it's very important to look at EVERY aspect of it's performance since you'll likely be unable or unwilling to upgrade the internal parts later without a lot of unnecessary hassle. That being said here are the things I love about this laptop,256GB Storage space: Admittedly this isn't the BEST in the market, however considering how thin and attractive this PC is and the price point, i'm very happy with it. BONUS: ALL of the memory on this pc is SSD storage which means increased performance and cooler/quieter running.8GB of RAM: I run Photoshop for my personal/professional life. so having the extra RAM to process all my brushstrokes and effects makes this a MUST. anything 4 and under just doesn't cut it if you have lengthy projects to work on.Intel Core i5-7200U: Again another category where you get the best of both worlds, this is both inexpensive and performs well on many benchmarks. It's no powerhouse for gaming mind you, but it'll do the job all the same and give you little trouble.I also get minimal stuttering from Heroes of the stormThe keyboard feels soft but responsive and is quiet, plus the backlight is nice.I also like the trackpad, multitouch gestures, smooth surface that doesn't lend to gathering oily junk.The battery is O.K. it's not some megahouse but it's enough to get the job done if you're moving from point A- to point B (Besides who doesn't travel without their cable anyway)I made sure to wipe the OS with a fresh install immedietly after purchase and I notice both a performance and battery boost.Overall rating: I will need more time and will possibly update my review after about a month or two, however I really REALLY enjoy the laptop so far, it's light, responsive, quiet and sexy.Would recommend for price/performance B+

I am blown away by this notebook. It is thin, light and lightning fast. It has replaced my Surface Pro a s my notebook of choiceSince my initial comments the hinges have come apart and the screen is now separating from the cover. My initial rating of 4 stars is now reduced one star

After researching laptops for the past 3 months, I decided to go with the HP Envy 13, and I'm really glad I did.I wanted something that was powerful enough to run Photoshop and Illustrator, as well as something that I could code on and this machine fits the bill. The Kaby Lake core i5 processor (the latest generation chip) coupled with 8 GB of RAM really makes this thing fly. The 1920x1080 pixel screen has a great color profile with decent contrast, and is one of the best screens I've seen in a sub $600 laptop, and images are vivid and crisp on this beautifully bright IPS panel. I've had no issues with overheating or a loud fan as some people have noted, and I've put it through its paces.The build quality on this is awesome, with it's all aluminum body. Very solid and feels good to carry around. It's also a very stylish, attractive machine that rivals the design of a macbook. It's also very easy to type on this (which was a big selling point for meThe solid state drive in this thing enables Windows to boot in under 8 seconds, and it has a very high read/write speed.The touchpad is very responsive and a pleasure to use, handling Windows 10 gestures perfectly, making web surfing a breeze.Battery life is great, and I've averaged about 8-9 hours on a charge, and this machine charges fast too... I've gotten a full charge from 5% to 100% in about an hour and a half.Overall I'm very pleased with this purchase, and would recommend it to anyone looking to buy an affordable ultraportable laptop. Fast, stylish and a great screen makes this machine a pure gem. Don't hesitate to purchase it, I'd definitely buy it again.

Although this is a decent notebook, there is one major problem I encountered. Once fully charged and with Windows completely shutdown, the battery loses its charge within a week. I don't use the notebook much, but when I recently tried to turn it on, there was no power as expected. However, even when I plug in the AC power, the battery would not charge. So now I can only use the notebook while it's plugged in to AC power. This is definitely due to a defective battery.Update: HP Support helped troubleshoot the problem and it was in fact a bad battery. There was also a defect in the display glass. I sent the notebook in for repair and both the battery and display glass were replaced. The technician who diagnosed the problem was very knowledgeable and helpful. The whole process went smoothly and quickly. The repair was performed under a 3 year extended warranty that covered the cost of shipping and repair. Overall, HP Support did a great job.To complete this review, I also wanted to mention that the display is glossy so reflections can be a problem when the screen is dark. Even though the screen picks up finger smudges, this is not a touch screen so one normally would not be touching the screen. The keyboard back-lighting is either on or off whereas some laptops have several brightness settings. Some have complained about the fan noise. The fan only comes on during heavy use, and it is noticeable but I wouldn't say it is too loud. The only other limitation I see is the use of a micro-SD slot instead of a full sized SD slot, but this shouldn't be a problem for most people. It also does not have a fingerprint reader or a Windows Hello compatible camera. Other than these minor cons, I am happy with the performance, functionality, styling, size and weight of this notebook.