Envy 14 Beats Edition unboxing video

In case you're interested, I posted a quick unboxing video for the Envy 14 Beats Edition unit I received the other day. I'm not great with video, so be kind.

I'm planning on doing a review of some kind when I get a few free moments. Let me know (here or in the video comments) if you'd like to see anything in particular.

YouTube - HP Envy 14 Beats Edition Unboxing

Per a suggestion, here's a general description of the exterior appearance:

The chrome strip around the edges is definitely metal (and I guarantee contributes to the machine's heft), and a sort of black chrome (but not exactly; the color's hard to describe). I'd say that I have very particular tastes and hate "cheap," and this is definitely a classy use of the material. I was concerned about it myself from some pictures I'd seen posted elsewhere, and was very pleasantly surprised.

The outer casing (i.e., mainly the lid) is made of aluminum like the rest of the Envy line, except it's black. The palm rest and area around the keyboard are also aluminum, except painted with a soft-touch paint of some kind. It feels really elegant, and very comfortable to type on. The machine's very solid--absolutely no flex anywhere, including no keyboard flex. The bottom is a rubberized plastic (maybe the same as other Envys, don't know).

The lid (and the chrome, for that matter) is a fingerprint magnet, precisely as you'd expect a black metal surface (and blackish chrome) to be. It's better than if it were glossy, but not by much. If a person doesn't buy black cars because they don't want to keep them clean, then they wouldn't want to buy this notebook either.

 

Vid was very well done. My hats off to you

I've had my eye on this baby for quite some time. Since the pre-order in my sig has been backed up twice, I'm getting so frustrated with Asus that I'm considering other options such as this one.

Btw, how much did it cost & what kind of specs did you get?

 

Thanks. Appreciate the kind words.

My initial impression of the unit is that it has outstanding build quality, is very good looking, and performs extremely well. Those are huge positives. I do wish it had the Radiance screen as an option--with that, it would be just about perfect.

 

man that look nice, make my Envy 15 look cheezy

 

BAH I found one on ebay for 1300$ and he won't ship outside the US.

I hate sellers who do that. They should at least ship to the US' very close allies (Canada/UK, etc.). It was brand new too, freshly shipped from Shanghai.

 

daaamn the beats edition is so sexy. i dont know why they didnt offer this with the debut. i definitely would've bought this instead.

 

Added to first post of Owner's lounge.

 

Does anyone know the part number for the power adapter?


Thanks,

 

I think it's 601485-001, but it's printed in such small type that I can't be sure. Need a magnifying glass.

 

Very cool!

 

Does the Envy 14 beats come with the Radiance (1600x900) display option?

 

I don't believe that is the correct #, it doesn't work for me.
Whenever you could update us with the correct # that would be awesome.

I want to buy it, looks small and slim

 

Alrighty, I'll see what I can find out. Also, let me know that it's definitely slim, but not necessarily what I would call "small." It's good quality (nice locking mechanism for the plug), and then the powered USB port is nice.

 

Not so far, nope. And that would be its biggest weakness.

 

Thanks for the video. I have mine on order as well and it should be shipping out on the 22nd. How would you say the screen is as far as resolution?

 

No problem. As far as the screen goes, I definitely miss the usable space (coming from a 15" Macbook Pro with higher res), and the viewing angles aren't the best (and not the worst). But, it's fairly bright, and colors are decent. Not the worst screen I've used, and certainly not the best.

Overall, I'd say that given the choice, I'd probably let go of the unique look and the headphones, and go with the standard Envy 14 with Radiance. I buy all of my major electronics at Costco for the 90-day return policy, however, and this is the Envy model that they had (oddly enough).

 

Thanks! I am use to a lot of space also and this was the only weak point of the Envy Beats. I was thinking of either swapping out the LCD for the radiance one or just use an external monitor since the majority of the time it will be at home on a desk.

 

Okay, you definitely raise a valid point. I can certainly see getting a Radiance screen post-market and replacing what it shipped with. To amend my position, then: I'd say I like the look and feel (literally, the keyboard area and palm rest are painted with a rubbery material) enough that I'd spend $200 or so to have the LCD replaced one day.

And definitely, if you'll mostly be using it with an external monitor, then you'll love it. The stock LCD really is its only weakness (well, the trackpad's the same as the standard Envy, for what that's worth).

 

I agree with you completely. I was hesitant on purchasing the envy 14 especially with the flowery design on the cover (not really my thing) but once they released the beats version, I was all over it and I even overlooked the "low end" screen. The headphone is also a selling point for me as I have been meaning to buy it anyways.

 

Unfortunately, I can't find a better part number on the adapter itself. It looks like this one: HP Slim Power Adapter | HP® Official Store

Except, oddly enough, mine didn't come with the wall outlet adapter that connects to the brick and then plugs into the outlet. That's a bit of a bummer, because I'd love to be able to keep the cable at home and have one less thing to carry.

 

Well, I'll add then that the sound with the headphones is definitely outstanding. I've read the thread where some folks say it's just a marketing gimmick, but I don't agree. I can definitely hear the difference. For instance, I was listening to some harmony on a song I've heard a thousand times before, and noticed that each of the four singers was actually modulating their voice differently. It was a great affect that I'd literally never heard before.

 

If only this unit could handle WoW, BC2, and SC2 on high settings, I would be sold. Everything else about it I absolutely desire

 

yeah..with ati 5870 or 5850 plus the radiance screen..I would have ordered too!

 

thank you for posting it up.

just a few questions, you say the chrome strip isn't as ostentatious as some pictures madeit out to be, but can you confirm if its plastic or metal?

Also, what about the general casing? It looks like a haven for fingerprints and the top lid, in some pictures ive seen, also looks plastic although according to HP its still metal?

Lastly, anychance of a video showing the machine running - i.e. the sexy backlit keyboard?

 

The chrome is definitely metal (and I guarantee contributes to the machine's heft), and a sort of black chrome (but not exactly; hard to describe). I'd say that I have very particular tastes and hate "cheap," and this is definitely a classy use of the material. I was really concerned about it myself, and very pleasantly surprised.

The outer casing (i.e., mainly the lid) is made of aluminum like the rest of the Envy line, except it's black. The palm rest and area around the keyboard are also aluminum, except painted with a soft-touch paint of some kind. It feels really elegant, and very comfortable to type on. Oh, and it's very solid--absolutely no flex anywhere. And the bottom is a rubberized plastic (maybe the same as other Envys, don't know).

Now, about the lid (and the chrome, for that matter): yes, it's a freaking fingerprint magnet, precisely as you'd expect a black metal surface (and blackish chrome) to be. And if a person doesn't buy black cars because they don't want to keep them clean, then they wouldn't want to buy this notebook either.

I'll try to put together a video showing the system running over the weekend. I'll post a link here if I get some time.

 

Does the regular envy 14 attract fingerprints at all? I realize it's mostly a lighter color, but the top seems to be darker depending on the lighting. I thought the beats edition was more of a matte finish on the top so as to avoid fingerprints, but I guess not.

 

Well, I'd say it's more of a semi-gloss finish on the BE. I mean, it's not glossy, exactly, but it does reflect a little light. And fingerprints do show up.

 

the non-beats Envy 15 only attracts fingerprints on the bezel. Unless you are eating a bucket of fried chicken and wiping it on the laptop ;-) , I don't think the metal on the lid and the palm rest can accumulate any fingerprints.

 

Well, I'm not eating a bucket of fried chicken and then wiping it on my laptop, and yet I'm accumulating fingerprints on the lid. So, I'll have to differ with you here.

And note that the palm rest is covered (painted?) with a different material, and so no, it doesn't accumulate (visible) fingerprints the way the lid does.

 

this was a sweet unboxing thanks for taking the time to film. it was well done and very clear pictures.

 

Thanks! Really appreciate the kind words.

 

has anyone been able to find the part number for the power adapter?

Thanks,

 

A revised repost from my earlier answer to this question:

Unfortunately, I can't find a better part number on the adapter itself. However, I do think it's basically the same as this one: HP Slim Power Adapter | HP® Official Store

Oddly enough, mine didn't come with the wall outlet adapter that connects to the brick and then plugs directly into the outlet. So, I believe what ships with the machine is the lower part of the adapter in the link--basically, they shipped a cable rather than the wall outlet adapter (which is a separate piece that plugs into the top of the unit).

It's a bit of a bummer that they didn't ship the complete travel adapter kit, because I'd love to be able to keep the cable at home and have one less thing to carry. But, for whatever reason they didn't, and my inquiry to customer service seems to indicate that this was on purpose.

 

Looks good. I like the black / black chrome, but I honestly think the Envy 14 would look sharpest in dull, patternless silver (a la Macbook Pro), or with a brushed aluminum look.

I really wish they'd offer the 1600x900 screen with this thing. It seems silly to shoot the upscale unit in the foot by only offering the cheaper screen. Either way, great review and excellent laptop.

 

Excellent Review... thank you for taking the time to do this. Very Classy Unit Indeed.

 

Eddie3dfx & Curse the Sky - Thanks! And everyone else too, so I'll stop littering in the thread now.

 

this is a very good descriptive post that you should just copy and paste to your original posting

repped

and a question regarding the chrome. is the chrome very "strong"? does it feel like it will be easily chipped?

 

Thanks, maybe I'll do that.

The chrome is very solid, like a hunk of metal. I'm sure it really does add to the machine's weight. I have no fears that it'll chip.

 

Dude the ASUS in your sig is the better notebook and October is around the corner. It's worth the wait. There was nothing like that available to me when I pulled the trigger but I didn't want to hit 15".

 

I'm just infuriated with the delay 'up to October 15th' Three delays in a row is making me look at 'other options', such as the Envy 14

 

I responded to this in the 1600X900 vs. 1366X768 thread. To summarize: are you sure that Asus and the Envy are really comparable machines?

 

My main focus is electronic music composition software and 1hr/night of gaming, but my commute time to college is 1hr of speed walking, 1hr of transit and walking in the hallways of the college. Classes are 3hr blocks. I may have to sacrifice gaming for portability and battery life.

 

Comparing based on which one would be better to me:

ASUS Wins: Higher display resolution, higher CPU choice, Better GPU, Up to 16GB RAM choice, Choice of Blu-ray optical drive, Better HDD choices and perhaps a better sound card choice

Envy 14 Wins: 14.5" size

The ASUS would probably be more comparable to the Envy 15 but the ASUS will probably win there as well. And I don't believe the ASUS will have crappy fit and finish issues like the Envy 14 does.

 

You are accumulating fingerprints on the lid of a non-beats edition Envy 15 or 14? No matter how much I rub my fingers on the lid or palm rest of my laptop, no fingerprints appear. I would imagine the regular non-beats Envy 14 is made from the same material as the Envy 15 lid.

 

No, I think I misread your post. I was referring to the black lid on the Envy 14 Beats Edition...

 

Very nice review. Only reason I'm thinking of getting the regular Envy 14 is cause this doesn't have the radiance display as an option

 

Honestly, I understand what you're saying. While I like the look and feel of the Beats Edition, I'd probably ultimately rather have the Radiance display. I bought mine at Costco for the 90-day return policy, and they don't carry the regular Envy line. If they start carrying it before the return policy is up, there's a good chance I'd switch.

 

Hopefully, the replacement 1600x900 displays for the E14 will become available aftermarket soon.

 

^ i hope sp, but i read somewhere on here that the radiance display was possibly being cancelled altogether in a few weeks?

also, even if it did make it into the 'aftermarket', wouldn't you end up with a black envy, with the regular envy lid? or are the screen and top not joined?

I haven't got much experiance, if any, in computer upgrades etc so excuse the noobness

 

Yes, hopefully. And I do believe the bezel is separate from the LCD, so the Radiance could be installed while retaining the Beats Edition look.