NOW AVAILABLE - Updated ENVY 15, ENVY 17 / ENVY 17 3D

for the 2000 series, the 17 3D screen was more or less the same than the standard 17 screen, but with higher brightness (you need far more for 3D)

 

Given that one is 120 Hz and one is 60 Hz wouldn't they have to be completely different panels?

 

FYI, even if you never plan on using 3D, it's still better for 2D because the screen refreshes at 120 Hz. Even things like mouse cursor movement and moving windows appears much smoother. I really wish there was a bigger push for 120 Hz panels to become standard.

 

Ummm, don't you have a fully tricked out Envy 17 second gen? If so, can I have your old one?

 

well thats good to know. guess i made the right choice after all.

 

Obviously that doesn't say anything about the other aspects of the display (color, contrast, etc.). We won't know that until people get their hands on it. The 17 3D definitely wont' be IPS though, but it sounds like the non-3D 17 won't be either (FYI, no 120 Hz IPS displays currently exist). Whether the 15 is really an IPS display is another question entirely...

 

These Envy refreshes are going to help HP with their PC biz or give a clear indication that the future's no better for them the the recent past. I hope this gen works well.

In the end, I don't think HP's ever sold this as a gamer laptop so it looks to me like they've decided to go at the premium-enough market much like Apple. Make the products decently and decently spec'd and top them off with something that looks good - that gets buyers HP wants.

If these laptops can get a functional 3-4 years, that's all that's necessary. And the software and use by middle-rangers who can afford premium/hot-looking products appears to be Envy's go-ahead strategy. Partnering with Voodoo got Envy's credibility, but I don't think HP could win trying to be good-looking and bleeding-edge performing.

I really enjoy this thread because I've learned a lot. I hope others here also recognize that those of us who buy a laptop every 3-5 years and are due for one have a pretty nice option now. I'm currently lugging Pentium 4 class Dell XPS. It was good for it's life (still works pretty good), but it's time to move on. I'm not a fan of the Apple premium and lack of compatibility with much of my software and peripherals. I'm sure whatever chips are in these things will be so much of a jump, I can't tell.

As to the panels, I'm hoping they are IPS and that HP is just underpromising and overdelivering. The discount I got was pretty nice too.

Production lead times are a bit long. I'd love to see some reviews by people who know how to test and benchmark these things.

 

Yes.

Brighter plus twice the refresh rate were the selling points for me. It wouldn't surprise me if thhis panel wasnt the same panel in last year's model. I haven't read many complaints about that one.

 

That's my biggest question too... but I've tried give up any high expectations that it is an IPS though, because it's interesting that nowhere did HP themselves actually specify IPS anywhere on their page or videos (they only say "Radiance"). I was initially very hopeful because at least two arguably reputable sites mentioned "IPS", and in a peculiar way:

Anandtech - "The ENVY 15 is now available with a Radiance IPS display, but ENVY 17 fans unfortunately get the short end of the stick there as the Raidance display used there is still a TN panel."

Engadget - ". . . whereas the Envy 15 gets the full IPS treatment."

Any shred of hope I had was based mainly on Anandtech's claim because (at least to me) their articles are generally more reliable. The language in either of these articles strongly precludes the possibility that the writers are confusing "Radiance" with "IPS" (the two obviously were not equal, based on Envy 14 Radiance). Too bad I'm waiting ~3+ weeks to find out when I receive my 15

 

Just FYI http://tech2.in.com/reviews/graphics-cards/his-hd-6670-1gb-ddr3-graphics-card/231692


By the way the aussie page states the 15" has the 7670M
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/au/en/ho/WF06a/321957-321957-3329744-3995710-3995710-5186791.html

 

I will be pulling the SSD drives out of it to put in the new one, and it has one broken USB port and the heatsink has lost adhesion on the discrete GPU so you can only use the integrated GPU or else it will go into thermal shutdown.

Also I've dropped it about a dozen times and there is a dent in the lid.

But sure, given all the above it you want to PM me an offer in the middle of January I will entertain it.

I did have a ZAGG on there so other than the dent there are no scratches on the lid or palmrest.

You can't have my nifty second screen, either

 

I'm extremely doubtful. Very, very few laptops actually have IPS displays. Plus, if it were IPS, why wouldn't they advertise it? As for the information anandtech and engadget received, not even HP has their own information straight (for instance the envy 15 page says there's blu-ray available when there's really not and probably never will be because of size constrictions)! However, I'd be okay with a high quality TN panel. The macbook pros for instance use TN panels and all look really good.

 

As for this part, your average consumer has no idea what IPS would even mean.

Most people barely even know what LCD stands for, and when they see LED they think that's it's own type of screen instead of just a backlight.

There is essentially no benefit for HP to advertise something that comes across to most people as meaningless techno-jargon. The people who do know and care what it means will find out on their own anyway.

 

I decided to jump, that coupon working on the Envy 17 3D is just way too good.

I got mine with:
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2670QM
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
SSD 300G
Plus all the stuff that is standard with the 3D laptop. Came out to $1,688.39.
Saved $831. I am quite certain that a 35% off coupon with no cap was not supposed to work on the more expensive laptops. For comparison a similarly specced 15 inch with the 1080P screen would only be $100 less than what I paid using the same coupon. Percentages really pay off as the price climbs.

Hopefully when the GPU is confirmed it is a good one, and hopefully the battery life is as good as they claim.

Now is when I pray they don't cancel it, the coupon really didn't want to take, I had to try about 3 times to get the order sent with the coupon applied, so I feel like it was not supposed to work.

 

Good point, although that's all the more reason HP won't be including an IPS display at all in a consumer laptop. Nowadays the only place you see IPS displays are in mobile workstations for professionals, and they usually charge a boat load for them. A rare exception is the Lenovo x220.

 

lockdown, you took the words right out of my mouth--I guess there's a reason the "Dreamcolor" moniker (which I believe is HP's marketspeak for IPS) is reserved for their workstations.

 

Disagree. 61+ pages of questions regarding IPS says that this forum is full of 'average consumers' who would jump on IPS. I also followed the Chronos Series 7 forum which is 200+ pages of people who would buy based on IPS. Look at the phantom hype over LG P330 (IMO due to IPS).

Marketing, given the opportunity, is always looking to include jargon. They know that every family/circle of friends has a gearhead type. That's the guy who says, "buy this" or "don't buy this" based on some piece of techno jargon.

I am buying a new Envy 15. I am disappointed w/ no Blu Ray. I am disappointed with no IPS, but at the end of the day 33% off means I'm not holding my breath for HP to correct their marketing material. At this point it is what it is, they aren't going to all of a sudden say whoa let's stop this million dollar production line and swap a part. If it hasn't happened yet, it's months away.

 

​

Lol. This forum isn't average consumers.

Average consumers go to best buy and ask inane questions like how many gigabytes is the floppy drive.

People on tech forums always have a very seriously skewed image of where they sit in the technology spectrum. 98% of computer consumers have no idea about almost ANY of the specs that people obsess about on forums like these nor have they ever gone to a forum to research any computer product they buy. It's whatever is available at the store for the price they want to pay that the Geek Squad moron convinces them they need.

 

I haven't bought an HP laptop in a few years, back when I did battery life would not get close to what HP said. Does the battery life on most new HP get within the ballpark (about 30 mins or so) of the claimed battery life?

 

If it's sitting there doing nothing at the desktop with the screen brightness all the way down and the wifi switched off maybe.

I would say in real world usage almost no laptops get the battery times they are advertised.

 

If they can't tell me where in the store a specific product is that their computer says are in stock, how do you expect them to answer a question about actual computer technology?

Then again, they would probably tell you that floppy holds 1.44GB of data...

Or they'll try to sell you that awesome USB stick that holds 512MB of data for a mere $15.99!

Or pitch that Pentium B940-based laptop to you for ONLY $599!​

Then again, at least Best Buy tends to have some good stuff at a reasonable price if YOU know what you want and can avoid the mindless zombies working there... when Circuit City was around, I always felt like they should have shown the courtesy to include a free tube of lube with every purchase. My wallet never quite recovered from their assault.

 

Ok, so Day 2 since the release and still no confirmation on type of GPU for 17" model

 

Just ordered an Envy 17 3D w/ entry i7 to replace my dv9500t, can't wait!!

 

The coupon code websites (e.g. savings.com, techbargains.com, etc) are now stating a restriction on the NBK3573 33% code: Use this code at checkout for 33% off Select Pavilion Laptops. Excludes HP Folio 13, dv6t, dv7t, dv6z Quad, Envy 17, and Envy 17 3D.

Probably good news is that a quick google search to see if there are many customer complaints floating around the web about HP not honoring a coupon code after completing the web sale, reveals very little... almost a total absence of "HP welched on my coupon code" complaints, so that looks promising that if your order got in, that HP will likely abide by it.

 

Hope to see some reviews soon especially if the screen is good enough to buy this laptop

 

It is kind of strange there hasn't been a single review of these yet. Shouldn't at least some of the blogs have gotten a review sample by now?

 

Yea, I think I got in right before it was fixed, maybe they were fixing it as I was ordering which is why it took multiple tries. Anyway, I was holding my breath until I got a confirmation email, but I have now received the confirmation email and my card has been charged, so I would be surprised if they canceled it now.

Pretty amazing deal, pricing out the parts I feel like HP is selling this to me at cost or might even lose some after you factor in labor, shipping, etc. The components in this laptop are not cheap, and I can't imagine HP has more than a 30ish% profit margin, especially on the 3D model.

Happy I finally got a great deal, a few years ago I missed out on the really amazing Alienware M11X coupons and ended up getting a lesser discount. It is nice to finally get the great broken coupon discount.

 

Average consumers today know more than ever before because of forums like this. I came here looking for other info and found quite a bit of info about the displays. I was really interested in whether Bluray would be in the 15" but found a lot more posts about processors and display tech.

From an average consumer perspective I'd add that: 1) We all know BB can be great or horrible, but it's designed for people who walk in and want to pick up something they just heard or read about. Yes, there are ways for the knowledgeable to find deals and gems, but BB was built to get average consumers to buy just a little more than they need. 2) IPS vs non-IPS is going to come down to quality of the image produced. Just like with other display-source combination, what shows up is what matters. Isn't it amazing that for all the high-end, bleeding edge technology, very few people can actually visually tell the difference between a top-tier plasma and a top-tier LED display. Again, average consumers just want the end product to be spectacular. 3) Average consumers are smart enough to know that some products (of the fruit variety) come with a needless premium. We also know that the Win-world is tremendously fractured. That's what brings us to these sites. And it's usually to get some final information before buying, not just for the discussion.

I think HP's clearly shown they want to upsell to the average consumers. Beats is not the best, but it's one of the more known, trendy, and known audio brands. That's why HP has Beats. HP could have gone for Harmon Kardon or some other high-end brand, but that won't sell to average consumers like Beats.

Thanks to everyone who's contributing here, especially the posts that make echno-jargon understandable and actionable.

BTW, the best BB stores actually do quite well with average consumers and the bleeding edge. The difference isn't what they sell. The difference is the questions they ask before attempting to sell at all. The really good ones realize a quick sell on an OK-but-not-great product won't lead to an upsell opportunity.

I'll bet HP hasn't released information because they're just not ready to release it. Four months ago HP was getting out of the consumer PC biz. Two months ago they change course. One month ago, they announce the Envy refresh. And they've probably gone from how do we shut down to how do we make something of a comeback in a very short timeframe. I hope they've simply focused on execution and not marketing in this timeframe. That'll mean those of us who bought, won big.

I don't think HP wanted this coupon out there. It looks like the type of deal offered for an end-life product. At the same time, getting the refreshed Envy up for sale and not worrying about the coupon code is the right thing for HP to have done. Why not kick off the new model with a short-lived incentive. If I was at HP, I'd be glad it's expiring soon but after I got some happy buyers and built up some pent-up demand.

Most of that demand will come from average consumers. I don't doubt that the world of gamer and performance PCs will outshine Envy when the initial comparisons and reviews come out. But at least I won't have to listen to my Ap-notized family members and friends talk about how much better their laptops look than mine.

 

Oh, I'd bet they're still making some money on these, and for the past two weeks they've probably sold unimaginable numbers of laptops for Christmas.

When I first looked up the code a couple days ago, I could've sworn it said "Customized Pavilion and Envy Laptops", and probably was intended for the last blow-out sales of the prior generation Envy 17's. Note that the restriction does not mention the Envy 15 by name.

 

So they're ready to sell you something but not ready to tell you what you're buying?

How is that okay with ANYONE? I really can't believe people are buying these with so much information still completely unknown.

 

Yea your probably right, I think the main thing is they get much lower prices on parts. I doubt I could build this same laptop at this price because I have to pay retail (the retail on a 300gig SSD is a third the price of the laptop), but HP probably pays a fraction of retail. Kinda crazy to think they can knock off $800+ and still make money though. My mind boggles at the profit margins if that is true.

Last time I heard anything the profit margins on computers were incredibly low, at least for Dell, which is why I wasn't sure they could take $800 off and still make money.

 

Uncapped 35% off and a liberal return policy go a long way. If they announce in a few days that the GPU is horrid, I will just cancel. If I get it and it sucks I will just return it. When these coupons come around that make a $2500 computer $1600 you can't wait, you gotta act.

 

Profit margins are low when you're talking about very bottom end cheapest you can get computers. That's what mos people buy.

When you're selling premium computers to people who will pay extra for a pretty aluminum body profits go way up.

 

The $400 off flat coupon works until December 31st apparently. That's enough of a discount for me, I can get the Envy 15 with 1080p and a quad for about 1150 total. Gives me plenty of time to see how it actually is.

 

Yea it just comes down to what you want and the discounts available. After my last laptop I decided that my next laptop would have an SSD because regular laptop HDDs are awful IMO. If you throw in an SSD then the $400 flat is not nearly as good as the percent based. Of course I probably would have waited a few days if the coupon wasn't working with the 17 Inch 3D, but since it was, and I felt certain it wasn't supposed to, I wanted to jump before it died.

I haven't seen the page for the $400 flat coupon, but the percent based one said it was good until a date OR 1650 people used it. You might want to see if your coupon has the same OR, it is a bummer to finally decide to buy and find your coupon has died (it happened to me with my last laptop).

 

Yeah I'll take a look and check, thanks for the tip. Keep your fingers crossed they honor all these purchases on coupons that weren't supposed to work!

 

Under my order status it says: "Order dropped to factory (Estimated to ship on December 23, 2011)"

I hope that is a good sign.

 

For sure, if they cancel it (hopefully within the next few days if it is gonna happen) then I will just get the 15 Inch. I intended to get the 15 Inch, but kinda impulse bought the bigger one with 3D because the coupon worked. I have really been enjoying the Nintendo 3DS, I love the 3D effects, and then to get such a good deal I figured I might as well try it.

 

do you guys reckon these will ship sometime before the 23rd or are HPs ship dates usually firm?

 

You would think that every one of these web orders that used a coupon code ought to be reviewed and approved by a human sales rep before it gets transferred on to manufacturing/assembly.

 

Just ordered mine - so happy with it. Shipping it to WA then picking it up across the border. Anyone else from Canada getting one? I wonder why they aren't available up here, but no matter. Can't wait for it!

 

My past experience with HP is their ship date estimates are usually pretty good, but sometimes they've shipped a day or two later than estimated, especially on something that is getting custom-assembled.

 

When I last ordered from HP not quit two years ago, it was at the 'dropped to factory' stage for 5-7 days before shipping, bu that was not a brand new release. I'd expect much closer to the 23rd though still an outside chance they'll be early - and even their 5-7 business day shipping is still usually 1-3 days (I think it's fedex ground).

 

How much it cost you? and how did you pay, using your canadian credit card?

 

anyone know if places are stocking these in stock as of yet? best buy etc?

 

I doubt it. The 23rd shipping date will probably be the very first units actually produced would be my guess. Feels like somewhat of a paper launch so far, seeing as there are no reviews and no review samples anywhere to be seen.

 

The anticipation sure is getting thick here.... you'd think we're a bunch of kids counting down the minutes to Christmas morning or something

 

bleh@paper launch. I have too much money lying round i need a hit. its either going to go on a laptop i'll use, or strippers and vodka. blah.

 

I think you're onto something with your "short-lived incentive" comment, but I would add that I'm not so sure if HP DIDN'T want this coupon out there... I admit there are some powerful components in this refresh, but nothing really NEW. If the graphics were 28nm, it would've been a slightly different story, but the way I see it, this refresh really comes down to being an end-life product after all (ESPECIALLY w/ the GPU rebadge). Hence, the coupon is well warranted. I doubt I would've made my purchase for the 15 if it weren't for the coupon, even though I was anticipating this little guy's release for a while (mainly b/c of the 1080p Radiance announcement)

 

I got my ENVY 17 3D configured like this:

• 2nd generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2670QM (2.2 GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 3.1 GHz
• 1GB Discrete Graphics AMD Radeon(TM) [HDMI, DP]
• 8GB 1333MHz DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
• 1.5TB 7200 rpm Dual Hard Drive (750GB x 2) with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
• 6-Cell Lithium-Ion Battery
• 17.3" Radiance Full HD 3D Infinity Display (1920x1080)
• Blu-ray player & SuperMulti DVD burner
• Intel 802.11a/b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth(R) with Wireless Display Support
• Full-size Radiance backlit keyboard
• Adobe(R) Photoshop(R) Elements 9 & Adobe Premiere(R) Elements 9
• 2 year limited warranty included
• +HP 2-year Care Pack House Call Service with Accidental Damage Protection

It ended up costing me $1,591.35 USD after the extended warranty and WA taxes.