HP’s Envy x360 13 is a 360-degree convertible that’s fully committed to AMD’s Ryzen mobile processors. Announced Monday and expected to be available later in May, the all-AMD product line will have a starting price of $760. If there were Envy x360 13 models with Intel CPUs, the Ryzen models would likely be less-expensive counterparts. This is what we’re seeing with the Envy x360 15, which ships with a choice of either.
HP Envy x360 13 specs and features
HP
The HP Envy x360 13 shown in tent mode, thanks to its 360-degree hinge.
As you can see from the specs that follow, the Envy x360 13’s configuration includes some other nice options along with the Ryzen CPUs:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2500U or Ryzen 7 2700U
- Memory: 8GB DDR4-2400 SDRAM
- Display: 13.3-inch FHD (1920×1080) IPS WLED backlit touchscreen with Corning Gorilla Glass NBT, designed especially to protect touchscreens. A 4K display and a display with privacy screen are optional upgrades.
- Graphics: AMD Radeon Vega 8 (with the Ryzen 5) or Radeon RX Vega 10 (with the Ryzen 7) are integrated.
- Storage: Up to 256GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD. Such skimpy capacity would be limiting for many workloads, so here’s hoping more spacious non-SSD hard drive options will also be available.
Melissa Riofrio/IDG
The single USB-C port supports HDMI 2.0b and Displayport for connecting secondary displays.
- Connectivity: One USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10Gbps) Type C, two USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type A, audio jack. This sounds spare, but the USB-C port is compatible with DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0b, and Power Delivery 3.0. It also supports HP Sleep & Charge, which can charge the battery up to 50 percent in about 45 minutes.
Melissa Riofrio/IDG
The left side of the HP Envy 13 x360 houses another USB-A port plus the audio switch.
- Wireless: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2×2), Bluetooth 4.2 (MU-MIMO). HP’s Connection Optimizer is an additional feature that proactively switches to the best Wi-Fi signal on your network.
- Dimensions: 12.07 x 8.45 x 0.59 inches
- Weight: 2.87 pounds (without the adapter)
- Battery life: HP estimates the 4-cell, 53.2Wh battery will provide up to 11 hours of what it calls mixed use, or up to 7 hours and 30 minutes of video playback, or up to 5 hours and 15 minutes of wireless streaming. As always, your mileage will vary.
The all-aluminum chassis will come in one color, which HP calls Dark Ash Silver.
Why this matters: AMD’s Ryzen mobile processors seem ready to erase its company’s spotty record in this space, with chips that finally have some oomph. PC vendors like HP are taking a leap of faith that AMD chips will help them sell more laptops. They’ll likely be less expensive than equivalent Intel versions, and that will help. We’ll see whether it’s worth it when we have a chance to test it.