- I recently reviewed the HP Envy X2
with Windows 10 on ARM.
It's one of my favorite devices of 2018.
In fact I use this myself everyday.
But a lot of you are excited about this: the Intel version.
Basically the same device
all better of course, right?
Not quite.
Today I'll tell you why you shouldn't buy this device
and believe it or not, it's no the CPU that matters.
Stay tuned.
(upbeat music)
Alright, lets start with the beginning here.
So both of these devices are the Envy X2,
one's ARM and one's Intel.
There's a lot more than that that's different.
So this one goes for $1,000
and includes the keyboard and pen.
This one goes for $1,150,
also includes the keyboard and pens
so there's a $150 difference.
Now interestingly this ships with Windows 10S
but you can unlock that to Windows 10 Pro
which is free and is pretty neat.
This however ships with Windows 10 Home
which is a little weird.
So you don't get Pro with this, and if you want that,
you're gonna have to pay that upgrade fee.
So that's actually one instance of where there sort of
bearing and switching costs a little bit.
The other thing is when it comes down to hardware,
They are basically the same,
but there are some subtle differences.
You still get four gigs of RAM.
You're still going to get 128 gigs of storage.
This one actually uses a Samsung storage solution.
I think it's SATA.
You only get around 500 megabytes read and 300 for write
which is okay for this sort of device.
It's a lot better than a hard disc drive,
and it feels very similar to what is on the ARM version
In terms of screen resolution,
they're both gonna be the same with full HD.
They're both touch.
They both support pen.
In fact, they ship with the same pen as well.
Other great features is they both have
front facing speakers, which sound really nice.
You also get Windows Hello camera integration
for that infra red for facial recognition.
And they both work very well,
although the Intel version I think actually
works a little bit faster, probably due to that processor.
You also get ambient display brightness
with the Intel version, which is not found on the ARM one.
Why, I don't know, but it's there.
So if you like to have your display
auto adjust on occasion
well the Intel version is gonna be better.
The other core difference is
with the ARM version you'll get a single type C-connector.
whereas on the Intel one, you get two type C-connectors
which is still not as good as a USB type A,
but two is better than one,
so the Intel one is definitely gonna be better
for input and output.
They both also have a micro SD slot for expansion
and an LTE SIM slots for adding 4G LTE,
which is sort of the primary purpose
of both of these devices.
When it comes to HP, they're gonna use an Intel modem
whereas the ARM of course
use a Qualcomm Snapdragon one instead.
Now when it comes to that 4G LTE
there's actually a surprising difference.
The Qualcomm performs better when using a Verizon SIM.
So we just swapped out the SIM between these
and ran the test side by side.
Both are using Verizon in Westborough, Massachusetts
and as you can see here
with the Qualcomm version we're getting 23 down
and not very good up.
Now mind you, we barely have a signal here,
so it's not doing very well.
When it comes to the Intel version though,
this is actually a little but lower.
We have seen higher around 13 megabits per second,
but it's still about half the speed as we were getting
with the Qualcomm version.
The upload is a little bit better,
also milliseconds for ping is around the same as well.
Again, Westborough, Massachusetts.
So, when it comes to performance of the LTE
were actually gonna see a little bit better with Qualcomm,
which makes a little bit sense.
The Intel version is not a gigabit type cellular modem.
It does 450 megabits per second max,
whereas this one can do up to one gigabit per second,
which is gonna be much faster.
The Snapdragon is a newer chip set
so it's gonna perform better,
and that's exactly what we see.
So, when it comes down to performance
that is gonna be the biggest question that most people have.
Obviously, Windows 10 on ARM does very well for inbox apps
and standard Windows stuff in the store,
but struggles a little bit
with non-recompiled apps that are Windows 32.
When it comes to this device though,
you're gonna get an Intel core I5 processor.
Well technically it's 7Y54 processor
that is, it's a Y series.
That means the TDP is basically cut in half,
that's around 6 1/2 watts versus the standard 15 watt
that's found in a typical core I5 processor.
That means for performance you wouldn't get very good here
for launching applications in short bursts,
but it doesn't perform quite as well
when it comes to long duration,
that is if you're gonna be gaming or say, video encoding,
you're gonna see this thing start to throttle heavily.
That is because there is no venting on there.
So, there's no fan.
It's all passively cooled.
That also means it does get hotter on the back
depending on what you're doing.
Now if all you're doing is sticking with the native apps,
Office, and apps from the Microsoft store,
these actually perform very much the same.
There's really no advantage to them.
UWP apps are pretty quick to launch on all devices,
and that is especially true here for ARM as well as Intel.
So that's how you're gonna use the devices,
really no performance difference.
Where it matters of course is Windows 32 apps.
where the Intel version will out perform.
And for those short bursts,
that's where the Intel version really matters.
When it comes to Geek Bench on single core,
you can get 3,700,
whereas for multi core, you're gonna get around 6,700.
That's a very good score.
That's comparable to a core I7 processor
from a few years ago.
So, for short bursts, the Intel version is pretty awesome.
Now when it comes to battery life,
you're looking around eight to nine hours
which, in my opinion, is acceptable.
Versus ARM where I only push around 16 hours.
So you're still gonna get that 1 1/2 times difference
with the ARM version.
So, it depends on what you prioritize,
but lets not kid ourselves.
Eight hours to nine hours is pretty good for Intel as well.
Alright, so far so good.
So why not just get the Intel version?
(sigh)
I gotta take a deep breath.
HP royally screwed up this device,
and it comes down to the keyboard and the folio mechanism.
And I know what you're saying,
"Aren't they the same devices, with the same keyboards?"
No.
For inexplicable reasons
there's a very different mechanism with the ARM version
versus Intel.
The ARM version has this cool foldable kickstand
in the back that can adjust to all degrees of angles,
including laying flat.
It works very well, it's a very stiff hinge,
and it makes using in your lap very easy.
The keyboard base also clicks up like the surface pro.
It's pretty long and works well in the lap.
You also have a really large size track pad
which, as I emphasis in my review, is precision drivers.
It's one of my favorites.
It's a very good track pad.
So, the whole typing experience with this device
is just excellent.
In fact, one of the reasons of why
I like the Envy X2 with ARM so much
is just the overall experience:
folding it out, using that kickstand,
the keyboard, typing, mousing.
It's just very good with it.
When it comes to Intel though,
for some reason HP changed it up.
The keyboard is now shorter.
So you don't have as much throw with it,
which means, your palms hang off.
It also means the track pad is smaller and shorter.
It's really frustrating to use.
And to make it even worse, it uses Elan drivers.
Now I am such a precision touch pad snob
that Elan is below Synoptics in my book.
Elan is really bad.
Ill give it a little credit here.
As far as an Elan track pad, this ones actually okay to use.
It's just, why?
Why would you not put on precision drivers with this,
versus Elan?
So the track pad is not as good, the typing is not as good.
This isn't fun to use in your lap,
and that's because of the hinge on the back.
It doesn't have one.
Instead it uses this classic mode
where it snaps into position,
which is not as fun to use.
It's not as easy.
It's clumsy.
I have to reposition it multiple times.
You also really get one angle.
There's this angle, and then there's a lower angle,
or you can use it completely flat and that's it.
But when you're using this in the lap
it tends to weeble wobble back,
and it's just not as fun to use.
It's because of this entire experience with the keyboard,
the track pad, and the kickstand in the back
that I really can't commend using this device
if you wanna use it on the go,
which is how I think most people would want to use it.
Even using at a desk is merely okay.
But the ARM version gets it so right.
It's just baffling why they didn't do it here with Intel.
Now I know what you're saying,
"Dan, just swap out the covers and shut up".
You can't.
They didn't make them interoperable.
So you couldn't even buy
or swap them out even if you wanted to.
Alright, lets bring it all in.
I didn't really do a full review of this,
and that because this device I just find so frustrating,
I just couldn't even use it daily.
So because of that, I can't recommend you buy it.
And it's really a shame,
because the Intel processor on it is actually really nice.
It's an Intel core I5.
Sure, it throttles heavily,
but it's gonna give you that burst.
If you're looking to run Windows 32 apps,
executable applications, the old school stuff,
this is actually a really solid choice.
It's just the rest of the experience
is just absolutely terrible.
If, however, you need something with a better experience,
and you're okay with sticking with the Microsoft store
well, the Envy X2 with ARM
is definitely gonna be the better choice
and you'll save 150 dollars,
plus technically you can get Windows 10 Pro with it
which is not a huge selling opportunity, but there it is.
Now, even when it comes to the Envy X2 with ARM,
we just heard the announcement of the Snapdragon 850,
and I can tell you this codename for this device
was actually Chimera when it was being developed.
And now we are hearing there is Chimera 2 in the works,
which, as you can surmise, runs a Snapdragon 850.
Now, I don't expect that device to come out until
later this year, around the holiday season,
but this Snapdragon 850 will give you
around a 30% performance improvement,
which, if you're hesitant about buying Windows 10 and ARM
may be worth waiting for.
As to what Intel's going to do next,
that remains a mystery as well.
This is going to catch up, in my opinion
pretty quickly to a core I3 and core I5 processor,
and the Snapdragon 850 will definitely achieve
at least some of that.
What Intel has coming next, I'm not sure.
I can't recommend buying this device,
but HP just rework that keyboard and make it the same here.
It will make choosing between these a lot easier.
Now, if you want more information about these devices
or you have questions leave a them in the comments.
I can always do a follow up video.
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Thanks for watching, take care everybody.