HP ENVY TouchSmart 14-k112nr Touchscreen Ultrabook Review

HP ENVY TouchSmart 14-k112nr Touchscreen Ultrabook Review

14 inch HP ENVY TouchSmart Ultrabook
via Amazon



The ENVY TouchSmart 14-k112nr is one of the latest ultra books by HP that shows high performance- speed and power and innovative design with its super high resolution QHD+ screen, Beats Audio, a Haswell Intel i5 processor, plenty of memory, a 128GB Solid State Drive instead of a standard SATA HDD and free 4G wireless broadband internet by T-Mobile (200MB a month for life) which make it suitable for work and entertainment.

HP ENVY TouchSmart 14 has a fourth generation Intel Core i5-4200U processor at 1.60 GHz speed (up to 2.60GHz) with Turbo Boost Technology, 8GB DDR3L SDRAM at 1600 MHz, 128GB SSD and the latest 64-bit Windows 8.1 operating system.. Although the 4200U version of the Intel i5 is a processor designed for ultra books that focuses more on lower power usage, it still offers high performance overall and decent graphics. 8GB RAM will let you do plenty of multitasking of many programs and browsers at once without freezing or delays.

The 128GB SSD will enable the system to start up and wake up from hibernation very quickly and offer fast running of everything. Windows 8 may still not be every customer’s cup of tea but the 8.1 offers extra useful functions and is a stable platform overall. And it comes with the Microsoft Signature, which means there is none of that junkware or trialware that will slow down your PC and you get free anti-virus software called Microsoft Defender that will never expire.

14 inch Quad HD+ LED backlit IPS touchscreen at 3200 x 1800 pixel native resolution that supports 10-finger multi-touch offers an amazing 275 pixels per inch for super sharp lifelike images with detail and 178 degree viewing angles with IPS technology. There is no dedicated graphics card on this model but an Intel HD 4400 with shared graphics memory that is a little better than the standard Intel HD 4000 but nothing amazing so don’t expect to play the latest games at high settings on it. The Beats Audio that is common on many HP laptops and double speakers with a subwoofer will let you hear rich and immersive sound- one of the best for a laptop PC. You also have the HP TrueVision HD webcam with integrated microphone for those Skype chats with friends and family.

HP ENVY TouchSmart 14-k112nr Touchscreen Ultrabook Review
Premium build and finish silver HP ENVY TouchSmart is only 0.84 inches thick (dimensions of 13.61 x 0.84 x 9.42 inches) and weighs just 4.4 pounds- slim, lightweight and portable (but the touch display makes it a little heavier than what it would be without). The 3-cell lithium-ion battery gives you up to 6 hours of battery life in normal use on a single charge. And the HP CoolSense acts like the auto aircon for the machine so you will type and work comfortably.

The ergonomic and easy to type on keyboard is backlit for comfortable typing in dim light and doesn’t have a separate 10-key numpad. The keyboard travel distance is 1.8mm and the touchpad dimensions are 100 x 67mm. There is no DVD drive but the 802.11abg 802.11n wireless (free 200MB internet access per month is for life), SIM card slot for mobile broadband, Bluetooth 4.0, Gigabit Ethernet with RJ-45, an HDMI port, 2 x USB 3.0 ports, 1 x USB 2.0 port, Headphone output/Microphone input combo and a Multi-format digital media card reader.

Conclusion: The HP ENVY TouchSmart 14-k112nr is a solidly built machine that looks quite good too with textureless matte silver aluminium- looks a bit like Macbook actually. The presence of touch display function and the aluminium make it a little heavier than if it were non-touch and plastic. The lack of a dedicated graphics card can also be pointed out as a con if you’re planning to play the demanding games at higher settings, but it certainly is a decent system overall with good technical specs and the latest modern features if you’re in the market for a smart and slim ultra book. It stands out with its great build quality, the amazing quad HD+ touchscreen with IPS, quality of sound, premium keyboard, Haswell i5 processor, 8GB of RAM memory and the use of SSD that offers much snappier performance.

Click here for a closer look on Amazon

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