Why you should read this before buying a HP Laptop (HP Envy Review)

Should you buy a HP laptop? Is the quality good considering that the brand is from the US? Hey all, I’ve been busy and haven’t posted an article for a while, but thought it important to share my experience having used a HP Envy laptop for 2 years. 

Noting that this is a buying season, I wanted this article to serve as a public service announcement, so as to share with the community about the potential quality issue of a HP laptop.

Bought HP Envy to replace my Lenovo

If you can still recall, I’d lamented two years ago about my disappointment of a Lenovo laptop that lasted only 4 years. I’d thought it was too short a lifespan for a mid range laptop. And so, I zoomed into HP as I’ve had great experience with the brand. 

But that was more than a decade ago. I was then managing a suite of HP products as part of my start-up IT logistics business, and was impressed by the durability of its products.

 

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I’d trusted HP, but my HP laptop died in 2 years

But guess what? My relatively new HP Envy laptop was spoilt within 2 years. And this is without any fall or impact. It has always been extremely well taken care of, sitting in its thick protective cover all the time when not in use.

Just look at the pristine condition of my unit. 

Alas, one day, I took the HP Envy out of its protective case just like I normally would, turned the power on and found a vertical strip of blackened screen.

It was only after a deeper examination when I saw a part of the metal layer having lifted off from its base. This lifting could have caused the technical disconnection that resulted in a partially-blackened screen.

HP offered poor Customer Service

Being very reliant on my personal laptop for work, I quickly looked up HP’s website for servicing details. Unfortunately, I couldn’t reach anybody via the phone number displayed on the website. 

After spending a lot of time finding alternative ways to get help, I realised that HP doesn’t allow customers to “walk-in” to its service centers.

You have to take a photo of your defective laptop and send it to the WhatsApp chat (getting that number is a story for another day). HP will then issue you a quotation via email, which you have to sign and make payment before a real person will take a look at your unit.

Yes, HP “examines” your unit and quotes you a price without even touching it. 

Exorbitant repair fees by HP without physical examination

HP quoted me more than $700 for the repair. That’s 60% of the cost price! I’ll be a fool to pay that especially after seeing the quality of HP products. I mean, why would metal lift off on its own? It’s not like the unit were left unused for decades, right?

If I pay $700 to get it repaired today, would another part of the metal case lift off on its own a few months later, forcing me to pay another $700? Would it be more logical for me to buy a new laptop, given the prohibitive repair fee? 

Appealed for Reduction of Repair Cost, but…

I told HP that it would be illogical for me to pay 60% to repair a unit given its apparent quality issue. I appealed for fee reduction as a mid-range laptop should last longer than 2 years based on “reasonable person” test.

>> MUST-READ: 8 Ideas on what to buy this festive season!

Unfortunately, after ding-donging more than a month with my work seriously impacted, HP customer service could only lower the fee to 40%. The final discount amount was about $500 and this amount would still be illogical for me to pay.

Hence, I declined their “goodwill”. It seems to me that HP is not acknowledging the point that a laptop should not spoil within 2 years.

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After wasting close to 2 months, I’m left with a big hole in my pocket and will shop for a new laptop soon. Of course it won’t be a HP laptop. My impression of HP products and its servicing has changed forever!

While I’m facing a yearly depreciation of over $600 for my HP laptop, I thought it is my duty to warn the community here about the quality of HP products. Or specifically a HP Envy laptop launched in recent years.

 

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Quick Review of HP Envy Laptop 

Actually, other than the defect, I did not really enjoy using the HP Envy laptop. That’s why even though I’d taken the new-product photos excitedly in 2020 with the intention to review it, I didn’t. I couldn’t recommend it. 

What’s bad about HP Envy? 

First of all, the camera was not good (or poorer than my friend’s Surface Pro 7 bought during the same period). I had to buy a plug-in Logitech camera to appear decent over zoom.

In addition, there’s some issues about the keyboard, of it being either too big (maybe not for Asians) or the keys weirdly-placed…or both. I’d often typed wrongly when using HP Envy laptop.

DEVICE TIPS: Since we are talking about keyboard, this is one that I use for my desktop and which I enjoy using – it’s Logitech MX Keys. I also enjoy using my Logitech Anywhere mouse and am looking to upgrade to Logitech MX Anywhere 3 so that I can pair it with more devices. Yeah, I’m a device queen! :)

Another issue about HP Envy laptop is that you won’t be able to lift the lid with one hand or finger, which was a test done by many tech reviewers. That wasn’t an issue to me then, but I reckoned it may correlate with the quality of the hinge?

The third con of a HP Envy laptop is how reflective the screen is. This makes it hard to use under bright daylight because you’ll see yourself all the time. It’s like a mirror! :)

What’s good about HP Envy Laptop?

Of course, my HP Envy has its plus points too such as being sleek and attractive and having decent battery life. It also boasts good audio and screen resolution.

But if a laptop costs $600-a-year for depreciation, you can totally forget about its pros. 

 

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That’s all I have for you today. I’d earlier written a similar public service announcement piece on a travel booking platform which has garnered a lot of attention and discussion. So I hope this article will help someone out there. Do share with your friends and families if you care for their wallets.

In any case, if you have any good laptop brand to introduce, do drop it in the comments below. Thanks, folks! You can also click the button below to subscribe to our new posts. 

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