HP’s Envy x360 13 is a superb convertible 2-in-1 for not lots of money. It’s extremely flexible, well-built, and it provides solid productivity performance while being priced to undercut much of the competition. That features the Apple MacBook Air M2, a superb laptop that’s among the many least expensive MacBooks.
If you happen to’re taking a look at 13-inch machines, then these two laptops ought to be in your shortlist. They’re quite different, though, and so the alternative between them isn’t a straightforward one to make. We’ll attempt to make it just a little easier.
Specs
| HP Envy x360 13 | Apple MacBook Air M2 | |
| Dimensions | 11.75 inches x 8.46 inches x 0.63 inches | 11.97 inches by 8.46 inches by 0.44 inches |
| Weight | 2.95 kilos | 2.7 kilos |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-1230U Intel Core i5-1250U |
Apple M2 eight-core CPU, eight-Core GPU Apple Me eight-core CPU, 10-Core GPU |
| Graphics | Intel Iris Xe | Apple M2 |
| RAM | 8GB LPDDR4x 16GB LPDDR4x |
8GB 16GB 24GB |
| Display | 13.3-inch 16:10 WUXGA (1920 x 1200) IPS 13.3-inch 16:10 WQXGA (2560 x 1600) IPS 13.3-inch 16:10 2.8K (2880 x 1800) OLED |
13.6-inch 16:10 2560 x 1664 Liquid Retina IPS |
| Storage | 512GB PCIe SSD 1TB PCIe SSD |
256GB PCIe SSD 512GB PCIe SSD 1TB PCIe SSD 2TB PCIe SSD |
| Touch | Yes | No |
| Ports | 2 x USB-C4 with Thunderbolt 4 2 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 1 x 3.5mm audio jack 1 x microSD card reader |
2 USB-C with Thunderbolt 4 3.5mm audio jack |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 | Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Webcam | 5MP with infrared camera for Windows 11 Hello | 1080p |
| Operating system | Windows 11 | macOS Monterey |
| Battery | 66 watt-hours | 52.6 watt-hours |
| Price | $900+ | $1,200+ |
| Rating | 4.5 out of 5 stars | 4 out of 5 stars |
Price and configurations
The Envy x360 13 costs $900 for an Intel Core i5-1230U CPU, 8GB of RAM, a 512GB solid-state drive (SSD), and a 13.3-inch 16:10 WUXGA IPS display. Essentially the most you’ll spend is $1,300 for a Core i7-1250U, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD, and a 13.3-inch 16:10 2.8K OLED panel.
The MacBook Air M2 is a pricier laptop, starting at $1,200 for an 8-core CPU/8-core GPU M2 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. On the high end, the laptop costs $2,500 for an 8-core CPU/10-core GPU M2, 24GB of RAM, and a 2TB SSD.
The MacBook costs more across the board, and note that HP often puts their laptops on sale. Once we reviewed the Envy x360 13, for instance, the entry-level configuration was just $700, making it a real bargain.
Design
- 1.
HP Envy x360 13 - 2.
M2 MacBook Air
It’s hard to beat Apple’s construct quality, and the MacBook Air M2 isn’t any exception. Its unibody construction is outstanding, although the lid does exhibit some uncharacteristic bending because of the laptop’s extreme thinness. It is available in at just 0.44 inches thick, making it considered one of the thinnest laptops you’ll be able to buy. The Envy x360 13 also enjoys an all-aluminum construction, and it’s also a solid machine — arguably, it’s more rigid than the MacBook. Apple’s hinge is smooth and allows opening the lid with one hand, which HP’s hinge can even do, albeit without the identical refinement. The Envy x360 13’s hinge must support the lid in 4 orientations, though, including clamshell, media, tent, and tablet, so it’s more complex and heavier.
Each are attractive machines with minimalist designs. The MacBook Air M2 takes on the identical blocky design because the costlier MacBook Pro models, and it not sports the model’s iconic wedge design. It is available in 4 colours, Midnight, Starlight, Space Gray, and silver, with matching MagSafe 3.0 charger cables. The Envy x360 13 has easy lines with a couple of angles that lend it some panache, and it’s available in Natural Silver and Nightfall Black color schemes. The MacBook’s display bezels are barely smaller, giving it a more modern look than the Envy, which also has a bigger bottom chin to accommodate its 2-in-1 hinge.
In relation to inputting information, the MacBook Air M2 is the more comfortable laptop. Its Magic Keyboard stays amongst the very best available on laptops today, with shallow but crisp switches and ideal keycap sizes and spacing. It’s a real joy to make use of. The Force Touch haptic touchpad can also be the very best around, being precise and responsive across its entire surface with virtual clicks that feel higher than the actual thing. The Envy x360 13’s keyboard can also be excellent, if a slight step back from Apple’s, with deeper switches with a feel that’s just barely less precise. Its mechanical touchpad is example of the very best Windows laptops can offer, however it’s not as nice to make use of because the MacBook’s.
The Envy x360 13 advantages from a touch display that also supports an energetic pen for Windows inking. Because of a taller 16:10 display, the Envy makes for a wonderful digital drawing and notetaking platform, something the MacBook can’t match.
One other area where the Envy wins out is in connectivity, because of the identical variety of Thunderbolt 4 ports to go along with higher legacy support because of USB-A, and it has a microSD card reader. It also boasts more up-to-date and faster wireless connectivity.
Finally, each laptops have high-resolution webcams, and HP adds in an infrared camera for Windows 11 passwordless login via facial recognition. The MacBook Air M2 supports a Touch ID fingerprint reader embedded within the keyboard.
Performance
Apple’s M2 ARM-based processor builds on the superb performance and efficiency of the M1. It features eight CPU cores and either eight or 10 GPU cores, the latter of which include optimizations for creative processes in applications like Adobe’s Creative Suite. The Envy x360 13 we reviewed was equipped with the 15-watt Intel Core i7-1250U, a 10-core/12-thread CPU that’s geared toward providing excellent productivity performance. The Envy’s integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics aren’t as strong in creative apps, leaving it behind the MacBook in creativity workflows.
Each laptops are excellent productivity machines and closely matched in CPU-intensive tasks. If you happen to edit photos or videos, though, the MacBook Air M2 stands out.
| HP Envy x360 13 (Core i7-1250U) |
Apple MacBook Air M2 (Apple M2) |
|
| Geekbench 5 (single / multi) |
Bal: 1,435 / 7,285 Perf: 1,460 / 7,288 |
Bal: 1,925 / 8,973 Perf: N/A |
| Handbrake (seconds) |
Bal: 136 Perf: 138 |
Bal: 151 Perf: N/A |
| Cinebench R23 (single / multi) |
Bal: 1,504 / 7,436 Perf: 1,504 / 7,441 |
Bal: 1,600 / 7,938 Perf: N/A |
Display and audio
The MacBook Air M2 has a superb 13.6-inch Liquid Retina IPS display running at 16:10 and 2560 x 1664. It’s sharp, vivid, offers great colours, and enjoys deep contrast. Any productivity user will love the display, as will all but probably the most demanding creators. The Envy x360 13, though, offers a 13.3-inch 16:10 2880 x 1800 OLED panel that’s sharper, offers even higher colours, has incredibly deep contrast with inky blacks, and can delight all users. Its only weakness in comparison with the MacBook’s display is it’s lower brightness, however it’s still greater than vivid enough.
The Envy x360 13 has two downward-firing speakers which are wonderful for YouTube and system sounds, however the MacBook Air M2’s quad speakers sound lots higher and play considerably louder without distortion. The MacBook can also be fanless, meaning it’s completely silent and so there’s no fan noise competing with the speakers for attention.
| HP Envy x360 13 (OLED) |
Apple MacBook Air M2 (IPS) |
|
| Brightness (nits) |
391 | 486 |
| AdobeRGB gamut | 100% | 90% |
| sRGB gamut | 98% | 100% |
| Accuracy (DeltaE, lower is best) |
0.72 | 1.08 |
| Contrast ratio | 29,420:1 | 1,310:1 |
Portability
As mentioned earlier, the MacBook Air M2 is stunningly thin at just 0.44 inches, in comparison with the Envy x360 13 at 0.63 inches. The laptops are almost an identical in width and depth, an accomplishment for the MacBook given its larger display, and the Envy is a few ounces heavier. Nevertheless, each are highly portable laptops that slip easily right into a backpack.
The more significant difference is in battery life. Apple’s M2 processor is incredibly efficient because of its ARM architecture, and that showed up in our battery benchmarks. The Envy x360 13 did well for a Windows machine with a power-hungry OLED display, however the MacBook lasted considerably longer.
| HP Envy x360 13 (Core i7-1250U) |
Apple MacBook Air M2 (Apple M2) |
|
| Web browsing | 9 hours, half-hour | 17 hours, 59 minutes |
| Video | 15 hours, 31 minutes | 21 hours, 9 minutes |
Two great laptops, but one’s considerably more cost-effective
The HP Envy x360 13 is a more cost-effective laptop, particularly as you ramp up its configuration. It’s well-built, provides excellent productivity performance and solid battery life, and enjoys the pliability of a convertible 2-in-1. The MacBook Air M2, alternatively, is the epitome of today’s thin and lightweight laptop, providing an equally good construct, great performance and even higher battery life, and Apple’s all-around excellence.
In the long run, we’ve got to provide the nod to the Envy x360 13 given its cheaper price. You just get more laptop on your money.
Editors’ Recommendations
