Review: HP ENVY 32 is the most powerful all-in-one PC yet
Source: Daniel Rubino/Windows Central
Every once a while, a computer comes across your desk that changes everything. The new HP ENVY 32 All-in-One (AIO) is such a machine, due to the sheer number of features, quality, and “world’s first” achievements. It also goes up against Apple’s popular 27‑inch iMac and comes away as a clear better value.
How and why would I say such things? I’ve been using the ENVY 32 AIO for the last month, and with its RTX graphics, dazzling 32-inch 4K anti-reflective HDR display, super-powerful audio, it’s hard not to be impressed. Read on for why the HP ENVY 32 is the best AIO PC, hands-down.
Power and beauty
HP ENVY 32 AIO
Pros
- 32-inch 4K anti-reflective HDR display
- GTX or RTX graphics
- 65-watt Core i7 CPU
- Excellent 2.1 audio, audio streaming
- Pop-up Windows Hello 5MP camera
- Qi wireless charging
- Display in/out
Cons
- No Wi-Fi 6
- Display limited to 60 Hz
- Mouse can be slow
- SSD is just OK
Nothing looks this good
HP ENVY 32 All-in-One design, specs, and features
Source: Windows Central
The ENVY 32 throws all of this away. HP uses a full 65-watt Intel Core i7-9700 S-series processor (there is also a more affordable Core i5 variant). That’s a real desktop-class CPU. But you can also configure the ENVY 32 with up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (Max-Q design) graphics card. That’s never been done before in this class of PC. For our review, we used a GeForce RTX 2060 (Max-Q) with 6GB of GDDR6 memory. To save some money, users can opt for a still powerful NVIDIA GTX 1650.
Category | DeviceNameTKTKTK |
---|---|
Operating system | Windows 10 Home |
Display | 31.5-inch IPS 4K (3840 x 2160) HDR600 (600 nits) micro-edge WLED Anti-reflective 98% DCI-P3 |
Tilt angle | -5 to 25 degrees Cantilever |
Processor | 9th Gen Intel Core i5-9400 (6-core) 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9700 (8-core) |
Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 (4GB) NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (6GB) NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (6GB) |
Memory | 16 or 32GB DDR4 (2,666MHz) |
Memory slots | 2 DIMM (SO-DIMM) |
Storage | 256GB SSD/1TB HDD 512GB SSD +32GB Optane/1TB HDD 1TB SSD+32GB Optane |
Card reader | SD media card reader (SD, SDHC, SDXC) |
Front camera | 5MP Privacy Camera with Windows Hello Dual-microphone array |
Security | Facial recognition |
Connectivity | Realtek Wi-Fi 5 (2×2) Bluetooth 5 MU-MIMO supported |
Ports | 2x Type-A 3.1 Gen 2 1x Thunderbolt 3 1x Type-C 3.1 Gen 2 1x Type-A 3.1 Gen 1 HDMI Out HDMI In Headphone jack |
Audio | Bang & Olufsen 2.1 channel w/ 3-way design |
Power supply | 330W (external) |
Dimensions | 6.9 (L) x 28.3 (W) x 21.9 (H) inches |
Weight | 30.4 lbs (13.8kg) |
All this power is put behind the massive 32-inch 4K (3840 x 2160) HDR600 display. That screen boasts an impressive 92.8 percent screen-to-body ratio, which is higher than some premium laptops.
Below the display is a bevy of speakers to power the 2.1 audio system, which HP claims results in the world’s loudest all-in-one. It’s a weird flex, but the Bang & Olufsen sound is outstanding – and yes, quite loud.
Source: Daniel Rubino/Windows CentralThe 330-watt power supply for the HP ENVY 32.
Source: Daniel Rubino/Windows CentralAll the rear ports on the ENVY 32 give plenty of options.
The base also sports Qi wireless charging for your phone with a nifty LED, and the ENVY 32 doesn’t need to be on to use it.
But the real beauty of the ENVY 32 is in the small details.
A massive, gorgeous screen
HP ENVY 32 All-in-One: A 32-inch HDR display
Source: Windows CentralEven with direct light the ENVY 32’s display has very low reflectivity.
- 92.8% screen-to-body ratio
- 6000:1 contrast ratio
- TÜV Rheinland-certified
- VESA-certified HDR600 display
- Edge-to-edge glass
- Anti-reflection screen
HRD600 (high-dynamic range) means that peak brightness can approach near 600 nits. When set to Windows HDR, or for when watching HDR-enabled movies, the display shows very dark blacks and near blinding whites to give exceptional levels of contrast. While HDR600 (or higher) is common in TVs, there has not been any AIO PC with such a feature. This feature is rare even in standalone monitors.
The ENVY 32’s 32-inch 4K display is overwhelmingly glorious.
TÜV Rheinland-certified is a standard set forth as a measurement of eye-comfort. For HP to achieve certification, its display must have low blue light output, be flicker-free, and have reduced reflection. In reality, it means you should be able to stare at this 32-inch 4K behemoth without damaging your eyes or experience significant eye fatigue.
Anti-reflective technology is also unique. The XPS 27 famously had a very glossy screen that was much too reflective. HP does it differently. Behind the glass is a special layer of material that diffracts light. That lets the display maintain vibrancy and accuracy while effectively cutting out any reflection from lights. It’s outstanding, and I wish all computers had this feature.
Source: Windows Central
Source: Windows CentralHP’s display app lets you control and configure different settings with ease.
The powerful audio can get so loud your neighbors will get mad.
So, how is it to work behind a 32-inch 4K display that can do HDR? It’s overwhelming. The first two days I thought it was too big. But after some adjustment, I’m used to it and likely can’t go back to anything else. It is simply glorious. This is especially true when watching TV or movies. The screen is so large that anyone living in a small city apartment can easily have the ENVY 32 do double duty as a PC and a TV.
Another nice touch is that HP lets the ENVY 32 act as a dummy display. There’s an HDMI input on the back that enables you to add a laptop or even a more powerful computer.
Your neighbors will hate you
HP ENVY 32 All-in-One speakers and audio
Source: Daniel Rubino/Windows CentralAcoustic fabric hides the ENVY 32’s seven speakers.
In testing, when the volume is set to 50 percent and at two feet from the computer, the audio peaked at a jaw-dropping 87 decibels. That’s the equivalent of a medium-sized truck or a kicking bass drum (a real one). Go to 75 percent system volume, and you’ll blast your room with 95 decibels. That sits in-between a large truck and a jackhammer. There is no distortion either – just clear, nicely separated audio.
Powering the ENVY 32 are two tweeters, two passive radiators, one subwoofer, and two medium drivers all hidden behind an angled mount covered in acoustic fabric. Bang & Olufsen tuned the speakers, and there is the software to help customize the experience, including a graphic equalizer.
Because of these features, the HP ENVY 32 can now be a PC, TV, and a stereo for your apartment or living room.
Little bonus features
HP ENVY 32 All-in-One Windows Hello, Qi wireless
Source: Windows Central
The camera is OK, with lots of noise in low light. It pales compared to a 4K Logitech BRIO, which is the most expensive web camera you can buy. HP did angle the camera downward, which is smart, so even though you have to look up at it, it is looking down at you. The downside to that is you are likely to capture your floor in the background, so make sure you clean up before you teleconference.
You’ll keep this keyboard
HP ENVY 32 All-in-One keyboard and a phone station
Source: Windows Central
The ENVY 32 keyboard borrows heavily from the Spectre series of laptops. It’s metal, slim, minimalist, and has angled typing. It also weighs a crazy two pounds (0.9kg), which ensures that it never slides when using it. The keyboard is Bluetooth and pre-paired with the ENVY 32, meaning it just works with no fiddling. It’s powered by two AAAA batteries (included) but unfortunately is not backlit due to it being wireless.
Yes, the ENVY 32 is capable of real 4K gaming in addition to being a TV, PC, and a stereo.
But HP didn’t stop there. The keyboard has a trough that lets you mount your smartphone vertically – or even a full iPad tablet. The idea here is you can see messages and your phone’s display without moving.
You can pair this keyboard to your phone or tablet too. There are two more Bluetooth channels just for this task. When you want to switch to your phone or tablet, just hit one of the two Bluetooth buttons to make it happen. This ability then lets you type on your phone using the ENVY 32’s keyboard. When you are done just one-button-touch, and you’re back on the ENVY 32.
The included Bluetooth mouse (also pre-paired) is high-quality, too. It’s ergonomic, has a nice weight to it and works quite well.
Yeah, you can 4K game
HP ENVY 32 All-in-One power and performance
Source: Windows Central
Using Geekbench 4.0 and Geekbench 5.0, the ENVY 32 performs just a smidgen below a Dell XPS 15 (7590) configured with the insane Core i9-9980HK 45-watt chip.
CPU
Geekbench 5.0 Benchmarks (Higher is better)
Device | CPU | Single core | Multi core |
---|---|---|---|
HP ENVY 32 AIO | Core i7-9700 | 1,226 | 7,247 |
Dell XPS 15 7590 | Core i9-9980HK | 1,176 | 7,624 |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme (Gen 2) | i7-9850H | 1,160 | 4,168 |
Dynabook Portégé X30-F | i7-8665U | 1,236 | 3,473 |
Lenovo ThinkPad P53 | Xeon E-2276M | 1,237 | 6,152 |
Surface Laptop 3 13.5 | Core i5-1035G7 | 1,177 | 4,413 |
Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 7390 | Core i7-1065G7 | 1,209 | 3,571 |
Surface Laptop 3 15 | Ryzen 5 | 769 | 2,720 |
The i7-9700 is neck and neck with the 45-watt, but very hot, Core i9-9980HK.
PCMark
PCMark 10 Express
Device | Score |
---|---|
HP ENVY 32 AIO | 5,292 |
Dell XPS 15 7590 | 5,521 |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme (Gen 2) | 4,915 |
Dynabook Portégé X30-F | 3,881 |
Dynabook Tecra X50-F | 4,128 |
Dell Inspiron 13 7390 2-in-1 | 3,764 |
Lenovo ThinkPad P53 | 5,668 |
Surface Laptop 3 15 (AMD) | 4,006 |
Dell Precision 3541 | 3,906 |
Again, the HP ENVY 32 AIO is almost tied with the suped-up XPS 15 with a Core i9 processor. With better thermals than a laptop the ENVY 32 should have no issue with 4K video editing.
3DMark
Time Spy
Device | GPU | Score |
---|---|---|
HP ENVY 32 AIO | RTX 2060 Max-Q | 5,664 |
XPS 15 (7590) | GTX 1650 | 3,735 |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme (Gen 2) | GTX 1650 Max-Q | 3,190 |
Lenovo ThinkPad P53 | Quadro RTX 5000 | 6,760 |
Lenovo Legion Y740 15 | RTX 2070 Max-Q | 6,406 |
Lenovo Legion Y740 17 | RTX 2080 Max-Q | 7,128 |
The ENVY 32’s RTX 2060 (Max-Q) falls right behind the more powerful RTX 2070 (Max-Q) but well ahead of the the GTX 1650.
3DMark
Fire Strike
Device | GPU | Score |
---|---|---|
HP ENVY 32 AIO | RTX 2060 Max-Q | 13,163 |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme (Gen 2) | GTX 1650 Max-Q | 7,198 |
Dell XPS 15 (7590) | GTX 1650 Max-Q | 7,763 |
Lenovo ThinkPad P53 | Quadro RTX 5000 | 16,367 |
Lenovo Legion Y740 15 | RTX 2070 Max-Q | 14,669 |
Lenovo Legion Y740 17 | RTX 2080 Max-Q | 16,303 |
Razer Blade 15 | GTX 1070 | 13,560 |
Cinebench
Cinebench (R20) (Higher is better)
Device | CPU | Range |
---|---|---|
HP ENVY 32 AIO | Core i7-9700 | 2,906 to 3,073 |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme (Gen 2) | Core i7-9850H | 1,230 to 2,495 |
Dynabook Portégé X30-F | Core i7-8665U | 1,242 to 1,313 |
Lenovo ThinkPad P53 | Xeon E-2276M | 2,686 to 2,701 |
Surface Laptop 3 13.5 | Core i5-1035G4 | 1,584 to 1,606 |
Surface Laptop 3 15 | Core i7-1065G7 | 1,703 to 1,745 |
Running Cinebench four times in a row, the scores show the following ranges. Typically, the results drop on successive runs due to thermal constraints on the processor.
SSD
CrystalDiskMark (Higher is better)
Device | Read | Write |
---|---|---|
HP ENVY 32 AIO | 2,005 MB/s | 508 MB/s |
Dell XPS 15 7590 | 3,000 MB/s | 2,796 MB/s |
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme (Gen 2) | 3,416 MB/s | 3,016 MB/s |
Dynabook Portégé X30-F | 529 MB/s | 348 MB/s |
Dynabook Tecra X50-F | 3,400 MB/s | 1,952 MB/s |
Lenovo ThinkPad P53 | 3,567.23 MB/s | 2,813.25 MB/s |
Lenovo ThinkPad P52 | 3,120 MB/s | 1,551.5 MB/s |
MSI PS63 Modern | 3,300 MB/s | 1,875 MB/s |
Intel Optane may help with caching apps, but the raw SSD speed for writing is a bit underwhelming. Luckily, the read speed is quite good.
Source: Windows Central
Source: Windows Central
Truly impressive
HP ENVY 32 All-in-One conclusion: Power, beauty, and value
Source: Daniel Rubino/Windows Central
The ENVY 32’s display is easily one of the best in this class of computer. It also does a few “firsts,” including anti-glare, HDR600, TÜV Rheinland-certified, and being 4K at 32-inches. HP also added some extreme value and versatility with the built-in Qi wireless charging, streaming to the powerful speakers when the PC is “off,” and letting you use the excellent keyboard with your phone and tablet at the flick of a button.
The ENVY 32 is an AIO with no compromises. It’s nearly perfect and unmatched for power.
When it comes to audio performance, there is no AIO that sounds this good and goes this loud.
Regarding value, pricing starts at $1,800 for a Core i5, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, GTX 1650 (4GB), and 256GB SSD/1TB HDD. The unit we tested with a Core i7, RTX 2060, 32GB RAM, and 1TB SSD (+ Optane) storage costs $2,499.
HP wasn’t shy about comparing the ENVY 32 to the similarly spec’d Apple iMac 27 with a 5K display ($2,529 with mouse and full keyboard). The iMac 27 ships with a 4.1GHz Core i5 processor, Radeon Pro 570X (4GB), 1TB SSD, 16GB of RAM, and a significantly smaller 27-inch display. The ENVY 32, meanwhile, has a Core i7 (4.7GHz), GeForce RTX 2060 (6GB), 32GB of RAM, and a 32-inch HDR600 display. Bump the iMac 27 to 32GB of RAM, and you’re at $3,000 with a smaller screen and still slower CPU and GPU. None of that even accounts for the much more powerful speaker system, Qi charging, audio streaming, and Windows Hello pop-up camera that comes with the ENVY 32.
During my month of usage, I had no issues or bugs to report.
Source: Windows Central
The HP ENVY 32 AIO is well thought out, and it is not a copycat device; it clearly has its own identity. HP didn’t just stick some parts together but thought about how a computer should work in a modern household, and it created unique solutions that solve problems. The fact that you can do high-end gaming or video editing on it is just a bonus. I’ve never seen an AIO this powerful, and this feature-complete, which is why it’s easy to name the ENVY 32 as the best all-in-one on the planet right now.
An outstanding creation
HP ENVY 32 All-in-One
Real CPU, powerful GPU, and 4K glory
HP’s ENVY 32 AIO sets the bar for AIO PCs in 2020. It blows away the Apple iMac 27, and it can act as your TV, computer for work, stereo streaming device, and a gaming rig. It literally does it all.
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