The HP Envy 17 is more budget-friendly and offers a larger screen, which is suited for tasks like watching videos and working on documents. It has a number pad on the keyboard and decent performance for general use. On the flip side, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2, while more expensive, provides superior performance for 3D rendering, machine learning, and engineering tasks with its more powerful graphics. It is also more portable and offers a higher screen resolution and refresh rate, which is beneficial for creative professionals or those who prefer a sharper display with smoother visuals. Both have a touchscreen, but the Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a more color-accurate screen, beneficial for tasks that require color precision. Choose the HP Envy 17 for cost-effectiveness and a larger display or the Surface Laptop Studio 2 for higher performance and portability. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the HP Envy 17
The HP Envy 17 has no clear advantages over the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2.
Advantages of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
Very good for general use
Very good for engineering and design
Good for gaming and AI
Very good for software development
Very good for content creation
Good overall display quality
Very good overall build quality
Very good speakers
Very good keyboard
Key differences
General Use
7.5/10
8.3/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
329.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
8.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.0/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for general use, while the HP Envy 17 is good.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 stands out for general use with its higher-quality speakers and better build quality, along with more memory and a higher resolution touchscreen that offers versatility and sharper visuals than the HP Envy 17. While the HP Envy 17 also delivers a quality experience with a fair speaker system and good build, it is larger and heavier, thus less portable, but may appeal to those preferring a bigger screen.
Gaming and AI
6.4/10
7.7/10
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
7.0/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
6.7/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is good for gaming and AI, while the HP Envy 17 is only fair.
The HP Envy 17 is less suited for gaming and 3D tasks because it comes with an Intel Iris Xe GPU, which is less powerful for these activities, and a standard 60Hz screen refresh rate. In contrast, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 outperforms in these areas with a superior Nvidia RTX 4060 GPU, which supports advanced gaming and 3D features, and a higher 120Hz screen refresh rate for smoother visuals.
Engineering and Design
7.4/10
8.7/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
3.8/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
7.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for engineering and design, while the HP Envy 17 is good.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is considered very good for engineering and design use because it has a more powerful GPU suitable for rendering and design tasks, coupled with a higher resolution and higher refresh rate screen which offers sharp, fluid visuals for intricate design work. Compared to this, the HP Envy 17, while competent, has less RAM and a standard integrated GPU, making it less adept at handling the most demanding engineering software but still decent for many design applications where portability and a lower price might also be important factors.
Content Creation
7.5/10
8.4/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for content creation, while the HP Envy 17 is good.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.5/10
8.2/10
9.0/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.0/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 is very good for software development, while the HP Envy 17 is good.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
6.8/10
7.9/10
17.3in
SIZE
14.4in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2400 x 1600
IPS
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
329.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
503.0 nits
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has a better screen than the HP Envy 17 for general use, gaming and AI, engineering and design, content creation, and software development.
When considering general use, both the HP Envy 17 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 provide clear and vivid displays due to their high resolution and brightness levels, with the Surface Laptop offering a slight edge in quality. For engineering and design tasks that demand precise color representation, the Surface Laptop Studio 2 stands out with better coverage of professional color gamuts, ensuring more accurate color work. However, for gaming and 3D applications where smooth motion is critical, neither laptop is ideal because they lack the high refresh rates required to deliver the best visual experience in fast-paced scenes.
Portability
Good
Good
17.3in
SIZE
14.4in
5.4 lbs
WEIGHT
4.4 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.8in
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 and HP Envy 17 both have good portability, though the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has somewhat better portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.2/10
8.5/10
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 has very good build quality, while the HP Envy 17 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,000
$3,300
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The HP Envy 17 has a price of $1,000 and the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 costs $3,300.
"In our test, the HP Envy 17-cr0079ng presents itself as a balanced multimedia laptop. Thanks to its solid CPU performance and dedicated entry-level GeForce, it can also be used for playing video games, as long as the demands aren't too high. Those looking for more can find it in the Dell XPS 17 for example."
"The new Surface Laptop Studio with its foldable display is supposed to replace the old Surface Book and the overall impression is good after our review. The build quality and the materials are top-notch, the performance utilization of the two components is solid and the device does not show any major flaws in terms of display or speakers, either. The folding mechanism leaves a sold impression as well, but it remains to be seen how it will hold up over the years. The so-called presentation mode is also not ideal since it covers the whole keyboard."
Get a great deal on the HP Envy 17 or the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2
About HP
HP, also known as Hewlett-Packard, is an American technology company that develops personal computers and computer peripherals. In the laptop industry, HP is known for its entry level Essential series laptops, its mid-range Pavilion, Envy, and Victus series, and high-end Omen and Spectre series, in addition to its business-oriented EliteBook, ProBook, and Dragonfly series laptops. HP laptops generally undercut other mainstream competitors in terms of price, placing itself as the value-oriented mainstream brand.
About Microsoft
Microsoft is an American technology corporation. Microsoft is best known for their Windows operating system and Surface laptop series. The Surface Laptop is their standard notebook offering, while their Surface Go, Surface Pro, and Surface Studio are their 2-in-1/tablet offerings in order of increasing capability. Although Microsoft charges a premium price tag for their laptops, buyers can expect a well integrated and packaged device since Microsoft develops the Windows operating system.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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