Apple surprised many by ditching the 27-inch iMac, its main desktop computer for creatives for more than a decade. Its replacement, the Mac Studio, offers impressive performance, but its high price and lack of a built-in display may cause many users to seek out a more affordable all-in-one alternative.
If that’s your case, take a look at HP’s all-in-one Envy, which goes — with its latest revision — from a 32-inch screen to a massive 34-inch screen with 5K resolution and a aspect 21:9. The design is also impressive, and a versatile feature set makes it an appealing option for creatives. The screen on this machine will also appeal to many office workers looking to replace a dual-screen setup with a compact and versatile desktop PC built for telecommuting.
See the Envy 34 at HP
Features
-
BONE : Windows 11 (Home or Pro) -
CPU : Intel Core i5-11400, i7-11700 -
GPUs : Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 (4GB), Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 (6GB), -
RAM : 16 GB, 32 GB -
Storage : 512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB -
Screen : 34″ IPS WUHD (5120 x 2160, 163.4 ppi, 21.3:9) -
Wireless : Bluetooth 5 or 5.2, Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) or Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) -
Connectors : rear: 3.5mm audio in/out, 2x Thunderbolt 4/USB 4, 4x USB-A, HDMI, RJ-45 Ethernet, power input — Foot (side): SD card reader, USB-C, 2x USB-A -
webcam : 16 MP (detachable, mobile) -
Audio : two 2W speakers (B&O) -
Dimensions : 817.2mm x 368.4mm x 223mm. -
Weight : 11.05kg -
Price : from €1,999
Prices and options
HP’s website claims the Envy 34 is “designed by creators for creators“. But if you just need an all-in-one PC for office work, there’s an entry-level Envy 34 configuration that costs $1,999.99. It runs on a Core i5- 11400, an Nvidia GTX 1650 graphics card, 16 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD. More demanding users can upgrade to the Core i7 model tested here, which comes with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card, 32 GB of RAM and an SSD 2 TB for 3199 €.
And, to show that HP caters to creatives, the company offers a free trial for the Adobe suite.
Design
The main feature of the Envy 34 is, of course, its 34-inch IPS display, which offers 5K resolution (5120 x 2160 pixels, 163.4 dpi) in a 21:9 aspect ratio. It’s crisp, bright (500 nits) and well-calibrated. Its format allows it to offer plenty of room to juggle several applications and windows on the screen simultaneously. The display also supports 98% of the DCI-P3 color standard, widely used in professional video editing. 5K resolution allows viewing of full-size 4K video while leaving room for editing tools in Adobe Premiere or other editing applications.
The Envy 34 is surprisingly compact, with very narrow bezels on all sides of the screen. It’s stripped of the bulky bezel that ran along the bottom edge of the iMac, as HP managed to relocate the stereo speakers to the sides of the display. Designed by Bang & Olufsen, the 2W speakers are surprisingly powerful considering their sizes. The high frequencies do dull a bit if you crank the volume all the way up, but the Envy 34 is perfect for listening to music while you work, or handling audio on video calls.
User experience
HP has been attentive to every point during the construction of this Envy 34. The installation process is very simple because, rather than using Bluetooth technology, the HP keyboard and mouse automatically pair with a wireless receiver integrated into the PC. They are both ready to go as soon as you insert the batteries and turn on the PC. The only disappointment here is the plethora of not always useful software installed on the Envy. Dropbox, ExpressVPN, and McAfee show up right from the setup to try to sell you their services.
While Apple’s new Studio Display has been criticized for not allowing the height of the screen to be adjusted (unless you pay extra for an adjustable stand), the Envy 34’s screen moves up and down by gently, and tilts with your fingertips.
Image: Cliff Joseph/ZDNet
It’s a shame the stand isn’t also pivoting, but that’s probably because HP packed a few extra features into the stand. The rear of the display houses two Thunderbolt 4 and four USB-A ports, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet, and audio in/out. On the foot, there are two additional USB-A ports, a USB-C port and an SD card slot. This placement avoids having to put your hand behind the screen each time you want to connect something.
Image: Cliff Joseph/ZDNet
There’s a Qi wireless charging mat at the base of the stand and, rather than integrating a webcam into the body of the display, HP provides a separate camera that connects via USB. The latter has a magnetic base that allows you to attach it anywhere around the edges of the screen. The 16MP webcam supports 1080p or 1292p (2303×1292) video at 30 frames per second and delivers a crisp, clear image that will make you stand out on video calls. It also has a very useful privacy section.
Image: HP Inc.
On the back of the display is a magnetic panel that is easily removed, giving quick access to RAM and SSD.
Performance
The Envy 34 clearly outperforms the 27-inch iMac in graphics performance, although there is less of a difference when it comes to CPU performance.
The latest 27-inch (Intel-based) iMac, which was available until the end of March, was similarly priced to the Envy 34. The iMac’s Core i7 processor was pretty solid, with scores of 1,359 (single-core) and 7,530 (multi-core) on Geekbench 5. The Envy 34 does only marginally better, registering 1,637 (single-core) and 7,595 (multi-core). The current 24-inch iMac M1, meanwhile, scored 1,745 (single-core) and 7,700 (multi-core) in native M1 mode.
However, the Envy’s RTX 3060 GPU wins hands down in graphics performance, scoring 82,800 in the Geekbench 5 Compute test, compared to 42,100 for the 27-inch iMac. Granted, the new Mac Studio does even better, with a score of 100,000, but it’s the top-of-the-line model featuring Apple’s M1 Ultra processor with 64 GPU cores and a price of 5700 euros (without screen).
The Envy 34 also beat the 27-inch iMac on the Unigine Valley test with 85 fps, while the Intel iMac only got 58 fps. This test is not compatible with the M1 chips used in the latest Macs, but the Mac Studio scored an impressive 209 fps on 3DMark Wildlife Extreme, while the Envy 34 could only score a modest 70 fps.
Conclusion
While the Envy 34 isn’t quite in the high-end workstation category, it’s certainly an attractive alternative and worthy successor to the 27-inch iMac for creators and demanding users. The performance is good, the screen is large, the design elegant. In short, it is a success.
Alternatives
Although Apple has discontinued the 27-inch iMac, it is still available through select retailers. If you’re not afraid of a smaller screen, Apple’s 24-inch iMac, based on the M1, is a great choice. The Surface Studio 2 is also an interesting alternative.
Source: “ZDNet.com”