The dv7t under review comes with the default 1600 x 900 display. Given the 1600 x 900 resolution, the ENVY dv7t has the same pixel density as a 15.6" screen laptop with 1366 x 768 HD resolution. This screen uses TN panel technology found in a majority of laptops, not the more expensive wide angle viewing IPS technology you may have heard of that's used on the MacBook Pro with Retina display or Lenovo's ThinkPad X230. This means colors will shift as you tilt the laptop screen back and forward, a straight-on view with the screen perpendicular to your eyes will offer the best experience. There's not much else to write home about for the HD+ screen -- colors, contrast and black levels are all average. Screen brightness is fine for indoor usage, but don't expect to be able to view the screen outdoors in the full sun. The glossy finish screen does help to make colors more bold and brilliant and is nice for movie watching, but if you're working in a brightly lit room with a light source from behind and above you'll get a lot of reflection off of the screen.
It's somewhat disappointing that HP didn't offer an option for a touchscreen display when refreshing the dv7t to Windows 8 . After all, the Windows 8 UI is all about offering touch interaction and a large 17-inch display would offer plenty of room for such screen interactions. HP nx6105 battery , HP nx6110 battery , HP nx6115 battery , HP nx6120 battery , HP nx6125 battery , HP nx6130 battery , HP nx6140 battery , HP nx6300 battery , HP nx6310 battery , HP nx6315 battery , HP nx6320 battery , HP nx6325 battery , HP nx6330 battery , HP COMPAQ 8510p battery , HP COMPAQ 8510w battery , HP COMPAQ 8710p battery , HP COMPAQ 6720t battery , HP COMPAQ 7400 battery , HP COMPAQ 8200 battery , HP COMPAQ 8400 battery , HP COMPAQ 8500 battery ,

Speakers
HP uses Beats branded speakers on the ENVY dv7t-7200, there are four speakers on top and then a subwoofer on the bottom to offer deeper tones and extra bass. The four speakers on top are located at the top of the keyboard and then bottom of the display on the left and right side. The forward firing nature of the speakers on the screen is a nice touch. The sound delivered is very clear and stays such even at loud volumes. Full volume can be defined as ridiculously loud, avoid that level, unless you need to fill a large room with sound. The Beats audio brand doesn't get much respect next to the likes of Shenheiser or Audio Technica, but for a laptop the ENVY dv7t stands out as being much better than average. HP COMPAQ 8510w Mobile Workstation battery , HP COMPAQ 8700 battery , HP COMPAQ 8710w battery , HP COMPAQ 8710w Mobile Workstation battery , HP COMPAQ 9400 battery , HP COMPAQ nc8200 battery , HP COMPAQ nc8230 battery , HP COMPAQ nc8430 battery , HP COMPAQ nw8200 battery , HP COMPAQ nw8240 battery , HP COMPAQ nw8240 Mobile Workstation battery , HP COMPAQ nw8440 battery ,

Keyboard and Touchpad
The ENVY dv7t has a Chiclet-style keyboard design (sometimes called "island style") and can be configured with a backlight for an extra $20 if customized via HP.com. The keyboard backlight is a recommended upgrade, it makes seeing key lettering easier even in a room that is lit, plus it adds a bit of design flare. The keys themselves have a matte finish while the keyboard back plate is glossy. The keys are flat and when pressed offer a good amount of travel and tactile feedback. The keyboard is firm and will not flex under typical typing pressure, but can be depressed if you apply an above average amount of downward pressure. The keyboard quality and feel is not as good as the often praised Lenovo ThinkPad series with its ergonomically cupped keys and precisely engineered tactile response and travel distances, but for a consumer notebook the ENVY dv7t is quite good. HP Pavilion dv6100 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv2000 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv6000 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv6300 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv6400 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv6500 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv6600 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv6700 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv6800 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv6900 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv6500t battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv6500z battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv3500 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv3500t battery laptop , Compaq Presario CQ40 battery laptop , Compaq Presario CQ41 battery laptop , Compaq Presario CQ45 battery laptop , COMPAQ Presario CQ50 battery laptop , COMPAQ Presario CQ50T battery laptop , COMPAQ Presario CQ50Z battery laptop , Compaq Presario CQ60 battery laptop , Compaq Presario CQ60z battery laptop , Compaq Presario CQ61 battery laptop , Compaq Presario CQ70 battery laptop , Compaq Presario CQ71 battery laptop , HP G50 battery laptop , HP G60 battery laptop , HP G61 battery laptop , HP G70 battery laptop , HP G71 battery laptop ,

There is a number pad on the right side that should please accounting types. One note about having the number pad squeezed in is that it means the alphanumeric keys are not centered to the display, but rather they are shifted to the left relative to the display center, this might bother some people who like precise symmetry. HP HSTNN-IB44, HP HSTNN-IB45, HP RW557AA, HP 395789-001, HP 395789-002, HP 395789-003, HP 396008-001, HP 403808-001, HP EF419A, HP EG417AA, HP HSTNN-DB20, HP HSTNN-IB20, HP HSTNN-OB20, HP 113955-001, HP 294038-182, HP 319411-001, HP 319411-001N, HP 361742-001, HP 371785-001, HP 371786-001, HP 372114-001, HP 372114-002, HP 383615-001, HP 916-2150, HP 916-2160, HP 916-2310, HP BLP1199, HP DB946A, HP F4098A, HP F4809-60901, HP F4809A, HP F4812A, HP HSTNN-DB13, HP HSTNN-IB13, HP HSTNN-Q09C, HP 436426-311, HP 436426-351,

The ENVY dv7t touchpad has quite a large surface area measuring 4.13-inch wide by 2.13-inch deep. That's nowhere near as large as the Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch that offers a 5.2-inch wide by 4.3-inch deep trackpad, but HP chose to offer dedicated mouse buttons instead of the integrated clickpad buttons Apple uses. With Windows 8 the more room you get on the touchpad the better, there are a lot of touchpad gestures you can do and swiping from side to side is encouraged for navigation, therefore a clickpad and deeper touchpad surface may have made more sense with the ENVY. Worth noting is the fact the touchpad is slightly sunken, which is helpful for finding it in the dark or to avoid looking down. Unfortunately if you opt for the keyboard backlight the touchpad does not receive the same backlight treatment. HP 482962-001, HP 484786-001, HP HSTNN-UB68, HP HSTNN-UB69, HP HSTNN-XB24, HP HSTNN-XB59, HP EliteBook 2740p Tablet PC battery laptop , HP COMPAQ 2740p Tablet PC battery laptop , Compaq Presario V2300 battery laptop , Compaq Presario V2600 battery laptop , Compaq Presario A945US battery laptop , Compaq Presario V2600 battery laptop , Compaq Presario V4000 battery laptop , Compaq Presario V4000T battery laptop , Compaq Presario V4200 battery laptop , Compaq Presario V4300 battery laptop , Compaq Presario V4400 battery laptop , Compaq Presario V5000 battery laptop , Compaq Presario V5000T battery laptop , HP Pavilion DV1000 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv1200 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv1400 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv1600 battery laptop , HP Pavilion DV1700 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv1700 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv4000 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv4100 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv4200 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv4300 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv4400 battery laptop , HP Pavilion ZE2000 battery laptop , HP Pavilion ZE2200 battery laptop ,

As with a majority of Windows laptops, the ENVY uses Synaptics drivers for the touchpad that allow you to customize some settings like cursor speed, enabling or disabling gesture featres and palm detection sensitivity to avoid accidental cursor movement. For the most part the touchpad worked well, though sometimes the cursor would jump even though I had palm detection sensitivity turned up. The bigger issue for most users will be figuring out the new Windows 8 screen navigation features which just seem more intuitive for use with a touchscreen rather than touchpad. Certain Windows 8 navigation such as bringing up the Charms bar on the right and other hidden shortcuts that require precise placement of the cursor in specific areas of the screen can be easier to do with a mouse that provides more accurate cursor placement.HP COMPAQ nw8440 Mobile Workstation battery , HP COMPAQ nw9440 battery , HP COMPAQ nw9440 Mobile Workstation battery , HP COMPAQ nx7300 battery , HP COMPAQ nx7400 battery , HP COMPAQ nx8200 battery , HP COMPAQ nx8220 battery , HP COMPAQ nx8420 battery , HP COMPAQ nx9420 battery , HP 4200 battery , HP NC4200 battery , HP NC4400 battery , HP TC4200 battery , HP TC4400 battery , COMPAQ Evo N1020V battery laptop , COMPAQ Evo N160 battery laptop , COMPAQ Evo N800 battery laptop , COMPAQ Evo N800C battery laptop , COMPAQ Evo N800V battery laptop , COMPAQ Evo N800W battery laptop , COMPAQ Presario 2800 battery laptop , COMPAQ Mobile workstation NW8000 battery laptop , HP 655 battery laptop , Compaq Presario A900 battery laptop , Compaq Presario C700 battery laptop , Compaq Presario F500 battery laptop , Compaq Presario F700 battery laptop , Compaq Presario V3000 battery laptop , Compaq Presario V3100 battery laptop , Compaq Presario V6100 battery laptop , Compaq Presario V6200 battery laptop , Compaq Presario V6300 battery laptop , Compaq Presario V6400 battery laptop , Compaq Presario V6500 battery laptop , Compaq Presario V6500z battery laptop , Compaq Presario V6600 battery laptop , Compaq Presario V6700 battery laptop , Compaq Presario V6700TX battery laptop , Compaq Presario V3600 battery laptop , Compaq Presario V3000 battery laptop , HP G6000 battery laptop , HP G7000 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv2100 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv2200 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv2300 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv2400 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv2500 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv2600 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv2700 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv2700z battery laptop ,HP G71t battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv4 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv4i battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv4t battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv4z battery laptop ,

The mouse buttons below the touchpad are a bit of a let down. While they work fine they have very little travel distance and don't give convincing feedback to know you've fully pressed them. HP Pavilion dv5 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv5t battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv5t-1000 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv5z battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv6 battery laptop , Hp Pavilion dv6t battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv6t-1000 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv6t-1100 battery laptop , HP Pavilion dv6z battery laptop , HP Pavilion HDX16t battery laptop , HP Pavilion g6z battery laptop , COMPAQ Presario CQ56 battery laptop , Compaq Presario B1200 battery laptop , HP 2210b battery laptop , COMPAQ Armada E500 battery laptop , COMPAQ Armada V300 battery laptop , COMPAQ Armada V500 battery laptop ,HP Pavilion ZV5200 battery laptop , HP Pavilion ZV5220CA battery laptop , HP Pavilion ZV5325CA battery laptop , HP Pavilion ZV6000 battery laptop , HP COMPAQ NX9100 battery laptop , HP COMPAQ NX9110 battery laptop , Compaq Presario C300 battery laptop , Compaq Presario C500 battery laptop , Compaq Presario M2000 battery laptop , Compaq Presario M2000Z battery laptop , Compaq Presario M2100 battery laptop , Compaq Presario M2400 battery laptop , Compaq Presario V2000 battery laptop , Compaq Presario V2000Z battery laptop , Compaq Presario V2100 battery laptop ,

Just below the keyboard on the right side is a fingerprint reader, this is a standard feature and can be handy as an alternative to using typed passwords for logging into the machine or even websites when used in combination with built-in software.The ENVY dv7t-7200 is a 17.3-inch screen 7lb notebook that's squarely targeted at an audience looking for a desktop replacement style machine.  With all the rage about Ultrabooks, you might be surprised to know the desktop replacement segment of 15 to 17-inch laptops is still the top selling category.  The reason being that laptops like the ENVY dv7t offer a lot of nice features, excellent performance options and a price that comes in well under a lighter and sleeker looking but lesser powered Ultrabook.  People still want their notebook to look decent, no matter what the size and usage intention, HP therefore has paid attention to making the ENVY dv7t's looks appealing to a wide audience.  The lid has a subtle brushed metal skin with a midnight black color finish that is contrasted with a silver trim around the edges.  The HP logo on top is illuminated, this offers a pretty cool look, though it probably doesn't generate the same techno-lust as an Apple logo does. HP 443156-001, HP 454668-001, HP AH547AA, HP HSTNN-CB45, HP HSTNN-OB45, HP HSTNN-XB43, HP HSTNN-XB45, HP HSTNN-XB4X, HP NBP6B17B1, HP F2105A, HP 458640-542,HP Mini 5101 battery laptop , HP Mini 5102 battery laptop , HP Mini 5103 battery laptop , Compaq presario b3800 battery laptop , HP EliteBook 2560p Notebook PC battery laptop , COMPAQ Evo N1000 battery laptop , COMPAQ Evo N1000C battery laptop , COMPAQ Evo N1000V battery laptop ,

Opening up the the ENVY dv7t reveals a continuation of the midnight black finish across the palm rests and around the keyboard.  The black metallic finished areas do a good job of hiding fingerprints, unfortunately the same cannot be said of the glossy bezel HP decided to use around the screen and in the keyboard tray area.  Wherever you grab the screen to open it or adjust the angle will likely be left with a greasy fingerprint mark, a matte finish would have been more practical.  Fortunately the keyboard keys themselves are matte, not glossy like the tray area, the keyboard uses an island style key design with flat tops.  As an added bonus for accountant types there's a number pad on the right side. HP 6710s battery laptop , HP 6715b battery laptop , HP 6715s battery laptop , HP 6910p battery laptop , HP nc6100 battery laptop , HP nc6105 battery laptop , HP nc6110 battery laptop , HP nc6115 battery laptop , HP nc6120 battery laptop , HP nc6140 battery laptop , HP nc6200 battery laptop , HP nc6220 battery laptop , HP nc6230 battery laptop , HP nc6300 battery laptop , HP nc6320 battery laptop , HP nc6400 battery laptop , HP nx5100 battery laptop , HP nx6100 battery laptop , Compaq Armada M300 battery laptop , Compaq Armada PP2050 battery laptop , Compaq Armada PP2070 battery laptop , Compaq Evo N400c battery laptop , Compaq Evo N410c battery laptop , Compaq Presario 300 battery laptop , Compaq Presario 305 battery laptop , Compaq Presario 306 battery laptop , Compaq PP2100 battery laptop , Compaq PP2200 battery laptop , Compaq PP2210 battery laptop , Compaq Presario R3000 battery laptop , Compaq Presario R3000AP battery laptop , Compaq Presario R3210CA battery laptop , Compaq Presario R4000 battery laptop , HP Pavilion ZV5000 battery laptop ,

The side areas of the ENVY where the ports are found again use a silver trim made of a plastic material with a faux aluminum look.  Moving to the underside of the dv7, you'll find a thick plastic skin is used to reinforce this vulnerable area and protect its internals.  There is a panel that can be easily taken off with the removal of one screw and offers access to upgrade such things as the RAM, dual hard drives or wireless card.  The battery is removable and upgradeable, bucking the trend of sealed case designs. HP Pavilion ZE2300 battery laptop , HP Pavilion ze2400 battery laptop , HP Pavilion ZT4000 battery laptop , HP G3000 battery laptop , HP G5000 battery laptop , HP Compaq NX4800 battery laptop , HP Compaq NX7100 battery laptop , HP Compaq NX7200 battery laptop , Compaq Tablet PC TC1000 battery laptop , Compaq Tablet PC TC1100 battery laptop , COMPAQ 510 battery laptop , COMPAQ 511 battery laptop , COMPAQ 610 battery laptop , COMPAQ 615 battery laptop , HP 550 battery laptop , HP 6720s battery laptop , HP 6730s battery laptop , HP 6735s battery laptop , HP 6820s battery laptop , HP 6830s battery laptop , HP 6510b battery laptop , HP 6515b battery laptop , HP 6710b battery laptop ,