We recently reviewed the HP Envy 15-3000, the current 2012 version of the Envy 15, and found there was a lot to like about this sleek and powerful laptop. One of the features we really liked was the high resolution 1920 x 1080 IPS screen, a $150 upgrade during configuration on HP.com. IPS screens offer wide viewing angles and are generally preferred by designer types as they keep colors true at varying angles. But therein lies the rub, colors look the same at different angles but that doesn’t make them “right” if the color calibration is off or something is inherently wrong with the way a screen is reproducing RGB values. And that is what we’re seeing with the Envy 15, specifically red colors are appearing more orange.
 This is what everyone is talking about, above the Envy 17 is on the left and Envy 15 with IPS screen on the right showing the exact same red-violet color (Hex value FF0048) – but the Envy 15 clearly displays a more burnt orange with this particular color value and has trouble reproducing the red component of the RGB |
The red looks orange complaint has been reported by Envy 15 owners in various reviews and forums across the web, but owners seem to have different experiences ranging from the problem being barely noticeable to so bad that the only choice is to return the laptop. We happen to have an Envy 15 and Envy 17 on hand (both the current 2012 models) and so decided to compare the Envy 15 IPS screen to the Envy 17 Radiance 1920 x 1080 screen and see how colors were reproduced using the same images and LCD tests. These tests are by no means scientific, we don’t have expensive color calibration and testing equipment to quantify results, the results are just what we perceived and a presentation of the evidence we found. Photos taken used color correction on our camera to make the color differences as close as we could to how they appeared to the naked eye, photos of course still can’t fully capture the in person viewing comparison.
Lagom.nl Color Test
Lagom.nl offers a popular bench of tests and tools that make it possible to adjust and calibrate your monitor. We used the sites color background wallpapers to compare how different colors appeared on the Envy 15 Vs. Envy 17. The colors the site uses are not straight red/green/blue but instead “off color” to help show certain differences better.
Purple (#8700FF)
Above you can see the larger Envy 17 on the left and smaller Envy 15 on the right. Both are displaying a purple color, the hex value is 8700FF and described as an intermediate blue-violet. To our eyes this color appeared more as a pale blue on the Envy 15 while the Envy 17 clearly showed what most of us would call purple.
Red (#FF0048)
Above you can see the Envy 17 is clearly producing a red/pink/magenta like color. As humans we all label colors a little differently but I think we can all agree there’s some aspect of red, pink, magenta or violet being seen there. However, with the Envy 15 screen this FF0048 color is likely going to be called a dark or burnt orange by most people, no hint of pink in there and few would call that red.
Green (#74FF00)
The above green-yellow color is probably what you’d get if you mixed the BP logo colors. The Envy 17 and Envy 15 are closer on reproducing the same color with this color value, but you can see they’re still not quite the same. To this eye the Envy 15 looked more yellowish than the Envy 17. That may be hard to tell from the pictures.
Blue (#0000FF)
Advantages of the Envy 15 Screen (yes, it has some)
While the color comparison tests would tend to make you decide the Envy 17 is clearly the superior screen, you’d be ignoring other aspects such as color contrast and how blacks and whites appear. As it turns out, the Envy 15 actually does a nicer job of reproducing deep and true blacks, which makes for better color contrast. When viewing images from the NASA APOD site I found myself much more drawn to the ones on the Envy 15. Looking at them on the Envy 17 felt like looking at them on a computer screen that was a bit too bright and oversaturated. Though the colors were not as vibrant on the Envy 15, they seemed much crisper and the deeper blacks made a big difference. The photos looked much more like actual photos on the Envy 15.
Also, you can’t ignore the fact viewing angles are better on the Envy 15 are simply better. Check out the image above with the screens tilted back, the Envy 17 (on left) colors distort to the point of being impossible to tell what an image is, the Envy 15 colors hold true and you can still see what’s on the screen when it’s tilted to any angle.
Conclusion
From a personal perspective, I own the Envy 15 and am not returning it. I’m happy with the screen and enjoy viewing it. The Envy 15 screen is clearly different to that of the Envy 17. The Envy 17 has a brighter display and appears to be able to reproduce a significantly broader portion of the RGB color space than the Envy 15. But I like the color contrast and viewing angles of the Envy 15 screen and the color issues don’t bother me, I only really notice them if I look for them to be honest. That said, if you’re a designer, photographer or your job in anyway relies on extremely accurate color reproduction on a screen then the Envy 15 color gamut will be an issue for you. It would be nice if HP were able to address the issue and everything were simply perfect with the Envy 15 screen, and let’s hope they do. Even now I still recommend the Envy 15 for purchase, and if the color issue is a big deal to you then the Envy 17 could be an alternative if you’re willing to go with a larger laptop.
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When will the review of the Envy 17 be posted? Trying to decide between the 15 and 17. Thought the review of the 15 was great and really interested to see what you guys think of the 17.
Hi Al, it should be ready to post by end of this week. Ryan (who has the Envy 15 and did that review) is working on the review now. We have some benchmarks showing performance is pretty much exactly the same (in the mid 9K range for PCMark Vantage with a 7200RPM HD installed, Intel Core i7 2670QM and AMD 7690M). Initially back in December HP had said the Envy 17 would have a faster graphics card than the Envy 15, obviously that’s not the case!
“High Resolution”????
Well, how come industry went backwards in recent years. I had Dell Latitude with 1920×1200 resolution, mat screen. It was best laptop ever but hot old and I need to replace it. However, there is no more laptops with 1920×1200 resolution???? Only, this 1080 “hd” stuff you brag about that has ugliest screens, I am sorry!
In 2004, you could get 1920×1200 laptop anywhere. Now, 8 years later, resolutions went down and you call it still “high resolution”??? … what a sales pitch!
Your 1080 screens might be good for people using laptops to watch movies or to blog, or google and chat but for us professionals having sometimes 20+ apps running and needing space, they are simply put rubbish!
I don’t debate the fact resolution has migrated down over the years, but relative to what’s on the market now this is “high resolution”. It’s like with cereal boxes and cookies, companies continue to shrink the packaging and sizes as their costs go up instead of raising prices in a bet that consumers care more about price than quality/size, and just kind of hope they forget what was standard yesterday.