Have you ever wanted a PC with all of the advantages of a laptop, except for the ability to sit it on your lap? Well, you’re in luck – HP has just unveiled the Envy Move PC, an all-in-one computer with the ability to be picked up by a handle on the top and moved around.
It’s quite an interesting concept that HP has offered up here: A 23-inch device with an integrated battery, capable of being repositioned on your desk, on your coffee table, or on your floor – not that it can be used in as many places as a laptop, given its size and lack of a solid base (for laptops, the keyboard section supports the screen upright). The HP Envy Move has two feet that stick out of the bottom of the device that fold in when you pick it up – these feet can be hinged back and forward, changing the tilt of the monitor back, in case you’re looking down on it – perfect for if you use a desktop PC to do yoga, as was implied by this layout at a hands-on event at SXSW Sydney.
Being a larger form-factor device than a laptop, it’s both easier to break and much more cumbersome. After all, it doesn’t fold in on itself like a laptop, and the touchscreen is exposed at all times, with a pocket at the back of the device capable of fitting in a slim keyboard and trackpad (included in the purchase), but as an all-in-one, it’s more intended as a desktop computer anyway, so it’s not meant to come with you on the train or between home and the office. It could be useful in certain select use cases, such as for people who find smaller screens difficult, but for the most part, imagine a desktop PC without heaps of cables, that can be repositioned wherever you want.
I guess the main thing differentiating the HP Envy Move from a laptop is size – 23.8 inches, a good five inches larger than the biggest common laptop screen at 18 inches. 23.8 inches, as a monitor, is quite standard, and wouldn’t feel abnormal to someone who uses a normal desktop PC or a monitor to extend their laptop display. Speaking personally, though, I would happily trade screen size for a lighter-weight and more versatile computer.
With so much more internal space than a standard laptop, you’d think that this PC would be a powerhouse, but no, it’s rocking an Intel Core i5-1335U with integrated Iris Xe graphics and 16GB RAM, with 512GB storage capacity. At least the screen is bigger, right?
I’m glad that companies like HP are still around to take a perfectly good concept and say: What if it was good-er?
If you’ve long dreamed of taking your all-in-one PC for a walk, the HP Envy Move starts at $1,999 in Australia, and is available now.
Alternatively, you can spend less on a similarly-specced laptop, take the smaller screen size in stride, and be happy that you can use it in so many other places with a much lighter and versatile form factor. You know, like on your couch, at chairs without tables, in the park, in the pub, on the train, on the plane, and everywhere else where portability means what you want it to mean.
Image: Zachariah Kelly/Gizmodo Australia
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