The HP m6-k012dx from the Envy TouchSmart Sleekbook series is a kind of a mix between the m6-k010dx and m6-k015dx. It has AMD’s computing technology of the former and the touchscreen capability of the latter.
Inside the 15.6-inch m6-k012dx running Windows 8, customers get the AMD Elite Quad-Core A10-5745M Accelerated Processor with AMD Radeon HD 8610G integrated graphics. More about them you can read in our overview of the chip. Generally speaking, the CPU and accompanying GPU are good for everyday use and even some 3D gaming on lower settings.
The star of the show is touchscreen functionality. The display has a 15.6-inch diagonal and supports multitouch input. Unfortunately, HP hasn’t improved the screen resolution, so you get the mediocre 1366-by-768 pixel count.
With included 8GB of RAM, you won’t have a need for more and it will ensure seamless multitasking with many apps opened. The provided 1-Terabyte hard disk is the largest-capacity one on the market at the time of this writing. You basically get double the storage space of the average notebooks. Because of that, this laptop is good for those who have large movie and music libraries. As a downside storage-wise, the HP m6-k012dx doesn’t have a built-in optical drive, so you’ll have to have a separately sold external DVD drive if you plan to read and write CDs and DVDs.
In other aspects, all the HP Envy m6 models from this year are the same, except weight. They have stereo speakers with a built-in subwoofer for bass enhancement, Beats Audio sound optimization technology, TrueVision 720p web camera, two USB 3.0 and one USB 2.0 port, Wi-Fi, Ethernet LAN, Bluetooth, a multi-format media card reader, headphone-out/microphone-in combo jack, and HDMI video output. A VGA video connector is missing, so you won’t be able to connect the notebook to some older monitors and projectors with no HDMI (unless you have an HDMI-to-VGA adapter).
Regarding keyboard/trackapad-style input, it’s worth noting that the keyboard has backlight and a dedicated numeric pad, while the trackpad is a one-piece surface with click buttons integrated in it.
The battery sealed inside is a 50Whr unit, but unfortunately we have no info on battery life.
Outwardly, the Envy m6 has silver-colored aluminum finish on both palmrests and lid. The machine is obviously built to last. Although this model appears to be highly portable thanks to it thinness of only 0.85″, it actually isn’t optimal for carrying around much. That’s because of the weight of 5.6 pounds. The 15.6-inchers with built-in optical drives usually weight a tad less, but keep in mind that the touchscreen and subwoofer are features that usually increase overall weight of the system.
The HP Envy Sleekbook TouchSmart m6-k012dx is a compelling laptop for the average consumer, because it’s well equipped and its $700 price tag doesn’t break the bank. It is worthy of serious consideration, but many other similar touch-enabled notebooks on the market are too. This m6 model has the large hard drive as the main advantage over majority of them, but there are some models, like the 14″ Lenovo IdeaPad U430 Touch – 59371574, providing generally better Intel CPUs and higher screen resolutions for a lower price.
Hi,
Is it possible to add another 8gb of ram to this laptop?
This model has 2 RAM slots and by default was shipping with 2 x 4 GB = 8GB RAM. So, you can only take a 4GB module (or both) out and insert an 8GB module instead. Or a pair of 8GB modules for a total of maximal 16GB RAM.
Hi, what would you recommend to a student wanting to buy a laptop?… I had a look at this one and I liked it, however, are there similar one on the market that might be better or worth considering as well, I don’t mind foregoing the touch screen and 15 inches for the screen is a must. Something that lasts.