HP Envy TouchSmart m6-n015dx Laptop with Touch, Intel i5

The HP Envy TouchSmart m6-n015dx touchscreen laptop belongs to the latest Envy m6 15.6-inch consumer-oriented series with a good processor, sleek design, keyboard backlight, and advanced Control Zone trackpad. The m6-n015dx with a glass-fiber 1.2″ thick 6.1 pound heavy chassis and silver-colored soft-touch finish is similar to the previously released and discontinued m6-n012dx best seller. The processor has been upgraded from the Intel Core i5-4200M dual-core to slightly higher clocked i5-4210M, with otherwise same specs. However, there’s an important downgrade, too. The screen resolution on the newer model is 1366×768 pixels instead of 1920×1080, so the picture won’t be so sharp.

Both laptops have 8GB of RAM and 750GB hard drives. The included i5-4210M with a Passmark CPU benchmark score of around 4,300 offers a great speed increase over the budget Intel Celeron and Pentium processors with between ~1,000 and ~2,000 points. The 4210M is a full voltage part. It’s naturally faster than the widely adopted ultra-low voltage i5-4210U version, with a score of ~3,600. In the real-world use, this means completely smooth operation in usual day-to-day duties on both laptops, but also acceptably fast completion of more complex tasks such as video and photo editing. HP’s m6-n015dx is not intended for gaming, but if you scale back the game graphics settings and resolution to low, you could get a frame rate that gives you a playable experience even in demanding game titles.

Traditional laptop stuff omitted on this model are the DVD drive and old VGA video output. But, other features are generously provided. Besides the baclit chiclet-style keyboard with numeric pad and Control Zone trackpad with support for extra gestures under Windows 8, there are stereo speakers with subwoofer for improved bass, webcam, four USBs, HDMI video out, media card reader, Wi-Fi wireless, wired LAN, and Bluetooth. A nice perk is support for the latest 802.11ac wireless standard, offering faster data transfers than with the usual 802.11n. But, in order to work fast, it has to be paired with a compatible 802.11ac router.

According to Hewlett-Packard, the battery life is “up to 5 hours and 45 minutes”.

Overall, the price of the HP Envy TouchSmart m6-n015dx isn’t a complete premium-class machine, since it lacks a high-def display with at least 1080p resolution. On the other hand, it delivers above average computing muscle in a stylish package. It definitely offers good value for your dollar, especially if you grab it during Best Buy’s Black Friday sales.

Update: The $499 price deal has expired.