HP upgrades its premium ENVY range with three new Windows notebooks

HP has unveiled three new Windows notebooks joining its premium ENVY range of devices, with some pretty high-end specs on offer.

The 14- and 15.6-inch models are particularly appealing, thanks to their 'elevated lift hinge', which raises the keyboard slightly when the screen is open, which HP says "gives customers a more comfortable typing and viewing experience while promoting better air circulation under the device.

The 14-inch model gets the latest Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, three USB 3.0 ports and up to 10.25 hours of battery life. While no touchscreen options are available, you can choose between HD and Full HD resolutions.

The 15.6-inch model gets the same Intel processor options, along with the choice of AMD FX and A10 accelerated processors, with NVIDIA GeForce 940M or GTX950M, or AMD Radeon R7 or R6, graphics cards. The 15.6-inch display is available in HD, Full HD and Quad HD+ resolutions, and with or without touch support.

These devices can also be configured with up to 2TB of storage, including hybrid HDD/SSD storage options, and up to 16GB of RAM on systems with Intel processors.

But the third machine that HP unveiled today is a real beast, both in terms of size and specs. The 17.3-inch ENVY notebook comes with Intel Core i7 processors and NVIDIA GeForce 940M or GTX950M graphics, and can be configured with up to 4TB of standard hard drives, solid state drives or hybrids.

It also comes with four USB 3.0 ports and a full-size HDMI port, and can be configured with a DVD or Blu-ray drive. Curiously, unlike the smaller 15.6-inch model, Quad HD resolution isn't an option on the 17.3-inch ENVY, so you'll have to make do with Full HD instead.

All three models include backlit keyboards, and those with Intel processors also include a fingerprint reader and related security software.

They'll be available to buy direct from HP or from Best Buy next month: the 14-inch ENVY starts at $699.99; the 15.6-inch starts at $629.99 (AMD models) and $799.99 (Intel models); and the 17.3-inch version starts at $999.99.

However, unlike the low-cost Pavilion x2 Windows convertible that HP announced today, its new ENVY notebooks don't come with a free Office 365 subscription.