While searching for notebooks for pupils, economical alternatives are usually taken into consideration, yet for software development, the budget can stretch further. Occasionally, however, an offer comes along that narrows the gap between these categories, delivering ample performance and value simultaneously.
Trust Black Friday to provide such an unexpected gem, and it’s Best Buy that’s compelling us to share this discovery with you. The vendor is advertising the HP Envy 2-in-1 at a significant markdown to $699.99. That’s a $450 deduction from the suggested price, making this versatile machine more accessible for the student’s budget.
Securing a markdown is beneficial (especially one as substantial as this), yet it’s inconsequential if the device in question isn’t up to par. Nonetheless, an impressive 4.8-star average review on Best Buy’s site indicates that there’s genuine merit to this machine.
The synergy of a 13th-generation Intel Core i7 and 16GB of RAM establishes a robust foundation, and the 15.6-inch screen size is suitable for multitasking and managing several applications at once — although a higher resolution than the competent but unremarkable 1080p would have been preferred.
Nonetheless, flip the screen and it transforms into an effective tablet with touch-first functionality, operating on Windows 11 and all its benefits.
The Intel Iris Xe Graphics are on the integrated side, so don’t count on it for intensive video production or elaborate image editing, but for programming tasks, it delivers ample capability. There’s an abundance of connectivity options as well, including USB-A, Thunderbolt 4, and HDMI 2.1 to enhance your workspace. You might want to include an external webcam in your peripheral setup since the built-in option is fairly unremarkable.
Best Buy is also touting an economical offer on Microsoft 365 Personal subscription, incorporating Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for just $69.99 at the point of purchase.