In another knock against practicality, the Envy x360 possesses a terribly inconvenient maintenance design which involves significant disassembly just to reach the most basic components. The first step is to carefully remove eight covers from the bottom of the machine, including all four rubber feet. Next, twelve screws are removed, after which the unit is flipped back over. Then, a plastic scribe must be used to carefully pry the entire aluminum top cover out of its bordering plastic surround, disengaging numerous clips along the way and taking great care not to damage any perimeter ports in the process.

Three separate ZIF connectors must be carefully disconnected during this step before the cover can be placed aside. Finally, the user can now access most replaceable parts, including the battery, the storage drive, the WLAN adapter, and the system fan. It is worth noting that in order for RAM replacements and upgrades to take place, the entire system board must be removed. The keyboard, meanwhile, cannot be replaced; the entire top cover is one single, monolithic piece, with the keyboard riveted using plastic rivets to the underside.

Keyboard

The keyboard on the 15t-w200 is more comfortable than what we recall from previous iterations. Although the key travel is still relatively short, the feedback is crisper and as such adjustment to typing on it is more rapid than it is with some other Ultrabook keyboards. The keys also lack the clattery sensation that many budget models exude, instead managing a more tightly-constructed sensation. It’s still merely an above-average keyboard and nowhere near the quality of a ThinkPad or Latitude, but it fits the target market just fine. Also included are a keyboard backlight and—thanks to the oversized form factor—a numeric keypad to the right.

Touchpad

The Synaptics touchpad, meanwhile, though large and spacious, is constructed of plastic (not glass, like that of many high-end models) and features a perceptible delay between movement and pointer response. The integrated buttons are also nothing special, rendering drag-and-drop operations sometimes infuriating, as integrated buttons tend to do. Overall, it’s not a bad touchpad, but it’s nothing remarkable and absolutely will beget the acquisition of a wireless mouse to offset its inadequacies.

Touchscreen

Fortunately, the x360 also features a touchscreen for easy navigation, though as previously mentioned, the bouncy hinges do it no favors in either laptop or stand form. The screen itself (lined with a sheet of protective plastic, not Gorilla Glass or similar) responds to touch perfectly however.